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.
2004
On December 26, one of the most powerful and destructive earthquakes in modern history occurred off the eastern coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The tidal wave caused by this 8.9 Richter earthquake hit the coast of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia.
The total number of victims in the countries affected by the tsunami is still not known exactly, however, according to various sources, this figure is approximately 230 thousand people.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
In this article, we have collected the most powerful earthquakes in the history of mankind, which became catastrophes of a universal scale.
Every year, experts record about 500,000 tremors. All of them have different strengths, but only some of them are really tangible and cause damage, and a few have a strong destructive power.
1. Chile, May 22, 1960
One of the most terrible earthquakes occurred in 1960 in Chile. Its magnitude was 9.5 points. 1,655 people became victims of this natural phenomenon, more than 3,000 were injured of varying severity, and 2,000,000 were left homeless! Experts calculated that the damage from it amounted to $ 550,000,000. But besides that, this earthquake caused a tsunami that reached the Hawaiian Islands and killed 61 people.
2. Tien Shan, July 28, 1976
The magnitude of the earthquake in the Tien Shan was 8.2 points. This terrible incident, according to the official version alone, claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people, and unofficial sources voiced the figure of 700,000. And this can really be true, because during the earthquake, 5.6 million buildings were completely destroyed.
3. Alaska, March 28, 1964
This earthquake caused 131 deaths. Of course, this is not enough when compared with other cataclysms. But the magnitude of the aftershocks that day was 9.2, resulting in the destruction of almost all the buildings, and the damage caused was $ 2,300,000,000 (adjusted for inflation).
4. Chile, February 27, 2010
This yet another devastating earthquake in Chile has brought considerable damage to the city: millions of destroyed houses, dozens of flooded settlements, broken bridges and freeways. But most importantly, about 1,000 people were killed, 1,200 people were missing, and 1.5 million houses were damaged to varying degrees. Its magnitude was 8.8 points. According to the Chilean authorities, the amount of damage is more than $15,000,000,000.
5. Sumatra, December 26, 2004
The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.1. Massive earthquakes and the ensuing tsunami killed more than 227,000 people. Almost all houses in the city were razed to the ground. In addition to the huge number of affected local residents, over 9,000 foreign tourists were killed or missing while vacationing in the regions affected by the tsunami.
6. Honshu Island, March 11, 2011
An earthquake that originated on the island of Honshu shook the entire east coast of Japan. In just 6 minutes of a 9-point catastrophe, more than 100 km of the seabed was raised to an 8-meter height and hit the northern islands. Even the Fukushima nuclear power plant was partially damaged, which provoked a radioactive release. Authorities have officially put the number of victims at 15,000, but locals say these numbers are grossly underestimated.
The earthquake in Neftegorsk had a magnitude of 7.6. It completely destroyed the village in just 17 seconds! 55,400 people lived in the territory that fell into the disaster zone. Of these, 2040 died and 3197 were left without a roof over their heads. Neftegorsk was not restored. The affected people were relocated to other settlements.
8. Alma-Ata, January 4, 1911
This earthquake is better known as the Kemin earthquake, since its epicenter fell on the valley of the Bolshoy Kemin River. It is the strongest in the history of Kazakhstan. A characteristic feature of this catastrophe was the long duration of the phase of destructive oscillations. As a result, the city of Almaty was almost completely destroyed, and huge relief breaks formed in the river area, the total length of which was 200 km. In some places, entire houses were buried in the gaps.
9. Kanto Province, September 1, 1923
This earthquake began on September 1, 1923 and lasted 2 days! In total, during this time, 356 tremors occurred in this province of Japan, the first of which were the strongest - the magnitude reached 8.3 points. Due to the change in the position of the seabed, it caused 12-meter tsunami waves. As a result of numerous tremors, 11,000 buildings were destroyed, fires started and strong winds quickly spread the fire. As a result, another 59 buildings and 360 bridges burned down. The official death toll was 174,000 and another 542,000 people are missing. Over 1,000,000 people were left homeless.
