When we think of tsunamis, we think of the disastrous waves that have killed thousands in Indonesia, Japan, Hawaii and Alaska. There was even a scare this week as a strong earthquake off the Kuril islands north of Japan threatened to generate a devastating tsunami along parts of the Russian and Japanese coastlines and even the west coast of the United States.
On November 18, 1929, an earthquake occurred at 5:02 p.m. local time off the coast of Grand Banks, Newfoundland. The earthquake, which had a Richter magnitude of 7.2, had an epicenter of 44.5°N, 56.3°W. The strong earthquake caused a submarine landslide that triggered a tsunami that killed people on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland. The undersea landslide damaged several miles of transatlantic telegraph cables. The tsunami was felt as far away as South Carolina and Portugal.
The tsunami caused $400,000 in damage and killed 29 people, the highest death toll attributed to an earthquake in Canada.
Scientists fear that a repeat of such an event off the U.S. East Coast could generate a series of waves up to fifteen feet in height in the Chesapeake Bay and along the North Carolina Outer Banks.
