According to the National Earthquake Information Center, which operates on behalf of the US Geological Survey, the Earth experiences at least one very destructive earthquake in excess of magnitude 8 every year, about 18 earthquakes from 7 to 7.9 magnitude, which belong to the category of very strong, 120 strong earthquakes, the strength of which reaches 6–6.9 points, about 800 moderate shocks from 5 to 5.9 points, a little more than 6200 minor earthquakes, with a magnitude of 4–4.9, and about 50 thousand weak earthquakes, which have a score of 3 up to 3.9. But in the history of the Earth there have been such earthquakes that have remained in the history books as the deadliest - they claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and harmed millions. It is about such natural disasters that we will talk today.

Earthquake in Aleppo, Syria, 1138

Earthquake in Syria in 1138one of the most powerful in history

One of the most powerful earthquakes known to mankind, and the fourth largest in terms of the number of victims (according to a rough estimate, over 230,000 deaths). This earthquake had an 8 on the Richter scale. The earthquake occurred in several stages, covering the territories of modern northern Syria and southwestern Turkey, later Iran and Azerbaijan. The peak of destruction came on October 11, 1138, when Aleppo suffered.

After the earthquake, the population of Aleppo recovered only by early XIX century.

earthquake in Ganja (now the territory of Azerbaijan), 1139

The magnitude of this earthquake was 11 points. As a result of the disaster, about 230 thousand people died.Mountain collapsed during an earthquake Kapaz and blocked the course of the Akhsu River, which ran through it, as a result of which eight lakes were formed, one of which is the lake Goygol . This lake is currently located on the territoryGoygol Reserve.

Earthquake in Egypt, 1201

The earthquake in Egypt in 1201 killed more than 1 million people

This earthquake is included in the Guinness book as the most destructive. According to chroniclers, the number of victims was 1 million 100 thousand people. There is an opinion that the figures indicated by historians are far from the truth, and there is a rather big possibility that the facts were exaggerated. However, the catastrophe was gigantic in scale, which had a huge impact on historical development region.

Earthquake of Gansu and Shaanxi, China, 1556

The Chinese earthquake in 1556 claimed the lives of 830,000 people

It claimed the lives of approximately 830,000 people - more than any other earthquake in human history.20-meter dips and cracks opened at the epicenter of the earthquake. The destruction affected territories located 500 km from the epicenter. The huge number of victims was due to the fact that most of the population of the province lived in loess caves that collapsed after the first shocks or were flooded mudflows.

Within six months after the earthquake, repeated seismic shocks followed several times a month, but of lesser intensity.

Earthquake in Calcutta, India, 1737

This is the most tragic earthquake in the history of the country.. It claimed the lives of about 300 thousand people.

The Great Kanto Earthquake, Japan, 1923

The number of victims of the earthquake in Japan in 1923 - 4 million people

A strong earthquake of magnitude 8.3 occurred on September 1, 1923 in Japan. The earthquake caused the death of several hundred thousand people and caused significant material damage to the entire state. In terms of the scale of destruction and the number of victims, it is the most destructive in the history of Japan.The official death toll is 174,000, with another 542,000 missing, and over a million left homeless. The total number of victims was about 4 million.

The material damage suffered by Japan from the Kanto earthquake is estimated at $4.5 billion, which at that time was two of the country's annual budgets.

Earthquake in Chile, 1960

1960 Chile earthquake one of the strongest in the history of mankind

It was one of the strongest earthquakes in the history of mankind on May 22, 1960 in Chile, the strength of which at the epicenter reached 9.5 points, and the fault was 1000 kilometers. Due to the natural disaster, 1,655 people died, 3,000 people were injured, about 2 million people were left homeless, and losses were inflicted on half a billion dollars. The tsunami resulting from this earthquake reached the coasts of Japan, the Philippines and Hawaii and caused significant damage to coastal settlements.

Earthquake in Ashgabat in the Turkmen SSR, 1948

Earthquake in Ashgabat - the most fatal earthquake in the USSR

The most fatal earthquake in the Soviet Union. It consisted of two strong shocks with an interval of several hours. The incident happened on the night of November 5-6. The force of the natural disaster was approximately 9 points. It took several seconds for the complete destruction of the 130,000th settlement. It is still not clear how many people died that night. Approximately the number of deaths is estimated at 160 thousand people, and this is up to 80% of the total population of the city and its environs.

Earthquake in the Indian Ocean, 2004

An undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami, which was 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. The destruction affected Port Elizabeth in South Africa, despite the fact that it was several thousand kilometers from the epicenter. Some coasts had to deal with waves above 20 meters. The huge release of energy that accompanied the collision of tectonic plates caused the displacement of Sumatra and its neighboring islands by several tens of meters. Died, according to various estimates, from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people.

