The history of mankind remembers a lot of cataclysms, the most dangerous of which are justified reasons earthquakes are considered. 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. It's about about the most striking seismic threats that have taken the lives of millions of people. At the same time, humanity to this day remembers the dates of terrible events, which were not even allowed to be avoided. modern technologies and progress. 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 residents of the area suffered the most locality and the city of Maule. AT total in Bio-Bio Concepcion, 540 people died. 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 at once Central America. 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. By preliminary estimates affected 1,500 people 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. About 30 minutes later, the coast of the country overtook strongest tsunami, which destroyed 11 nuclear power units 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 devastating 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. Epicenter terrible earthquake registered 120 kilometers from the western part of Seward. 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.

Nature works in mysterious ways. Providing best conditions for life, she also provides the world with various disasters, probably in order to maintain a balance between good and evil. She gives oxygen to breathe and shows her strength through thunderstorms. She shows her kindness, and at the same time, how evil she can be. One way to show your anger is an earthquake.

Being one of the worst forms of natural disasters, it certainly brings huge losses.
Earthquakes are usually caused by the shifting of tectonic plates under the Earth's surface. When tectonic plates collide, they cause the surface of the Earth to vibrate, which leads to earthquakes.

The place where an earthquake occurs is called the epicenter, and the instrument for measuring the frequency of an earthquake is a seismometer. The basic principle of operation of a seismometer is to measure the frequency of vibrations caused in certain place. It prints a zigzag pattern on a sheet of paper and uses mathematical calculations to calculate the Richter value.

The earth experiences many earthquakes throughout the year. Most of them are quite weak and not felt. Usually their magnitude is less than 4 points, but some earthquakes are strong enough and can lead to huge destruction. The magnitude of such earthquakes is higher than 8 points.

The earthquake with the highest recorded magnitude was 9.5. Together with strong vibrations on the surface of the Earth, which causes buildings to fall and cause huge losses, earthquakes are the main cause of tsunamis and other natural disasters.

As a rule, earthquakes occurring under the surface of the sea or ocean are the most common cause of tsunamis. The earthquakes that are considered the strongest are described below.

Magnitude: 8.6
Date: August 15, 1950

Although known as the Assam Earthquake, the epicenter was in Tibet. About 800 people became victims of the disaster. The earthquake affected not only Assam and the region of Tibet, but also caused damage on the outskirts of China.

According to the records, 800 people are known to have died, but in reality, there were many more. A huge number of people suffered from severe injuries, so this earthquake was in the top ten of the worst.

Magnitude: 8.6
Date: March 28, 2005

One of the most devastating consequences earthquake is that it occurs near water bodies. It causes water to form tides and waves, leading to another natural disaster called a tsunami.

This is exactly what happened in the Sumatra Islands when an earthquake struck in the popular tourist month of March. Since this is an island state, the earthquake led to the formation of a tsunami and spread throughout the regions to Sri Lanka itself.

The number of victims as a result of the earthquake was 1,500 people, more than 400 were injured, including victims of the tsunami.

Magnitude: 8.7
Date: April 2, 1965

This earthquake occurred entirely under water, which caused tsunami waves, from which losses arose. Happened in one of the most beautiful places Earth, the earthquake caused huge tsunami resulting in damages estimated in the thousands of dollars. There were no reports of casualties or injuries from the islands, since there is no population in those places.

Magnitude: 8.8
Date: January 31, 1906

Much time has passed since this disaster. The earthquake hit underwater, resulting in the infamous tsunami. Waves hit the coast of Colombia, the United States, and even the islands of Japan, resulting in a death toll of about 1,500 people.

After this tsunami, various coastal areas began to take preventive measures to prevent losses caused by the tsunami.

Magnitude: 8.8
Date: February 27, 2010

One of the worst days in the history of Chile's earthquake zone. More than 500 people died as a result of this earthquake. The tsunami caused by this earthquake added to the effect by displacing hundreds of thousands of people, of whom 50 have still not been found.

