Acehtsunami

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, took place on November 1, 1755, at just about 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires, which caused near-total damage of Lisbon in Portugal, and adjoining areas. Geologists today estimate the Lisbon earthquake approached magnitude 9 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 km (120 mi) west-southwest of Cape St. Vincent. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon alone between 10,000 and 100,000 people, making it one of the most harsh earthquakes in history.

The earthquake accentuated political tensions in Portugal and profoundly disrupted the country’s eighteenth-century colonial ambitions. The event was widely discussed and dwelt upon by European Enlightenment philosophers, and inspired main developments in theodicy and in the philosophy of the sublime. As the first earthquake studied scientifically for its effects over a large area, it led to the birth of modern seismology and earthquake engineering.