Humanity can go into space, reach the depths of the Mariana Trench, clone animals and create nuclear weapons, but nature will always be stronger.
We can only try to predict, defend or run from her wrath.
That is why we have prepared the top 10 most powerful earthquakes.
Its magnitude was 9.5 points, only in Chile 4,485 people died, 2 million were injured and injured, the city of Port Puerto was washed off the face of the earth by the subsequent tsunami. Damage is estimated at $550 million.
Another 170 people died due to the five-meter waves provoked by the earthquake off the coast of Japan and the Philippines.
The Puyehue volcano erupted the next day and lasted several weeks.
A devastating 9.2 quake triggered landslides in Anchorage's Prince William Bay and lifted outlying islands by as much as 11 meters.
Tremors caused a tsunami with waves reaching 67 meters in height. Because of the elements, 128 people died, the damage was estimated at 311 million dollars.
The massive movement of water was felt even off the coast of Louisiana and Puerto Rico.
This natural disaster is one of the five most devastating natural disasters of the 21st century. The 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a deadly tsunami that was felt in 14 countries in Asia and East Africa.
Indonesia was the hardest hit, where 170,000 locals lost their lives out of 230,000 dead.
Some of the world's poorest countries lost more than 60% of their industrial infrastructure during this earthquake and tsunami.
The Kamchatka Peninsula turned out to be just a few kilometers from the epicenter of a magnitude 9 earthquake. Despite this fact, the main impact of the tsunami caused by tremors was taken by the Hawaiian Islands, which received multimillion-dollar damage. No deaths were recorded.
A magnitude 9 earthquake caused widespread destruction in South America. 25,000 people died. The earth tremors were felt even in Bolivia.
Four hours after the tremors, 16-meter waves hit the coast.
The only information about the earthquake in the area of Vancouver Island was found only in the oral legends of the indigenous people of this place. According to legend, an earthquake exceeding magnitude 9 triggered a tsunami that destroyed Pachena Bay.
Due to the fact that the tsunami reached the coast of Japan and was recorded by local historians, modern scientists have been able to calculate the approximate strength of the Vancouver earthquake.
The area of Concepcione was considered dangerous and rich in earthquakes as early as the 16th century. However, not many of them could compare in strength and degree of destruction with the 2010 earthquake.
An 8.8 magnitude ground wobble cost 521 people their lives, 12,000 were injured, and 800,000 local residents were left homeless. Chile has still not been able to repair the damage caused by the elements. The earthquake cost the state $30 billion.
Formed in the ocean off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, the 8.8 magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that killed 1,500 along the coastline from Central America to San Francisco.
The almost complete destruction of the city, the death of a quarter of the townspeople, was caused by an earthquake measuring 8.7 and the subsequent tsunami.
The elements affected not only Lisbon, but also North Africa, France and Northern Italy and forever entered the cultural heritage of Europe.
Seventy villages simply disappeared in a series of catastrophes generated by an 8.6 magnitude earthquake. Echoes of underground fluctuations affected many Asian countries. 1526 people died.
The earthquake and subsequent floods caused the destruction of the dam on the Subansiri River.
Even England and Norway reported "fluctuations" in the lakes during this natural anomaly.
On the morning of April 25, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck Nepal. As a result, the country's capital, Kathmandu, was seriously damaged, many houses were destroyed to the ground, and the death toll is in the thousands. This is the worst natural disaster to hit Nepal in 80 years.
Today we will tell you about Top 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded.
10. Assam - Tibet, 1950 - magnitude 8.6
More than 1,500 people died as a result of the earthquake in Tibet and the Indian state of Assam. The natural disaster provoked the formation of cracks in the ground, as well as numerous avalanches and landslides. Some landslides were so large that they blocked the flow of rivers. After some time, when the water nevertheless broke through the obstacle from the mud, the rivers flooded vast territories, demolishing everything in their path. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Tibet, where the Eurasian and Hindustan tectonic plates collide.
