A large earthquake on one side of the Pacific can have devastating effects on the other side. The huge (9.3Mw) Chile earthquake in 1960 killed a lot of people in Japan. As a Tsunami crosses the ocean it is barely noticable but as it approaches a shore it can climb to truly impressive heights. When the Great Alaska earthquake hit in March 1964 a warning went out for the Pacific coast of California. Some people in Crescent City went down to watch and were killed. A very extensive Tsunami warning system is now in place and, hopefully, if a Tsunami were coming, people would take the proper precautions.