10. Himalayas, August 15, 1950
This earthquake occurred in the highlands of Tibet. Its magnitude was 8.6, and its energy corresponded to the force of an explosion of 100,000 atomic bombs. Eyewitness stories about this tragedy were terrifying - a deafening roar erupted from the bowels of the earth, underground vibrations caused people to experience seasickness, and cars were thrown 800 m away. people, but the damage from the disaster amounted to $ 20,000,000.
11. Haiti, January 12, 2010
The strength of the main shock of this earthquake was 7.1 points, but after it was followed by a series of repeated oscillations, the magnitude of which was 5 points or more. Due to this disaster, 220,000 people died and 300,000 were injured. More than 1,000,000 people lost their homes. The material damage from this catastrophe is estimated at 5,600,000,000 euros.
12. San Francisco, April 18, 1906
The magnitude of the surface waves of this earthquake was 7.7 points. The tremors were felt throughout California. The worst thing is that they provoked the emergence of a huge fire, due to which almost the entire center of San Francisco was destroyed. The list of victims of the disaster included more than 3,000 people. Half the population of San Francisco lost their homes.
13. Messina, December 28, 1908
It was one of the largest earthquakes in Europe. It struck both Sicily and southern Italy, killing approximately 120,000 people. The main epicenter of the tremors, the city of Messina, was actually destroyed. This 7.5 magnitude earthquake was accompanied by a tsunami that hit the entire coast. The death toll was over 150,000.
14. Haiyuan Province, December 16, 1920
This earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8. It destroyed almost all the houses in the cities of Lanzhou, Taiyuan and Xi'an. More than 230,000 people died. Witnesses claimed that the waves from the earthquake were visible even off the coast of Norway.
15. Kobe, January 17, 1995
This is one of the most powerful earthquakes in Japan. His strength was 7.2 points. The destructive force of the impact of this catastrophe was experienced by a significant part of the population of this densely populated area. In total, more than 5,000 people died and 26,000 were injured. A huge number of buildings were razed to the ground. The US Geological Survey estimated all damage at $200,000,000.
During its thousands of years of history, mankind has experienced such earthquakes, which, in their destructiveness, can be attributed to catastrophes of a universal scale. The causes of earthquakes are not fully understood and no one can say with certainty why they occur, where the next catastrophe will be and what strength.
In this article, we have collected the most powerful earthquakes in the history of mankind, measured by magnitude. You need to know about this value that it takes into account the amount of energy released during an earthquake, and is distributed from 1 to 9.5.
8.2 points
Although the magnitude of the 1976 Tien Shan earthquake was only 8.2, it can rightfully be considered one of the most destructive earthquakes in human history. According to the official version, this terrible incident claimed the lives of more than 250 thousand people, and according to the unofficial version, the number of deaths is approaching 700 thousand and is quite justified, because 5.6 million houses were completely destroyed. The event formed the basis of the film "Catastrophe", directed by Feng Xiaogang.
Earthquake in Portugal in 1755 8.8 points
The earthquake that occurred in Portugal back in 1755 on All Saints' Day refers to one and h the most powerful and tragic disasters in the history of mankind. Just imagine that in just 5 minutes Lisbon turned into ruins, and almost a hundred thousand people died! But the victims of the earthquake did not end there. The disaster caused a severe fire and tsunami that raged on the coast of Portugal. In general, the earthquake provoked internal unrest, which led to a change in the country's foreign policy. This catastrophe marked the beginning of seismology. The magnitude of the earthquake is estimated at 8.8 points.
9 points
Another devastating earthquake hit Chile in 2010. One of the most destructive and major earthquakes in the history of mankind over the past 50 years brought maximum damage: thousands of victims, millions of people homeless, dozens of destroyed settlements and cities. The Chilean regions of Bio-Bio and Maule suffered the most damage. This catastrophe is significant in that the destruction occurred not only because of, but the earthquake itself brought considerable harm, because. its epicenter was on the mainland.
