Liquefaction occuring beneath buildings and other structures can cause major damage during earthquakes. For example, during the 1989 Loma Prieta, California earthquake, liquefaction of the soils and debris used to fill in a lagoon caused major subsidence, fracturing, and horizontal sliding of the ground surface in the Marina district in San Francisco. Landslides are another type of ground failure that are often highly destructive. During the 1964 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake, landslides triggered by very strong local ground motion devastated the Turnagain Heights residential development and many downtown areas in Anchorage. Another important class of earthquake hazards are tsunamis, which are generated by earthquakes which have occurred beneath the ocean floor.
Tsunamis are immense sea waves.
Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world and has experienced many earthquakes and tsunamis. Again during the 1964 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake, tsunamis engulfing coastal areas caused most of the destruction at Kodiak, Cordova, and Seward and caused severe damage along the west coast of North America, particularly at Crescent City, California. Some waves raced across the ocean to the coasts of Japan. One million or more earthquakes are detected by sensitive seismographs on earth every year. By analyzing the records of all earthquakes, we learn that small earthquakes are much more frequent than larger ones.