The number of injured people was 12,000. Thus, this earthquake became one of the strongest in the history of mankind.

Magnitude: 9.0
Date: November 4, 1952

Imagine a wave 9 meters high approaching you at a very high speed! What would you do? Wouldn't you feel helpless! A similar situation occurred in Kamchatka, Russia in 1952, when a huge tsunami caused by an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale made people feel helpless.

They left their property and tried to find safe place. Fortunately, no one died in the earthquake.

Magnitude: 9.0
Date: March 11, 2011

Who can forget the earthquake that caused the tsunami, as well as the destruction of thermal power plants in Japan, which made the area susceptible to harmful radiation uranium and thorium? Happening just a few years ago, this earthquake is considered one of the strongest.

The area of ​​Japan is small, but this country is rich in knowledge and technology. This earthquake challenged thousands of minds in Japan. Despite suffering from such huge losses, the government and the people came together to mitigate the effects of such an earthquake and tsunami, and within a short time secured the title of superpower again!

Magnitude: 9.1
Date: December 26, 2004

Being twice mentioned in the list, it is clear that Sumatra is included in the area most prone to earthquakes. Just three months before the 8.6 Richter earthquake, this quake caused many more deaths and damage to property than what happened later.

It triggered a devastating tsunami that killed about 300,000 people across the South Africa and South Asia. It is known that after several days of the earthquake, a volcanic eruption occurred in Andaman.

Magnitude: 9.2
Date: March 28, 1964

The name speaks for itself! One of the biggest earthquakes in history due to its strength. The victims were 150 people, and the damage was estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trembling was felt only in some parts New America, but the resulting tsunami traveled to different places, causing massive damage.

Magnitude: 9.5
Date: 22 May 1960

The lands of Chile can be renamed the Land of Volcanoes, since it is here that the maximum amount earthquakes. This is the second time that a country name has been mentioned on this list. This earthquake claimed the lives of 1700 people, and the tsunami caused by it - 2 million human lives.

More than 3,000 people were seriously injured. total amount damage totals 600 million dollars, which, of course, is not small. The country is trying to take many steps to prevent any losses caused by earthquakes, and to some extent these efforts are bearing fruit!

Video about the strongest earthquakes in the world from ADZI

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 strength, 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 happened in 1960 in Chile. Its magnitude was 9.5 points. The victims of this natural phenomenon 1655 people became, more than 3,000 were injured varying degrees gravity, 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 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 is official version claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people, and unofficial sources voiced the figure of 700,000. And this may indeed 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 quake that day was 9.2, destroying virtually every building and causing damage of $2,300,000,000 (inflation-adjusted).

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 victims local residents, more than 9,000 foreign tourists were killed or missing while vacationing in the regions affected by the tsunami.

6. Honshu Island, March 11, 2011

The earthquake that occurred on the island of Honshu shook everything East Coast Japan. In just 6 minutes of a 9-point disaster, more than 100 km of the seabed was raised to an 8-meter height and collapsed on northern islands. Even the Fukushima nuclear power plant was partially damaged, which provoked 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. 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 gaps in the relief formed in the river area, total length which amounted to 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 wind 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 points, and the energy corresponded to the force of the explosion of 100,000 atomic bombs. Eyewitness accounts of this tragedy were terrifying - a deafening roar erupted from the bowels of the earth, underground vibrations caused bouts of seasickness in people, and cars were thrown back to a distance of 800 m. One of the sections of the railway track sank 5 m underground. There were 1,530 victims, 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

Magnitude surface waves 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. destructive power the impact of this catastrophe experienced a significant part of the population of this densely populated area. In total, more than 5,000 people died and 26,000 were injured. Great amount buildings were leveled to the ground. American Geological Survey estimated all damages at $200,000,000.

