In December 2004, the photo of the biggest wave in the world spread all over the world. On December 26, an earthquake hit Asia, resulting in a tsunami that killed more than 235,000 people.
The media published photos of the destruction, assuring readers and viewers that there had never been such a big wave in the world. But the journalists were cunning … Indeed, in terms of its destructive power, the tsunami of 2004 is one of the deadliest. But the magnitude (height) of this wave is rather modest: it did not much exceed 15 meters. Higher waves are known in history, about which you can say: “Yes, this is the biggest wave in the world!”
Record breaking waves
- In 1792, Japan experienced another nightmare. An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 triggered the collapse of most of Mount Unzen. The rock that fell into the sea and the earthquake led to the formation of a wave 100 meters high. She completely wiped out the village that was located next to the mountain.
- May 18, 1980 the mostthe biggest wave in the world (as it seemed then) rolled over Spirit Lake. Tons of red-hot lava fell into it, which, due to an earthquake, fell into the lake from a collapsed volcano. There was an explosion. Its power can be compared with the explosion of 20 million tons of TNT. The wave that was formed as a result of the explosion reached 250 meters. It seemed to people that the wall of water advancing at a frantic speed was moving beyond the clouds. But this, as it turned out later, is not the biggest wave in the world.
- Today, the wave that destroyed Lituya Bay in Alaska remains the record holder. It also arose as a result of an earthquake (8 points). It provoked a giant landslide: 300 million cubic meters of frozen soil, rock, and huge pieces of ice fell into the lake, sandwiched among rocks, from a kilometer high. It was then that the largest wave in the world formed: its height was 524 meters, and its speed was 160 kilometers. She leveled the La Gaussy spit, uprooted all the trees in the way, and destroyed several fishing boats.
Where are the biggest waves
Scientists are sure that the highest waves do not cause earthquakes (because of them, tsunamis are more often formed), but landslides. This is why high waves are the most common:
- In the Hawaiian Islands. Seismologists and oceanologists fear that a wave exceeding 1 km in height may arise here. Will it be the highest wave in the world? Not clear yet.
- In Canada. If Mount Breckenridge collapses into the sea, the resultinga wave can wash away several coastal towns at once.
- In the Canaries. The Cumbre Vieja volcanic chain can collapse into the sea during an earthquake. Boiling lava, as it was on Spirit Lake, hitting the water will explode. A wave will leave to the west, the height of which will be much more than a kilometer in height.
- The same wave could form in the Cape Verde Islands.
… And more killer waves
It's not just giant waves that are dangerous. There is a more terrible variety: single killer waves. They come from nowhere, their height rarely exceeds 15 meters. But the pressure that they exert on all the objects they meet exceeds 100 tons per centimeter (ordinary waves "press" with a force of only 12 tons). These waves are practically not studied. It is only known that she crumples oil rigs and ships like a sheet of plain paper.
