Nov. 1, 1755: Lisbon, Portugal

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The enormous earthquake of 1775 occurred on All Saint’s Day, November 1, at about 10 A.M. It lasted between 6 and 10 minutes and is estimated to have had a Richter magnitude of at least 8.75. That was one of the largest earthquakes ever documented, devastated southern Portugal and Northwest Africa.
Lisbon, a city of 275,000 inhabitants situated 13 kilometers upstream in the Tagus River, was heavily damaged by the earthquake and consumed by fires. As fires ignited by overturned candles ravage the city, survivors moved down to the city’s docks. Some even boarded boats moored in the Tagus River. Between 40 or 60 minutes after the earthquake the water withdrew from the harbor, an a few minutes later a great wave of 15 meters high came roaring in, penetrating over half a mile into the city, rushing up streets and inundating houses. Bridges were broken, walls overturned, and great piles of debris swept away and carried offshore. Two other waves subsequently rolled in to the city an hour apart. The tsunami also caused widespread destruction along the coastline of Portugal, where it swept inland up to 2.5km. At Porto Novo, north of Lisbon, run-up was 20 meters high, while at Alvor and Sagres on the southwest tip of Portugal it reached 30m above sea level. The waves had its greatest impact in southern Portugal. The tsunami also caused widespread devastation in Southwest Spain and Western Morocco, as well as crossing the Atlantic Ocean and sweeping islands in the Caribbean 5,700 km away.

Location of the tsunami

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