When
it comes to the earthquake’s magnitude, the 1960 Valdivia earthquake
takes the cake at 9.5, which was equivalent to a massive 178-Gigatons of
power. This can be comparable to 1,000 atomic bombs going off at the
same time. The earthquake was not only felt in Valdivia but also reached
Hawaii, at a distance of 435 miles. While only 6,000 people died in the
catastrophe, it incurred more than $1 billion worth of damages.
This
earthquake has sometimes been called the deadliest earthquake in
history. The incident happened on January 23, 1556 in Shaanxi, China and
devastated an area of 520 miles. It was felt in 97 countries; and
resulted in more than 20 meters deep crevices and landslides, which
collapsed numerous dwellings. The death toll of this devastating
earthquake was 830,000, which is over 60% of the region’s population.
Its magnitude was only 8.0 on the Richter scale or only 1-Gigaton, but
the costs cannot be written in today’s terms.
This
earthquake hit the sea bed of the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004
with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 or over 32-Gigatons, and caused the
Boxing Day Tsunami. This was the second highest seismic activity
recorded with the longest duration of tremors. The after-effects even
reached Maldives and Thailand, with more than 5 tsunamis hitting the
coastlines of the Indian Sea. It had a death toll of 100,100 to 225,000
with over $7 billion worth of rescue and damage costs during the first
8.3 to 10 minutes alone.
This
disaster happened near the town of Aleppo in Syria on October 11, 1138.
The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 8.5 or 2.8-Gigaton, was
labeled as the fourth worst earthquake disaster in the world.
Catastrophes included a nearby church that fell on itself causing the
death of 600 guards and citizens, and total death toll of 230,000. A
number of towns near the tremor were completely destroyed and had to be
rebuilt to become habitable again.
This
tragedy happened on July 28, 1976 in Tangshan, Hebei and killed 255,000
people though the Chinese government first recorded its death toll at
655,000. The 8.2 magnitude or 2.2-Gigaton quake only lasted for 10
seconds, but brought a lot of devastation to the area. In addition,
Tangshan is a region with a very low-risk for earthquakes, so the
buildings were not earthquake-proof. The quake was 4 miles long and 5
miles wide, which left a total damage of 10 billion Yuan or $1.3
billion.
Also
called ‘the 1920 Gansu Earthquake,’ this disaster happened in Haiyuan
County, Ningxia. Though there were conflicting reports on its magnitude
and death toll, as both the Chinese government and the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) published different reports, it still brought
catastrophic effects that were felt for over 125 miles and aftershocks
that lasted over 3 years. The December 16, 1920 quake has conflicting
magnitudes of 7.8 and 8.5 and death tolls of 200,000 or 240,000.
The
Haiti earthquake was a magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale, with an
epicenter near Leogane, 25 km west of its capital, Port-au-Prince. It
struck on January 12, 2010 where at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5
or greater could still be felt even 12 days later. The earthquake left a
devastating wake of 316,000 deaths, 300,000 injured and 1,000,000
people homeless. It was estimated that 250,000 houses and 30,000
commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely destroyed.
Xining,
which lies on the Huangshui River on the eastern part of Quinghai
Province, experienced a magnitude 7.9 seismic activity on May 22, 1927.
It killed 40,900 people though there were other reports that the death
toll could be as high as 200,000. The earthquake was not only deadly but
it also brought large fractures, damages to over 500 schools and office
buildings causing many people to lose their occupations. This was also
linked to the Great Gansu Earthquake.
The
earliest record-breaking earthquake as it happened on December 22, 856,
this earthquake struck Damghan, the capital of Iran at that time with a
magnitude of 8.0 or 1-Gigaton power. It killed 200,000 people, with
tremors that could be felt throughout the surrounding areas of Damghan
causing these areas to be totally destroyed as well, though Damghan
itself was not severely damaged. A great example was Bustam, a nearby
town, which was completely leveled by the quake.