Earthquake in Haiti, 2010

The damage from the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 is estimated at 5.6 billion euros

After the main push magnitude 7 points many repeated aftershocks, 15 of them with a magnitude of more than 5.According to official figures, as of March 18, 2010, the death toll was 222,570 people, and 311,000 people were injured. Material damage is estimated at 5.6 billion euros.

Earthquake off the east coast of Khons Island, Japan, 2011

This is the strongest earthquake in the known history of Japan. The earthquake occurred at a distance of about 70 km from the nearest point on the coast of Japan. An initial estimate showed that it took 10 to 30 minutes for the tsunami waves to reach the first affected areas of Japan. After 69 minutesafter the earthquake, the tsunami flooded Sendai airport.

The official death toll from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is 15,892. The damage from the earthquake in Japan is estimated at 16-25 trillion yen (198-309 billion dollars).

The power of tremors is estimated by the amplitude of the earth's crust from 1 to 10 points. The most seismic areas are considered to be in mountainous areas. We present you the most powerful earthquakes in history.

The worst earthquakes in history

During the earthquake that occurred in Syria in 1202, more than a million people died. Despite the fact that the strength of the shocks did not exceed 7.5 points, underground vibrations were felt along the entire length from the island of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea to Armenia.

A large number of victims is associated not so much with the strength of the shocks, but with their duration. Modern researchers can judge the consequences of the destruction of the earthquake in the II century only by the surviving chronicles, according to which the cities of Catania, Messina and Ragusa in Sicily were practically destroyed, and the coastal cities of Akratiri and Paralimni in Cyprus were also covered by a strong wave.

Earthquake in Haiti

The earthquake in Haiti in 2010 claimed the lives of more than 220 thousand people, 300 thousand were injured, and more than 800 thousand were missing. The material damage as a result of the natural disaster amounted to 5.6 billion euros. For a whole hour, tremors with a power of 5 and 7 points were observed.

Despite the fact that the earthquake occurred in 2010, Haitians are still in need of humanitarian assistance, and are also rebuilding settlements on their own. This is the second most powerful earthquake in Haiti, the first occurred in 1751 - then the cities had to be rebuilt over the next 15 years.

Earthquake in China

About 830 thousand people became victims of an 8-point earthquake in China in 1556. At the very epicenter of the tremors in the Weihe River Valley, near Shaanxi Province, 60% of the population died. A huge number of victims is due to the fact that people in the middle of the 16th century lived in limestone caves, easily destroyed by even minor shocks.

Within 6 months after the main earthquake, the so-called aftershocks were repeatedly felt - repeated seismic shocks with a power of 1-2 points. This catastrophe occurred during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor, which is why it is called the Great Jiajing Earthquake in Chinese history.

The strongest earthquakes in Russia

Almost a fifth of the territory of Russia is located in seismically active regions. These include the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, Kamchatka, the North Caucasus and the Black Sea coast, Baikal, Altai and Tuva, Yakutia and the Urals. Over the past 25 years, about 30 strong earthquakes with an amplitude of more than 7 points have been registered in the country.

Earthquake on Sakhalin

In 1995, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 occurred on Sakhalin Island, as a result of which the cities of Okha and Neftegorsk, as well as several nearby villages, were damaged.

The most significant consequences were felt in Neftegorsk, which was 30 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. Within 17 seconds, almost all houses were destroyed. The damage caused amounted to 2 trillion rubles, and the authorities decided not to restore the settlements, so this city is no longer marked on the map of Russia.

More than 1500 rescuers were involved in the liquidation of the consequences. 2040 people died under the rubble. A chapel was built on the site of Neftegorsk and a memorial was erected.

Earthquake in Japan

The movement of the earth's crust is often observed on the territory of Japan, since it is located in the active zone of the volcanic ring of the Pacific Ocean. The strongest earthquake in this country occurred in 2011, the amplitude of oscillations was 9 points. According to a rough estimate of experts, the amount of damage after the destruction reached 309 billion dollars. More than 15,000 people were killed, 6,000 were injured and about 2,500 were missing.

Tremors in the Pacific Ocean caused a powerful tsunami, the wave height of which was 10 meters. As a result of the collapse of a large flow of water on the coast of Japan, a radiation accident occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Subsequently, for several months, residents of nearby areas were forbidden to drink tap water due to the high content of cesium in it.

In addition, the Japanese government ordered the TEPCO company, which owns the nuclear power plant, to compensate for the moral damage to 80,000 residents who were forced to leave the contaminated areas.