With best known strong earthquake in the history of mankind, which took away the largest number lives, happened in Shaanxi and Henan in China. According to estimates, February 2, 1556 died 830 thousand people. In history 20th and 21st century recorded a huge number of fluctuations earth's crust great strength resulting in numerous human casualties. According to experts, the number major earthquakes is growing every year. Also, almost 150 earthquakes small magnitude. Observers attribute this to the approach mysterious planet Nibiru.

We bring to your attention the most strong and large earthquakes that happened on our planet in the 20th and 21st century, each of which entailed a huge number of deaths, piles of destroyed buildings and residential buildings, record number people left homeless. Position in the ranking described earthquakes very conditional.

† Considered to be one of the most major 20th and 21st century Tien Shan earthquake July 28, 1976 magnitude 7.9. Death toll reaches 750,000.

† In 1950 in the state of Assam (India) there was such a strong earthquake that all seismographs went off scale. Its magnitude was 9 on the Richter scale.

† February 4, 1976 due to the appearance of a crack in the Motagua fault in Guatemala over 1 million inhabitants left homeless in an instant.

† Most strongest earthquake in the 20th century on the scale of the Japanese seismologist Kanamori was observed on May 22, 1960 in Chile. Then died at least 10 thousand people. Were destroyed big cities- Concepción, which existed for over 400 years, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Osorno and others. More than 1,000 km of the Pacific coast suffered from the rampant elements. coastal strip area of ​​10 thousand square meters. km fell below ocean level and was covered by a two-meter layer of water. 14 volcanoes woke up. A series of subsequent aftershocks claimed the lives of 5,700 people and left another 100,000 homeless. Size damage was estimated at 400 million dollars, 20% of the country's industrial complex was destroyed. For 7 days (May 21-30) almost all countryside Chile has been reduced to rubble. The monstrous destruction on the coast was supplemented by a giant tsunami. In particular, the port of Ancund, the capital of the island of Chiloe, was washed away. And on Easter Island, a 10-meter wave scattered, like grains of sand, multi-ton (up to 80 tons) stones of an ancient ritual structure - ahu Tongariki.

† Trouble came to the city of Verny (today Alma-Ata) on the eve of the new year 1911. The area of ​​complete destruction (9-11 points) covered the territory area of ​​15 thousand square meters. km. Mountain ranges and valleys were cut by faults up to 200 km long. Band of the most violations earth's surface(width 500 m and length 100 km) was recorded on the southern coast of Issyk-Kul. Millions of tons of soil have been displaced.

† The Greatest Seismic Disaster 20th century occurred on August 15, 1950 in the highlands of Tibet. The energy roughly corresponded to the force of the explosion 100 thousand atomic bombs. The total weight of the displaced rocks was about 2 billion tons. Eyewitness accounts were terrifying. A deafening roar erupted from the bowels of the earth. In Calcutta, more than 1,000 kilometers away, underground vibrations caused residents to experience seasickness. Cars were thrown back by 800 m, a 300 m long section of the railway track was lowered by almost 5 m, and the road was completely destroyed.

† strong 11-12-point earthquake broke out on December 4, 1957 in the south of Mongolia. It began around noon with a strong jolt. Residents managed to run out of the premises, and when the next main blow wiped the buildings off the face of the earth, there was almost no one left in them. Huge dark clouds of dust rose above the mountains, hiding the peaks at first. The dust quickly spread, covering the entire 230 km mountain range. Visibility did not exceed 100 m. The air cleared up only after two days. Soil fluctuations were observed in an area of ​​5 million square meters. km.

† August 31, 2012 in the central part of the Philippine archipelago occurred major earthquake magnitude 7.6, causing significant damage to roads and bridges. The inhabitants of the island of Samar hurried to take refuge on high ground, fearing possible occurrence tsunami. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 146 km from the island. The source of the tremors lay at a depth of 32 km. Fortunately, strong earthquake did not trigger a tsunami.