Earthquake in North America in 1700 9 points
In 1700, strong seismic activity in North America changed the coastline. The disaster occurred in the Cascade Mountains, on the border of the United States and Canada, and according to various estimates was at least 9 points in magnitude. Little is known about the victims of one of the strongest earthquakes in world history. As a result of the disaster, a huge tsunami wave reached the shores of Japan, the destruction of which has been preserved in Japanese literature.
2011 Japan East Coast Earthquake 9 points
Just a few years ago, in 2011, the east coast of Japan shook from the most powerful earthquake in the history of mankind. In 6 minutes of a 9-point catastrophe, more than 100 km of the seabed was raised by 8 meters in height, and the ensuing tsunami hit the northern islands of Japan. The notorious Fukushima nuclear power plant was partially damaged, which provoked a radioactive release, the consequences of which are still felt. The number of victims is called 15 thousand, but the true numbers are not known.
9 points
Residents of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are difficult to surprise with tremors - these regions are located in the fault zone of the earth's crust. But the most powerful earthquake in the history of Kazakhstan and all mankind happened in 1911, when the city of Almaty was almost completely destroyed. The catastrophe was called the Kemin earthquake, which is recognized as one of the strongest inland earthquakes of the 20th century. The epicenter of events fell on the valley of the Bolshoy Kemin River. In this area, huge breaks in the relief were formed, with a total length of 200 km. In some places, entirely houses that fell into the disaster zone are buried in these gaps.
9 points
Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands are seismically active regions and earthquakes do not surprise them. However, residents still remember the disaster of 1952. One of the most destructive earthquakes that humanity remembers began on November 4 in the Pacific Ocean, 130 km from the coast. Terrible destruction was brought by the tsunami, which was formed after the earthquake. Three huge waves, the height of the largest reached 20 meters, completely destroyed Severo-Kurilsk and damaged many settlements. Waves came with an interval of an hour. The inhabitants knew about the first wave and waited it out on the hills, after which they went down to their villages. The second wave, the largest, which no one expected, brought the greatest damage and claimed the lives of more than 2 thousand people.
9.3 points
On Good Friday, March 27, 1964, all 47 US states were shaken by an earthquake in Alaska. The epicenter of the disaster was in the Gulf of Alaska, where the Pacific and North American plates meet. One of the strongest natural disasters in human memory, with a magnitude of 9.3, claimed relatively few lives - 9 people died out of 130 victims in Alaska and another 23 lives were claimed by the tsunami that followed the tremors. Of the cities, Anchorage, located 120 kilometers from the epicenter of events, was hit hard. However, destruction swept along the coastline from Japan to California.
9.3 points
Literally 11 years ago, one of the most, perhaps, the strongest recent earthquakes in human history in the Indian Ocean happened. At the very end of 2004, an earthquake of magnitude 9.3 a few kilometers from the coast of the Indonesian city of Sumatra provoked the formation of a monstrous tsunami in strength, which wiped part of the city off the face of the earth. 15-meter waves caused damage to the cities of Sri Lanka, Thailand, South Africa and southern India. No one names the exact number of victims, but it is estimated that from 200 to 300 thousand people died, and several million more people were left homeless.
9.5 points
The most powerful earthquake in human history occurred in 1960 in Chile. According to expert estimates, it had a maximum magnitude of 9.5 points. The disaster began in the small town of Valdivia. As a result of the earthquake, a tsunami formed in the Pacific Ocean, its 10-meter waves raged along the coast, causing damage to settlements located by the sea. The scope of the tsunami reached such proportions that residents of the Hawaiian city of Hilo, 10 thousand kilometers from Valdivia, felt its destructive power. Giant waves even reached the shores of Japan and the Philippines.