The strongest earthquake in the world

The strongest earthquake caused by the collision of two continental plates occurred in India on August 15, 1950. According to official data, the force of tremors reached 10 points. However, according to the conclusions of the researchers, the vibrations of the earth's crust were much stronger, and the instruments could not establish their exact magnitude.

The strongest tremors were felt in the state of Assam, which was reduced to rubble by the quake, destroying more than 2,000 homes and killing more than 6,000 people. The total area of ​​the territories that ended up in the destruction zone amounted to 390 thousand square kilometers.

According to the site, earthquakes also often occur in volcanically active zones. We present you an article about the highest volcanoes in the world.
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Strong earthquakes have occurred throughout human history, with the earliest recorded almost 2,000 years before our era. But it has only been in the last century that our technological abilities have reached the point where the impact of these disasters can be fully measured.
Our ability to study earthquakes has made it possible to avoid catastrophic casualties, as in the case of a tsunami, when people have the opportunity to evacuate from a potentially dangerous area. But unfortunately, the warning system does not always work. There are several examples of earthquakes where the most damage was caused by the subsequent tsunami and not by the earthquake itself. People have improved building standards, improved early warning systems, but have not been able to completely protect themselves from disasters. There are many various ways assess the strength of an earthquake. Some people are based on the value on the Richter scale, others on the number of deaths and injuries, or even the monetary value of the damaged property.
This list of the 12 most powerful earthquakes combines all of these methods in one.

Lisbon earthquake
The great Lisbon earthquake hit the capital of Portugal on November 1st, 1755 and brought great destruction. They were aggravated by the fact that it was All Saints Day and thousands of people came to mass in the church. Churches, like most other buildings, could not withstand the elements and collapsed, killing people. Subsequently, a tsunami hit 6 meters high. Approximately 80,000 died due to fires caused by the destruction. Many famous writers and philosophers have dealt with the Lisbon earthquake in their writings. For example, Emmanuel Kant, who tried to find a scientific explanation for what happened

California earthquake
A massive earthquake hit California in April 1906. Having gone down in history like the San Francisco earthquake, it caused damage to a much wider area. Downtown San Francisco was destroyed by the huge fire that followed. The initial figures mentioned 700 to 800 deaths, although the researchers claim that the real list of victims was more than 3,000 people. More than half of San Francisco's population lost their homes as 28,000 buildings were destroyed by the earthquake and fires.

Messina earthquake
One of Europe's biggest earthquakes struck Sicily and southern Italy in the early hours of December 28th, 1908, killing an estimated 120,000 people. The main epicenter of the damage was Messina, which was actually destroyed by the disaster. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake was accompanied by a tsunami that hit the coast. A recent study suggested that the size of the waves was so huge due to an underwater landslide. Much of the damage was due to the poor quality of the buildings in Messina and other parts of Sicily.

Haiyuan earthquake
One of the deadliest earthquakes on the list occurred in December 1920 with its epicenter at Haiyuan Chinha. At least 230,000 people died. With a force of 7.8 on the Richter scale, the quake destroyed almost every home in the region, causing significant damage to major cities like Lanzhou, Taiyuan and Xi'an. Incredibly, the waves from the earthquake were visible even off the coast of Norway. According to a recent study, Haiyuan was the strongest earthquake in China during the 20th century. The researchers also questioned the official death toll, suggesting it could have been over 270,000. This number is 59 percent of the population in the Haiyuan area. The Haiyuan earthquake is considered one of the most devastating natural disasters in history.

Chilean earthquake
A total of 1,655 were killed and 3,000 were injured after a 9.5 magnitude earthquake struck Chile in 1960. Seismologists have called it the strongest earthquake ever recorded. 2 million people were left homeless, and economic losses amounted to $500 million. The force of the earthquake triggered a tsunami, with casualties in places as far away as Japan, Hawaii and the Philippines. In some parts of Chile, waves have moved the ruins of buildings up to 3 kilometers inland. The strong Chilean earthquake of 1960 caused a gigantic tear in the ground, extending for 1,000 kilometers.

Earthquake in Alaska
On March 27th, 1964 a strong 9.2 earthquake hit the Prince William Sound area in Alaska. As the second strongest recorded earthquake, it resulted in a relatively low number of deaths (192 deaths). However, significant property damage took place in Anchorage, and all 47 states of the United States felt trembling. Due to significant improvements in research technology, the Alaska earthquake has provided scientists with valuable seismic data, allowing much better understanding of the nature of such phenomena.