9. North Sumatra, Indonesia, 2005 - magnitude 8.6
The earthquake occurred on March 28, 2005, a few months after the tsunami that completely destroyed the region (see point 3). The natural disaster claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people and caused serious damage to the already unrecovered region. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Indian Ocean, where the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates collide.
8. Alaska, USA, 1965 - magnitude 8.7
Despite its strength, the earthquake did not cause serious damage due to the fact that its epicenter is located in a fairly sparsely populated area near the Aleutian Islands. The ten-meter tsunami that followed did not cause serious damage either. The earthquake occurred at the point where the Pacific and North American plates collided.
7. Ecuador, 1906 - magnitude 8.8
On January 31, 1906, an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 occurred off the coast of Ecuador. As a result of powerful tremors, a tsunami arose that hit the entire coast of Central America. Due to the low population density, the death toll was relatively small - about 1,500 people.
6. Chile, 2010 - magnitude 8.8
On February 27, 2010, Chile experienced one of the largest earthquakes in the last half century. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.8 on the Richter scale. The main damage was suffered by the cities of Bio-Bio and Maule, the death toll was more than 600 people.
The earthquake caused a tsunami that hit 11 islands and the coast of Maule, but there were no casualties because the inhabitants hid in the mountains in advance. The amount of damage is estimated at $15-$30 billion, about 2 million people were left homeless, about half a million residential buildings were destroyed.
5. Kamchatka, Russia, 1952 - magnitude 9.0
On November 5, 1952, an earthquake occurred 130 kilometers from the coast of Kamchatka, the magnitude of which is estimated at 9 points on the Richter scale. An hour later, a powerful tsunami reached the coast, which destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and caused damage to a number of other settlements. According to official figures, 2336 people died, which was approximately 40% of the population of Severo-Kurilsk. Three waves up to 15-18 meters high hit the city. Damage from the tsunami is estimated at $1 million.
4. Honshu, Japan, 2011 - magnitude 9.0
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 on the Richter scale struck east of Honshu Island. This earthquake is considered the most powerful in the entire known history of Japan.
Tremors caused the strongest tsunami (up to 7 meters in height), which killed about 16 thousand people. Moreover, the earthquake and tsunami impact were the cause of the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The total damage from the disaster is estimated at $14.5-$36.6 billion.
3. North Sumatra, Indonesia, 2004 - magnitude 9.1
An undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 triggered a tsunami that has been recognized as the deadliest natural disaster in modern history. The magnitude of the earthquake was, according to various estimates, from 9.1 to 9.3. This is the third strongest earthquake in the history of observation.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located not far from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The earthquake triggered one of the most destructive tsunamis in history. The height of the waves exceeded 15 meters, they reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and a number of other countries.
Satellite image (before and after the tsunami)
The tsunami almost completely destroyed the coastal infrastructure in the east of Sri Lanka and the northwestern coast of Indonesia. Died, according to various estimates, from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people. The damage from the tsunami amounted to about $10 billion.
2. Alaska, USA, 1964 - magnitude 9.2
The Great Alaska Earthquake is the strongest earthquake in the history of the United States, its magnitude was 9.1-9.2 on the Richter scale, and the duration was approximately 3 minutes. The epicenter of the earthquake was in College Fjord, the northern part of the Gulf of Alaska at a depth of more than 20 km. Tremors caused a powerful tsunami, which claimed more lives.
The Great Alaska Earthquake caused destruction in many settlements of Alaska. However, the death toll was quite small - only 140 people, with 131 of them killed by the tsunami. The waves caused serious damage as far as California and Japan. The damage in 1965 prices amounted to about $400 million.
1. Chile, 1960 - magnitude 9.5
The Great Chilean earthquake (or the Valdivian earthquake) is the strongest earthquake in the history of observation, its magnitude, according to various estimates, was from 9.3 to 9.5. The earthquake occurred on May 22, 1960, its epicenter was located near the city of Valdivia, 435 kilometers south of Santiago. 
The tremors caused a powerful tsunami, the wave height of which reached 10 meters. The number of victims was about 6 thousand people, and the main part of the people died precisely from the tsunami. Huge waves caused severe damage around the world, killing 138 people in Japan, 61 people in Hawaii and 32 in the Philippines. The damage in 1960 prices amounted to about half a billion dollars.