On
March 11, 2011, the east coast of Tohoku in Japan was struck by a 9.03
magnitude earthquake, which was the strongest to ever hit Japan.
Considered one of the top five largest earthquakes in the world, it
caused destruction that claimed 15,878 lives, left 6,126 injured and
2,173 people missing across 20 prefectures. It also caused the collapsed
of 129,225 buildings, while the tsunami brought about by the quake also
caused severe structural damages, fires in many areas, and damages in
roads and railways. This was the most difficult crisis Japan had ever
faced after World War II as it did not only inflict damages to lives and
properties, but also caused significant damages to four major nuclear
power stations. Debris from the tsunami reached as far as Canada and
Hawaii.
The
Great Kanto earthquake was a magnitude 7.9 disaster that hit the Kanto
plain, a main island of Honshu in Japan on September 1, 1923. This was
once considered the deadliest earthquake in the history of Japan as it
caused ‘the Great Tokyo Fire’ though the duration of the quake was only
between 4 and 10 minutes. However, its record was surpassed by the 2011
Tohuku earthquake at a magnitude of 9.0. The fire alone claimed the
lives of 140,000 people and destroyed 447,000 houses. This does not
include those who died from landslides, tsunamis, and 57 aftershocks,
which had estimated deaths of 93,000 people and 43,500 missing.
This
earthquake occurred on October 6, 1948 near Ashgabat, USSR with a
magnitude of 7.3. Due to censorship, this was not reported in the media
so there were no reports regarding its casualties or damages. Due to the
secrecy, it was purported that the earthquake was the result of Soviet
Union’s first atomic bomb test. Media sources also vary on the number of
casualties from 10,000 to 176,000 though a correct death toll was
reported in December 9, 1988 as 110,000. The earthquake also caused the
collapsed of brick buildings, concrete structures and freight trains.
This
was a 7.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of
some 100,000 to 200,000 lives in Messina and Reggio in Sicily and
Calabria in southern Italy. The earthquake, which took place on December
28, 1908, caused the ground to shake for 30 to 40 seconds and was felt
in a 186-mile radius. A 12-meter tsunami also hit the nearby coasts
causing more destruction including the death of 70,000 residents with
91% of the structures in Messina destroyed.
The
Chihli earthquake happened in September 27, 1290 with the epicenter
near Ningcheng in Inner Mongolia with an estimated magnitude of 6.8.
However, it has a maximum felt intensity of nine on the Mercalli
intensity scale as it claimed the lives of some 100,000 people. It also
destroyed 480 storehouses and countless homes in nearby areas, including
the Fengguo Temple in Yingxian.
The
Great Sichuan Earthquake occurred on May 8, 2008 with a magnitude that
measured 8.0 and 7.9. It was so great that it was felt in nearby
countries and as far away as Beijing and Shanghai where buildings swayed
with tremors. Official figures for the damages include 69,197 deaths
with 68,636 in Sichuan province, 374,176 injured and 18,222 missing.
This was considered as the deadliest earthquake to hit China after the
1976 Tangshan earthquake, as it left 4.8 million to 15 million people
homeless. The Chinese government is appropriating 1 trillion Yuan or
$146.5 billion to rebuild areas ravaged by the great quake.
The
October 8, 2005 Kashmir, Pakistan was visited by an earthquake with a
moment magnitude of 7.6.The disaster had a death toll of 85,000 and more
than 69,000 were injured. Considered to be smaller in size than the
1906 San Francisco earthquake, it affected countries in surrounding
regions with 14,000 deaths in Jammu and tremors felt in Taijikistan and
western China. It also cost a staggering $5.4 billion in aids from all
around the world.
This
was a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred in November 1667 with its
epicenter close to the city of Samaxi, Azerbaijan. It had a maximum felt
intensity of ten and caused the death of 80,000 people. It had a focal
depth of 12 kilometers with an estimated damage of over $25 million.
