A New Dictionary

Ordinary sea waves which are whipped up by wind, are not normally very high. The highest sea wave ever recorded was in the Pacific Ocean in 1933 and measured 34 M (112 ft) from trough to crest!

Tsunami waves, which are triggered by earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, are frequently much bigger. The highest recorded tsunami wave was in Lituya Bay, Alaska, on July 9, 1958. An earthquake measuring 8.3 on the richter scale caused part of a mountain to collapse into the bay, causing a monstrous tsunami. At the mouth of the bay, the wave was 524 m (1,720 ft) high!

The tallest recorded tsunami triggered by an earthquake hit Ishigaki Island, Japan, on April 4 1771. The wave was 85 m (278 ft) tall, triggered by an earthquake which measured 7.4 on the richter scale.