† March 11, 2011 in Country rising sun happened more than 20 major earthquakes of the 21st century, the strongest with a magnitude of up to 8.9 on the Richter scale. In Tokyo, buildings swayed, a major highway collapsed. A 10-meter-high tsunami reached the island of Honshu, and a six-meter-high one hit the island of Hokkaido. In Miyagi Prefecture, water washed away not only boats, houses and cars, but also tanks from a military factory. The nuclear power plant stopped its work. The authorities have decided to close Narita International Airport in Tokyo. The cataclysm led to a shift in the Earth's axis of rotation by almost ten centimeters ... The official death toll in 12 prefectures of Japan is 15,870 people, 2846 people are missing in 6 prefectures, 6110 injured in 20 prefectures. 3,400 houses were completely or partially destroyed. The city of Rikuzentakata, located in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate, has almost completely submerged under water. Strong explosion happened at the oil depot oil company Cosmo Oil in Likihara, a suburb of Tokyo. Explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant led to a radiation leak ... A ghost loomed over the world again nuclear death, and the suburbs of Tokyo could well become one of.

† Late August 2012 series earthquakes devastated the inhabitants of the small town of Broly in California. Here 400 happened in 4 days weak and moderate tremors. Nature reminded that it is necessary to be ready for anything, because this is an earthquake-prone area.

We talked about the most formidable natural disasters 20th and 21st century - earthquakes, the force and consequences of which could well lead to an unprecedented hitherto global catastrophe Earth. The threat of global disaster is real. The same elements that created our fragile planet can also destroy it. The earth is not ready for strong, large earthquakes magnitude 10 or more.

More than 650,000 people died and more than 780,000 were injured during a devastating earthquake in northeast China. On the Richter scale, the force of the shocks reached 8.2 and 7.9 points, but in terms of the number of destructions, it comes out on top. The first, stronger shock occurred on July 28, 1976 at 3:40, when almost all the inhabitants were asleep. The second, a few hours later, on the same day. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the millionth city of Tangshan. Even after a few months, instead of the city, there was a space of 20 square kilometers, which consisted entirely of ruins.

The most curious testimonies about the earthquake in Tangshan were published in 1977 by Sinna and Larisa Lomnitz, in National University Mexico City. They wrote that immediately before the first tremor, for many kilometers around the sky was lit up with radiance. And after the shock, the trees and plants around the city looked like they had been walked over by a steam roller, and the remaining bushes sticking out in some places were burned on one side.

One of the strongest earthquakes in the history of mankind - a magnitude of 8.6 on the Richter scale - swept through the remote province of Gansu in China in 1920. A powerful jolt turned the rickety, animal-skinned dwellings of local residents into ruins. 10 ancient cities in one minute turned into ruins. 180 thousand inhabitants died and another 20 thousand died from the cold, left without their homes.

In addition to the destruction that was caused directly by the earthquake itself and the failures of the earth's surface, the situation was aggravated by the landslides provoked by it. Not only that, the territory of Gansu is a mountainous area. But it still abounds with caves with deposits of loess - fine and mobile sand. These strata, like streams of water, rushed down the slopes of the mountains, dragging heavy blocks of stone, as well as giant pieces of peat and turf.

3. The most powerful - by the number of points

The most powerful earthquake that even seismographs were not able to measure because the arrows went off scale, broke out on August 15, 1950 in Assam, India. It claimed the lives of more than 1000 people. Later, the earthquake began to attribute a force of 9 on the Richter scale. The force of the shocks was so colossal that it caused confusion in the calculations of seismologists. American seismologists decided that it happened in Japan, and Japanese - that in the United States.

In the Assam zone, the situation is no less complicated. Catastrophic tremors shook the earth for 5 days, opening gaps and closing them again, sending fountains of hot steam and superheated liquid into the sky, swallowing entire villages. Dams were damaged, cities and towns were flooded. Local population escaped the elements on the trees. The destruction then surpassed the losses caused by the second largest earthquake that occurred in the area in 1897. Then 1542 people died.

1) Tangshan earthquake (1976); 2) to Gansu (1920); 3) in Assam (India 1950); 4) in Messina (1908).