As earthquake statistics show, seismological disasters account for 13% of the total number of natural disasters. Over the past hundred years, about 2,000 aftershocks with a magnitude of 7 or more have occurred in the world. Of these, 65 cases exceeded the 8 mark.
The situation in the world
If you look at the world map, on which seismological activity is displayed with dots, you can notice one pattern. These are some characteristic lines along which tremors are intensely recorded. The tectonic boundaries of the earth's crust are located in these zones. As statistics have established, the strongest earthquakes, entailing the most devastating consequences, occur due to stress in the center of "grinding" of tectonic plates. 
Earthquake statistics for 100 years show that only on continental tectonic plates (not oceanic) about a hundred seismic catastrophes occurred, in which 1.4 million people died. In total, 130 strong earthquakes were recorded during this period.
The table shows the largest known seismic catastrophes since the 16th century:
| Year | Location of the incident | Destruction and casualties |
| 1556 | China | 830 thousand people became victims. According to current estimates, the earthquake can be assigned the highest score - 12 points. |
| 1755 | Lisbon (Portugal) | The city was completely destroyed, 100 thousand inhabitants died |
| 1906 | San Francisco (USA) | Most of the city was destroyed, 1,500 people became victims (7.8 points) |
| 1908 | Messina (Italy) | The destruction claimed 87 thousand human lives (magnitude 7.5) |
| 1948 | Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) | 175 thousand people died |
| 1960 | Chile | The largest earthquake recorded in the last century. He was rated 9.5 points. Three cities were destroyed. About 10 thousand inhabitants became victims |
| 1976 | Tien Shan (China) | Magnitude 8.2. 242 thousand people died |
| 1988 | Armenia | Several cities and towns were destroyed. More than 25 thousand victims recorded (7.3 points) |
| 1990 | Iran | About 50 thousand inhabitants died (magnitude 7.4) |
| 2004 | Indian Ocean | The epicenter of the earthquake 9.3 points was at the bottom of the ocean, formed claimed the lives of 250 thousand inhabitants |
| 2011 | Japan | An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 caused the death of more than 15 thousand people and caused enormous economic and environmental consequences not only for Japan, but for the whole world. |
Over 30 years of the end of the 20th century, about 1 million people died in seismic catastrophes. This is about 33 thousand per year. Over the past 10 years, earthquake statistics show an increase in the average annual figure to 45 thousand victims. 
Hundreds of imperceptible oscillations of the earth's surface occur every day on the planet. This is not always associated with the movement of the earth's crust. Human actions: construction, mining, blasting - they all entail fluctuations recorded by modern seismographs every second. However, since 2009, the USGS Geological Survey, which collects data on earthquake statistics in the world, has ceased to take into account shocks below 4.5.
The island of Crete
The island is located in a tectonic fault zone, so increased seismological activity there is a frequent phenomenon. Earthquakes in Crete, according to statistics, do not exceed 5 points. With such a force, there are no devastating consequences, and the locals do not pay attention to this shaking at all. On the graph, you can see the number of registered seismic shocks by month with a magnitude above 1 point. It can be seen that in recent years their intensity has increased somewhat. 
Earthquakes in Italy
The country is located in a zone of seismic activity on the territory of the same tectonic fault as Greece. Earthquake statistics in Italy over the past 5 years show an increase in the number of monthly shocks from 700 to 2000. In August 2016, a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.2 occurred. That day claimed the lives of 295 people, more than 400 were injured.
In January 2017, another earthquake of magnitude less than 6 took place in Italy, and there were almost no victims of the destruction. However, a push has caused in the province of Pescara. The hotel Rigopiano was buried under it, killing 30 people.
There are resources where earthquake statistics are displayed online. For example, the organization IRIS (USA), engaged in the collection, systematization, study and distribution of seismological data, presents a monitor of this type: 
Information is available on the site that displays the presence of earthquakes on the planet at the moment. Here their magnitude is shown, there is information for yesterday, as well as events 2 weeks or 5 years ago. You can consider in more detail the parts of the planet of interest by selecting the appropriate map from the list.