Earthquake Kobe
In 1995, Japan was hit by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever, when a 7.2 magnitude quake hit the Kobe region in south-central Japan. Although it was not the most severe ever observed, the devastating impact was experienced by a significant part of the population - approximately 10 million people living in a densely populated area. A total of 5,000 died and 26,000 were injured. The US Geological Survey estimated damage at $200 billion, with infrastructure and buildings destroyed.

Sumatra and Andaman earthquake
The tsunami that hit all countries of the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 killed at least 230,000 people. It was triggered by a large underwater earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. His strength was measured at 9.1 on the Richter scale. The previous earthquake in Sumatra happened in 2002. This is believed to have been a seismic foreshock, and several aftershocks occurred during 2005. main reason a huge number of casualties was the absence of any early warning system in the Indian Ocean capable of detecting the approaching Tsunami. To the shores of some countries, where tens of thousands of people died, a giant wave went for at least several hours.

Earthquake Kashmir
Jointly administered by Pakistan and India, Kashmir was hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in October 2005. At least 80,000 people died and 4 million were left homeless. Rescue work was hampered by conflicts between the two countries fighting over the territory. The situation was exacerbated by the rapid onset of winter and the destruction of many roads in the region. Eyewitnesses spoke of entire areas of cities literally sliding off the cliffs due to the destructive elements.

Disaster in Haiti
Port-au-Prince was hit by an earthquake on January 12, 2010, leaving half the population of the capital without their homes. The death toll is still disputed and ranges from 160,000 to 230,000 people. A recent report drew attention to the fact that by the fifth anniversary of the disaster, 80,000 people still live on the street. The impact of the earthquake has brought with it terrible poverty in Haiti, which is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Many buildings in the capital were not built in accordance with seismic requirements, and the people of a completely destroyed country did not have any means of subsistence, except for the international assistance provided.

Tohoku earthquake in Japan
The biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl was caused by a magnitude 9 earthquake off the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. Scientists estimate that during a 6-minute earthquake of colossal magnitude, 108 kilometers seabed rose to a height of 6 to 8 meters. It caused big tsunami, which caused damage to the coast of the northern islands of Japan. The nuclear power plant at Fukushima was badly damaged and attempts to save the situation are still ongoing. The official death toll is 15,889, although 2,500 people are still missing. Many areas have become uninhabitable due to nuclear radiation.

Christchurch
The worst natural disaster in New Zealand's history claimed 185 lives on February 22nd, 2011 when Christchurch was hit by a massive 6.3 magnitude earthquake. More than half of the deaths were caused by the collapse of the CTV building, which was built in violation of seismic regulations. Thousands of other houses were also destroyed, among them the city's cathedral. The government has declared a state of emergency in the country so that rescue work can proceed as quickly as possible. More than 2,000 people were injured and reconstruction costs exceeded $40 billion. But in December 2013, the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce said that three years after the tragedy, only 10 percent of the city had been rebuilt.

Millions of years ago, powerful earthquakes occurred daily on our home planet - the formation of the habitual appearance of the Earth was going on. Today we can say that seismic activity practically does not disturb humanity.

However, sometimes violent activity in the bowels of the planet makes itself felt, and tremors lead to the destruction of buildings and the death of people. In today's selection, we bring to your attention 10 most destructive earthquakes in modern history.

The strength of the shocks reached 7.7 points. The earthquake in the province of Gilan led to the death of 40 thousand people, more than 6 thousand were injured. Significant destruction befell 9 cities and about 700 small towns.

9. Peru, May 31, 1970

The worst natural disaster in the history of the country claimed the lives of 67,000 Peruvians. A push with a power of 7.5 points lasted about 45 seconds. As a result, landslides and floods occurred over a wide area, which led to truly devastating consequences.

8. China, May 12, 2008

A powerful earthquake in Sichuan province had a force of 7.8 points and led to the death of 69 thousand people. About 18 thousand are still considered missing today, and more than 370 thousand were injured.

7. Pakistan, 8 October 2005

An earthquake measuring 7.6 killed 84,000 people. The epicenter of the disaster was located in the Kashmir region. As a result of the earthquake, a gap formed on the surface of the Earth, 100 km long.

6. Turkey, December 27, 1939

The force of shocks during this devastating earthquake reached 8 points. Strong aftershocks lasted about a minute, and then followed by 7 so-called "aftershocks" - weaker echoes of the shaking. As a result of the disaster, 100 thousand people died.

5. Turkmen SSR, October 6, 1948

The strength of the shocks at the epicenter of the most powerful earthquake reached 10 points on the Richter scale. Ashgabat was almost completely destroyed, and, according to various estimates, from 100 to 165 thousand people became victims of the disaster. Every year on October 6, Turkmenistan celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Earthquake.