4. The most powerful - in the history of Sicily

The Strait of Messina - between Sicily and the toe of the "Italian boot" - has always had a bad reputation. In ancient times, the Greeks believed that the terrible monsters Scylla and Charybdis lived there. In addition, during the centuries, earthquakes occurred from time to time in the area of ​​the strait and adjacent areas. But none of them is comparable in scale to what happened on December 28, 1908. It began in the early morning, when most people were still sleeping.

There was only one tremor recorded at the Messina Observatory at 5:10 AM. Then a dull rumble was heard, growing louder, and movements began to occur under the surface of the water of the strait, rapidly spreading to the east and west. After some time, Reggio, Messina and other coastal cities and villages on both sides of the strait were in ruins. Then the sea unexpectedly retreated 50 meters along the coast of Sicily, from Messina to Catania, and then a wave 4-6 meters high hit the coast, flooding the coastal lowlands.

From the side of Calabria, the wave was higher, as a result of the damage, more. In the Reggio region, the earthquake was stronger than in all other places in Sicily. But most of all human casualties was in Messina, the largest of the affected cities, which is also a center of tourism, with large quantity great hotels.

Help could not arrive on time due to total absence connections with the rest of Italy. The next morning, Russian naval sailors landed in Messina. The Russians had doctors who provided the first medical care injured. 600 armed Russian sailors began to restore order. On the same day, the British Navy arrived, and with their help, control was fully restored.

5. The most terrifying in terms of the number of victims is in South America

None of the earthquakes in history South America did not take as many lives as what happened on January 24, 1939 in Chile. Erupting at 11:35 p.m., it took the unsuspecting residents by surprise. 50 thousand people died, 60 thousand were injured and 700 thousand were left homeless.

The city of Concepción lost 70% of its buildings, ranging from old churches to the shacks of the poor. Hundreds of mines were filled up, the miners who worked in them were buried alive.

5) Chile earthquake (1939); 6) in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan 1948); 7) in Armenia (1988); 8) in Alaska (1964).

It happened in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) on October 6, 1948. It was the most severe earthquake on the territory of the USSR in the first half of the 20th century. The cities of Ashgabat, Batir and Bezmein suffered from underground strikes with a force of 9–10 points. Analyzing the consequences of the disaster, scientists came to the conclusion that the destruction is the result of an unsuccessful combination of adverse factors, primarily - poor quality buildings.

According to some sources, more than 10 thousand people died then. Others say 10 times more. Both of these figures were classified for a long time, as, indeed, all information about natural disasters and catastrophes on Soviet territory.

7. The strongest earthquake in the Caucasus in the XX century

1988, December 7 - at 11:41 a.m. Moscow time, an earthquake occurred in Armenia, which destroyed the city of Spitak, destroyed the cities of Leninakan, Stepanavan, Kirovakan. 58 villages in the north-west of the republic were turned into ruins, almost 400 villages were partially destroyed. Tens of thousands of people died, 514 thousand people were left homeless. Over the past 80 years, this has been the most powerful earthquake in the Caucasus.

Panel buildings, as it turned out later, collapsed due to the fact that numerous violations of technology were made during their installation.

8. The strongest - in the history of the United States

It happened on the coast of Alaska on March 27, 1964 (about 8.5 on the Richter scale). The epicenter was 120 km east of the city Anchorage, and Anchorage itself and the settlements around Prince William Sound suffered the most. To the north of the epicenter, the earth sank by 3.5 meters, and to the south it rose along at least for two. The underground element caused a tsunami that devastated forests and port facilities along the coast of Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon and Northern California and reached the Antarctic.

A lot of damage was caused by snowfalls, avalanches and landslides. The relatively small number of victims - 131 people - is due to the sparsely populated area, but there were other factors as well. The earthquake began in the morning at 5:36 a.m., during the holidays when schools and businesses were closed; there were almost no fires. In addition, due to the accompanying tide seismic wave was not as high as it could have been.