The situation in Russia
According to the statistics of earthquakes in Russia and the OSR (General Seismic Zoning) map, more than 26% of the area in the country is located in seismically hazardous zones. There may be shocks from 7 points. This includes Kamchatka, the Baikal region, the Kuriles, Altai, the North Caucasus and the Sayan Mountains. There are about 3,000 villages, about 100 thermal power plants and hydroelectric power stations, 5 nuclear power plants and enterprises of increased environmental danger.
Krasnodar region
Irkutsk
Due to its location near the Baikal Rift, Irkutsk's earthquake statistics record up to 40 minor shocks every month. In August 2008, seismic activity with a magnitude of 6.2 was recorded. The epicenter was in Lake Baikal, where the indicator reached 7 points. Some buildings cracked, but no significant damage or casualties were recorded. In February 2016, another earthquake of magnitude 5.5 occurred.
Yekaterinburg
Despite the fact that the growth of the Ural Mountains has long ceased, the statistics of earthquakes in Yekaterinburg continues to be replenished with new data. In 2015, a 4.2 magnitude shock was recorded there, no one was injured.
Conclusion
Between the end of 2008 and 2011, there was a decrease in seismic activity on the planet, to a level of less than 2,500 cases per month and a magnitude above 4.5. However, after the earthquake in Japan in 2011, in the period from 2011 to 2016, there is a tendency to increase the activity of tremors around the world by almost 2 times. Earthquake statistics for recent years are as follows:
Predicting earthquakes is very difficult. Often you can say with certainty where it will happen, but when exactly it will happen is impossible to determine. However, there are biological precursors. On the eve of a strong earthquake, other representatives of the fauna living in this area begin to behave abnormally.
On April 25, 2015, one of the most devastating earthquakes on the planet occurred in Nepal, which claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people and turned many buildings and historical monuments into ruins. According to experts, in the coming week, the people of Nepal may experience new aftershocks. In our review of the 10 most destructive earthquakes that have occurred on Earth over the past century.
1. Valdivia, Chile
This earthquake, which happened in 1960, was the strongest recorded in history, reaching a maximum of 9.5 on the Richter scale. This can be compared to the simultaneous explosion of 1000 atomic bombs. The earthquake was felt not only in Valdivia, but also in the Hawaiian Islands - at a distance of 700 km. During the catastrophe that destroyed Valvidia, Concepción and Puerto Montt, 6,000 people died. Property damage amounted to more than $1 billion.
2. Sumatra, Indonesia
On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake hit the bottom of the Indian Ocean, which caused a huge tsunami. It was the second most seismic earthquake in the world, and the longest duration of tremors was recorded. Even the Maldives and Thailand suffered from its consequences, since more than 5 tsunamis hit the entire coast of the Indian Sea. 225,000 people died, and in just the first 10 minutes of the disaster, the damage from it amounted to more than $ 7 billion.
3. Tanshan, China
On July 28, 1976, an earthquake struck the Chinese province of Hebei, leveling the city of Tangshan. 255,000 people died, although the Chinese government initially claimed 655,000 deaths. The 8.2 magnitude quake lasted only 10 seconds, but caused massive damage to the area. Hebei is a region with a very low earthquake risk, so the buildings in Tangshan were not earthquake resistant. The total damage amounted to 10 billion yuan, or $1.3 billion.
4. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, USSR
In the early morning of April 26, 1966, an earthquake of magnitude 8 hit Tashkent. The zone of maximum destruction was 10 square meters. kilometers. 8 people died, 78 thousand families were left homeless. More than 2 million "squares" of buildings were destroyed.
5. Port-au-Prince, Haiti
The magnitude of the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 was 7.0 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the tremors was located near Leogane, 25 km west of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. At least 52 tremors were recorded, which were felt even after 12 days. The earthquake resulted in 316,000 deaths, 300,000 people were injured and more than a million people were left homeless. 250,000 homes and 30,000 commercial buildings were also destroyed.