4. Japan, September 1, 1923

The Great Kanto Earthquake, as the Japanese call it, almost completely destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama. The force of the shocks reached 8.3 points, resulting in the death of 174 thousand people. The damage from the earthquake was estimated at $4.5 billion, which at that time was equal to two of the country's annual budgets.

3. Indonesia, 26 December 2004

A 9.3 magnitude underwater earthquake triggered a series of tsunamis that killed 230,000 people. As a result of the natural disaster, the countries of Asia, Indonesia and the east coast of Africa were affected.

2. China, July 28, 1976

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake has killed nearly 230,000 people near the Chinese city of Tangshan. Many international experts believe that official statistics have greatly underestimated the death toll, which could be as high as 800,000 people.

1. Haiti, January 12, 2010

Power the most devastating earthquake in 100 years was only 7 points, but the number of human victims exceeded 232 thousand. Several million Haitians were left homeless, and the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, was almost completely destroyed. As a result, people were forced to survive for many months in conditions of devastation and unsanitary conditions, which led to an outbreak of a number of serious infections, including cholera.

We offer a look at the report of the Geological Society of London on the strongest earthquakes in the last 100 years. Armenia, USA, Japan, China, Chile and others - all these countries have suffered from natural disasters.

At 5:12 a.m., a powerful earthquake hit San Francisco with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. Tremors were felt even in the center of Nevada, located in the depths of the continent. As a result of this disaster, almost 80% of the buildings in the city of San Francisco were destroyed, 300,000 people were left homeless, 3,000 died.

The epicenter of the 7.5 magnitude earthquake was located in the strait between Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula. As a result of this earthquake, which is considered the strongest European earthquake, the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were almost completely destroyed. In Messina, almost half of the inhabitants died. The total number of deaths is estimated at 70-100 thousand people (some sources call the figure up to 200 thousand).

This earthquake of magnitude 8.3 is also called the Great Kanto Earthquake, as Japan's Kanto province suffered the most from the impact of the elements. For two days, 356 tremors occurred, and the height of the tsunami in Sagami Bay reached 12 meters. The death toll in that disaster is estimated at 142,800 people.

4. Quetta, Pakistan, 1936

The earthquake completely destroyed the city's infrastructure, with a death toll of almost 40,000 and damage estimated at US$25 million.

5. Concepción, Chile, 1939

The magnitude of the tremors was 8.3 points. 28,000 people died and almost $100 million in damages.

This city regularly experiences powerful earthquakes. In 1939, the elements claimed the lives of 36 to 39 thousand people.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 lasted only 15 seconds, but the death toll was 15,000 people, 12,000 were injured, and 35,000 were left homeless.

8. Chimbote, Peru, 1970

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake severely damaged the fishing industry, causing unemployment and impoverishment for several years. The earthquake itself killed 67,000 people and caused $550 million in damage.

This earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2 is considered one of the largest in terms of the number of victims in the history of observations. Then the elements claimed more than 650 thousand lives.

The 7.5 magnitude earthquake killed more than 22,000 people and injured 70,000. Damage amounted to $1.1 billion.

This earthquake of magnitude 8.1 is considered one of the most destructive earthquakes in America. The death toll then amounted to 9 thousand people, 30 thousand were injured and 100 thousand were left homeless.

The magnitude of the catastrophic Spitak earthquake was 7.2 points. The city of Spitak and 58 other villages were completely destroyed. The death toll was 25 thousand people, and 514 thousand were left homeless. Damage was estimated at $14 billion.

The 7.1 magnitude quake hit right before the start of a World Series baseball game, which is why the quake is known in the United States as the "World Series quake." Compared to other earthquakes, there were not so many deaths: 68 people. Tremors completely destroyed the whole network of roads, and the total material damage amounted to 6 billion dollars.

The magnitude of the tremors was 7.3 points. 6434 people were killed, the damage amounted to 200 million dollars.

Magnitude 7.6 points, the number of victims was 17217 people, more than 43 thousand were injured. The earthquake triggered a fire at an oil refinery that took several days to extinguish. The total damage amounted to $25 billion.

The magnitude was 9.1 points. The earthquake produced the deadliest in modern history, killing nearly 300,000 people. A monstrous earthquake changed the speed of the Earth's rotation, due to which the day became shorter by 2.68 microseconds.

The magnitude of the powerful was 8.8 points, the total number of deaths reached almost 800 people. As a result of the earthquake, a tsunami arose that even reached Australia.

A magnitude of up to 9.1 points is for the entire history of observations. As of March 14, official sources report almost 5,000 dead, but this figure is not final.

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