The history of mankind remembers a lot of cataclysms, the most dangerous of which, for good reasons, are earthquakes. The power of such natural events is estimated on the Richter scale. We propose to recall the top 10 most powerful earthquakes in the history of the Earth. These are the most striking seismic threats that have taken the lives of millions of people. At the same time, humanity still remembers the dates of terrible events, which even modern technology and progress did not allow to avoid. And so, let's start the review:
TOP 10 most destructive earthquakes
It is worth noting that the most powerful earthquakes in the history of the world were recorded in Chile. The last one happened in 2010. The power of the magnetic impact on the Richter scale is estimated at 8.8 points. The epicenter of the threat was in the city of Bio-Bio Concepción. The inhabitants of this settlement and the city of Maule suffered the most. A total of 540 people died in Bio-Bio Concepcion. On the territory of the second city, 64 people were injured. Approximately 2 million people were left homeless. In total, the damage is estimated at $30 billion.
The tsunami that occurred on January 31 in Ecuador hit the entire coast of Central America at once. A magnitude of 8.8 was recorded in San Francisco. The first wave even reached Japan. Fortunately, it was possible to get by with a minimum of victims due to the low population density. According to preliminary estimates, 1,500 people were affected, left without homes. Due to the timely response of the rescuers, no dead were found. However, the damage is estimated at $1.5 million.
One of the strongest earthquakes in history is considered to be a seismic shock recorded in 1923 near the island of Oshima. Nearly 300,000 buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama were destroyed as a result of the incident. For two days there were 356 aftershocks. As a result, the waves reached a height of 12 meters. The tsunami claimed the lives of 174 thousand people. About 542 thousand are considered missing. In total, the damage is estimated at 4.5 billion dollars.
As a result of this cataclysm, more than 820 thousand people died. Paul the number of victims of this incident is considered the most serious in history. The catastrophe has gone down in history because of its duration. The horror lasted nearly three days. During this time, the entire component of the Shaanxi province was destroyed, including 60% of the population of the settlement. The epicenter affected three provinces, including Feinan and Huaxian. A magnetic focus has been registered in the Wei Valley. It is difficult to assess the damage due to the remoteness of the events.
In 2011, a magnitude of 9.1 was recorded on the island of Honshu. The strongest earthquake in the history of Japan occurred 130 kilometers from the city of Sendai. Approximately 30 minutes later, the coast of the country was overtaken by the strongest tsunami, which destroyed 11 power units of the nuclear power plant in 69 minutes. As a result, 6,000 people died. 2,000 Japanese were missing. In total, the country suffered $36.6 billion worth of damage. To this day, local residents remember March 11 with horror.
As a result of a powerful earthquake on November 5, 1952, the tsunami reached the city of Severo-Kurilsk. As a result of a seismic event with a magnitude of 9 points, the strongest tsunami destroyed the entire city. According to rough estimates, the wave took the lives of 2336 people. At the same time, about 6,000 people are considered missing. The waves reached 18 meters in height. The damage, even at that time, was $1 million. In total, three waves were observed. The weakest of them reached a height of 15 meters.
On December 26, an underwater earthquake with a scale of 9.3 reached the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The focus of the cataclysm provoked the most destructive tsunami in the history of mankind. Waves of 15 meters destroyed Sri Lanka, southern India and the coast of Indonesia. Even the people of Thailand suffered damage. The tsunami almost completely demolished the infrastructure of the east of Sri Lanka. According to preliminary estimates, close to 225 thousand people died. At the same time, another 300 thousand are considered missing. According to preliminary estimates, the damage is 10 billion dollars.
It happened in the northern part of the Gulf of Alaska. Power is 9.2 points. The epicenter of the terrible earthquake was registered 120 kilometers from the western part of Sewarde. The aftershocks resulted in the destruction of Kodiak Island and the city of Valdese. 9 people died from the shock itself. The tsunami resulted in the death of 190 people. It was possible to reduce mortality due to the timely detection of a threat. However, California suffered $200 million in damages. The destruction stretched from Canada all the way to California.