6. Tohoku, Japan
On March 11, 2011, the east coast of Japan was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 9.03, which was the strongest in the history of the country. The earthquake, considered one of the five largest in the world, resulted in 15,878 deaths, 6,126 injured and 2,173 missing across 20 prefectures. It also destroyed 129,225 buildings, and the tsunami caused by the earthquake caused severe infrastructure damage and fires in many areas. The Fukushima nuclear power plant was badly damaged, which led to radioactive contamination. As a result, Japan faced the biggest crisis since after the Second World War.
7. Ashgabat, USSR
This earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred on October 6, 1948 near Ashgabat. Due to censorship, it was not reported in the media, so there was no information about casualties and destruction. The number of victims is estimated at 110,000 people, and in Ashgabat 98% of all buildings were destroyed.
8. Sichuan, China
On May 8, 2008, an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck the Chinese province of Sichuan. It was so strong that it was felt in neighboring countries, as well as in distant Beijing and Shanghai, where buildings shook from tremors. According to official figures, the death toll was 69,197 people. 374,176 people were injured and 18,222 are considered missing. The Chinese government has allocated 1 trillion yuan or $146.5 billion to rebuild areas that were hit by the earthquake.
9. Kashmir, Pakistan
On October 8, 2005, the disputed region of Pakistan and India, Kashmir was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale. The disaster killed 85,000 people, injured over 69,000 and left 4 million Kashmiris homeless.
10. Izmit, Turkey
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit northern Turkey on August 17, 1990. Although it only lasted 3.7 seconds, the city of Izmit was practically reduced to rubble. The official death toll was 17,127 and 43,959 injured, although other sources put the real death toll at 45,000. The earthquake destroyed 120,000 poorly designed houses and badly damaged 50,000 other buildings. More than 300,000 people were left homeless.
Fortunately, despite the time and the elements, today there are places on the planet that you should definitely visit.
Within a few minutes, they occurred a few miles off the coast of Haiti, their magnitudes were 7.0 and 5.9, respectively. In the capital of the Republic of Port-au-Prince, as a result of two tremors, several buildings collapsed. There are dead and wounded.
year 2009
In October, a series of strong earthquakes occurred in Sumatra (Indonesia). According to the UN, at least 1.1 thousand people died. Under the rubble were up to 4 thousand people.
On the night of April 6, a devastating earthquake of magnitude 5.8 occurred near the historic city of L'Aquila in central Italy, killing 300 people, injuring 1,500, and more than 50,000 were forced to flee their homes.
2008
On October 29, in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale with an epicenter 70 km north of the city of Quetta (700 km southwest of Islamabad) killed up to 300 people.
On May 12, in the province of Sichuan in southern China, 92 km from the administrative center of the province - the city of Chengdu, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred, which claimed the lives of up to 87,000 people, 370,000 were injured, and 5 million people were left homeless. After the main earthquake, more than ten thousand repeated tremors followed.
The Sichuan earthquake became the strongest in China after the Tangshan earthquake (1976), which claimed about 250,000 lives.
2007
On August 15, in Peru, in the department of Ica, 161 kilometers from the capital Lima, the strongest earthquake in recent years occurred. As a result of tremors with a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale, cities along the entire southern coast of the country were affected. At least 519 people were killed, and about 1.5 thousand people were injured. Almost 17 thousand people were left without electricity and telephone communications. The cities of the south coast, Chincha Alta, Pisco, Ica, as well as the capital Lima, suffered the most.
2006
On May 27, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on the island of Java in Indonesia killed 6,618 people. The city of Yogyakarta and its surrounding areas suffered the most. The earthquake destroyed about 200 thousand houses, seriously damaged the same number of buildings. About 647 thousand people were left without a roof over their heads.
2005 year
On October 8 in Pakistan, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale was the strongest for all the time of seismic observations in South Asia. According to official figures, more than 73,000 people died, including 17,000 children. According to some estimates, the death toll was more than 100 thousand people. More than three million Pakistanis were left homeless.
On March 28, off the coast of the Indonesian island of Nias, located west of Sumatra, a powerful earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale occurred. About 1300 people died.