This
took place near the city of Tabriz, Iran on April 26, 1721, and
destroyed prominent mosques and schools resulting in death casualties of
8,000 to 250,000, though it was approximated at 80,000 only.
Interpreted as an omen of misfortune or a demonstration of divine wrath,
it contributed to the success of the Ottoman take-over of Tabriz in
1722 and on its economic difficulties, as well as the destruction of the
city’s significant historical monuments.
Known
as the ‘Great Lisbon Earthquake,’ this event occurred on November 1,
1755 in the Kingdom of Portugal. Seismologists today estimate the Lisbon
earthquake in the range of 8.5 to 9.0 on the moment magnitude scale
that has a deadly combination of subsequent fires and a tsunami. It
totally destroyed Lisbon and its surrounding areas with an estimated
death toll of between 10,000 and 100,000 people. Because of its
devastating effects over large areas, this event resulted in the
scientific studies of modern seismology and earthquake engineering.
This
Great Peruvian Earthquake was an undersea earthquake that affected the
regions of Ancash and La Libertad. It occurred in May 31, 1970 ad was
recorded as the worst catastrophic natural disaster that hit Peru, which
affected over 3 million people. It has a magnitude of 7.9 to 8.0 on the
Richter scale with an intensity of VIII on the Mercalli scale, which
lasted for 45 seconds. This caused the rock, ice, and snow avalanche on
the northern wall of Mount Huascaran burying the towns of Yungay and
Ranrahirca, which led to the death of 20,000 people in Yungay alone. The
damages incurred tallied to 74,194 deaths, 25,600 missing, 143,331
injured, and more than a million homeless. The estimated economic loss
was more than half a billion USD with the entire communication system
and basic facilities destroyed.
On
January 11, 1693, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 and
maximum intensity of XI or ‘extreme’ had struck the parts of Sicily,
Calabria, and Matta in southern Italy. Considered the most powerful in
Italian history, it destroyed at least 70 towns and cities causing the
death of 60,000 people. It was also followed by a tsunami that hit the
Ionian Sea and the Straits of Messina, wiping out two-thirds of the
entire population of Catania.
The
Calabrian earthquakes were a series of five strong seismic activities
that hit the region of Calabria in southern Italy from February 5 to 7,
and on March 1 and 28 of the year 1783, where the first two resulted in
significant tsunamis. It has an estimated magnitude on the Richter scale
of 5.9 or greater, and caused fatalities that range from 32,000 to
50,000 over a period of two months. The estimated magnitude on February 5
was 7.9, which destroyed 180 villages and has a death toll of 25,000;
while the February 6 quake brought a magnitude of 6.2 with tsunami
reaching 200 meters inland causing the death of 1,500 people. The
succeeding events were of similar magnitude and destroyed countless
lives and properties as well.
This
disastrous event happened on June 21, 1990 and caused widespread damage
within 100 kilometers of the epicenter’s radius near the city of Rashi,
and about 200 kilometer northwest of Tehran. It destroyed 700 villages
across the cities of Rudbar, Manjiil, and Lushan and cost $200,000,000
in damages, including 40,000 fatalities, 60,000 injured and 500,000
people homeless.
This
was a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Turkey on August
17, 1990, which lasted for only 3.7 seconds. The city of Izmit was very
badly damaged and had a death toll of 17,127 and 43, 959 injured though
other sources suggested that the actual figure for fatalities may be
closer to 45,000 with a similar number of injured. Another report from
September 1999 showed that the earthquake had destroyed 120,000
poorly-engineered houses, heavily damaged 50,000 houses; caused 2,000
buildings to collapse while 4,000 other buildings left severely damaged,
and made more than 300,000 people homeless.
This
8.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred on September 20, 1498, off the
coast of Nankia, Japan triggered a large tsunami, which cost the lives
of between 26,000 and 31,000 people. It caused severe shaking that
reached the Boso Peninsula and also caused a tsunami in the Suruga Bay,
which destroyed the building that housed the statue of the Great Buddha
at Kotuku-in.
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