1960 Valdivia earthquake
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake () or Great Chilean earthquake ("Gran terremoto de Chile") of 22 May is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Various studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale. It occurred in the afternoon (19:11 GMT, 15:11 local time), and lasted approximately 10 minutes. The resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia and the Aleutian Islands.
Physical oceanography
The tsunami that occurred in Lituya Bay, Alaska on July 9, 1958 was high and is the biggest tsunami ever measured, almost taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago and about taller than the former World Trade Center in New York.