Tsunami

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Cars are at a standstill in Panama City following the tsunami warning.

Why the massive Russian earthquake produced such a weak tsunami

When one of the largest quakes ever recorded struck off the coast of Russia on Wednesday, tsunami warning centres leapt into action – but the big waves failed to appear. What happened?

  • Katrina Miller

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A tsunami warning is displayed on a television in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Wednesday,

Tsunami threat for Japan, Hawaii downgraded after evacuation orders sparked panic

 A powerful earthquake struck off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, damaging buildings, prompting evacuations and triggering tsunami warnings in Japan and parts of the US.

  • Satoshi Sugiyama
In this image taken from a video released by Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, shows the aftermath of tsunami hitting the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk at Paramushir island of Kuril Islands, Russia, Wednesday, July 30, 2025. (Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences via AP)

Tsunami warning as it happened: Millions evacuated after strongest earthquake recorded since 2011 hits Russia; warnings issued for Pacific nations; Hawaii downgrades threat

A powerful earthquake triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations across the Pacific from Japan to Hawaii.

  • Cassandra Morgan, Hannah Hammoud and Kayla Olaya

I lived through Fukushima. Australia should think twice about nuclear

Despite the fallout from the devastating 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, Japan remains locked in to nuclear power. Australia can still choose other less dangerous sources of energy.

  • Ayumi Honda
A family cries after hearing they have lost loved ones in Banda Aceh. They were waiting hopefully at the airport.

Twenty years after photographing the aftermath of a tsunami, I still check for high ground at the beach

Chief Herald photographer Nick Moir flew into Banda Aceh the day after the Boxing Day tsunami. He found a city turned upside down, bodies lying in the streets – and a sense of vigilance that remains with him still.

  • Nick Moir
The tsunami’s waves lashed Indonesia’s coast within minutes.

After the Boxing Day tsunami, we built a warning system. It may not be enough

Tsunamis remain uniquely devastating and impossible to predict – even for Australia.

  • Angus Dalton
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Heri Syahrial at the Siron mass grave in Banda Aceh.

The 2004 tsunami was one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. It also carried peace

The waves that shattered thousands and thousands of Indonesian families also led to peace in a province that had been racked by almost 30 years of war.

  • Zach Hope and Karuni Rompies
Buildings damaged after magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes near Port Vila, Vanuatu.

‘We definitely need help’: Australian’s rescue plea as magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits Vanuatu

Buildings have been flattened in the Pacific nation’s capital, Port Vila, and several embassies evacuated.

  • Paul Sakkal
Tim Costello, speaking at the MCG on Boxing Day 2005, thanks the public for their contributions to tsunami relief.

Amid death and destruction after the Boxing Day tsunami, remarkable things happened

I witnessed a wave of terrible destruction in Sri Lanka and Banda Aceh. It was met with a wave of generosity and compassion from the Australian people.

  • Tim Costello
Broken bottles are scattered on the floor at a bottleshop in Rio Dell, California.

Strong earthquake strikes off California, prompts tsunami warning

It was felt as far south as San Francisco, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by smaller aftershocks.