Highest tsunami wash

The highest tsunami (giant wave) ever reported was 524 m (1,719 ft) high and occurred along the fjord-like Lituya Bay in Alaska, USA, on 9 July 1958. It was caused by a giant landslip and moved at some 160 km/h (100 mph).

This wave was so high it would easily have swamped the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which stand 452 m (1,483 ft).

Tsunamis are often incorrectly called tidal waves, when in fact they can be caused by a variety of events, such as volcanic eruptions, extreme weather systems, earthquakes, undersea rockslides and so on.