Where did the largest earthquake occur? The most destructive earthquakes in the history of the Earth...

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 most powerful 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 that 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.

There are about a million earthquakes on Earth every year, most of which are so small that most people mistake them for a loaded car driving down a nearby street. However, really strong points and shifts of the earth's crust in densely populated areas turn into a real tragedy, during which tens of thousands of people die and entire cities can turn into ruins. Meet the ten most destructive earthquakes.

10. Lisbon earthquake

One of the most devastating earthquakes occurred on November 1, 1755, the epicenter of which was at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, 200 kilometers from the coast of southern Portugal. The strongest tremors, tsunamis and fires claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people. The capital of Portugal, Lisbon has practically disappeared from the face of the earth, including the royal palace, the opera house and several cathedrals, burying thousands of works of art and tens of thousands of priceless manuscripts.

9. Messina earthquake

From one of the strongest earthquakes in Europe, which occurred on December 28, 1908, Sicily and Italy suffered, during which about 120,000 people died. The epicenter of the tremors layer 7.5 was in the Strait of Messina, which led to just a huge tsunami that hit the coast, literally sweeping away everything in its path. The tragedy was exacerbated by numerous underwater landslides that increased the height of the waves and the very precarious, fragile buildings that were traditionally built in Messini. By the way, 18 days after the earthquake, rescuers were able to pull two children out of the rubble.

8 Gansu Earthquake

One of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes occurred on December 16, 1920 in the Chinese province of Gansu. The force of the shocks was about 7.8 points on the Richter scale, which led to the destruction of entire cities and villages, in which not a single whole building remained. And also significant damage was caused to such large cities as Lanzhou, Taiyuan and Xi'an. Vibrations from this earthquake were recorded even in Norway. More than 270,000 people died under the rubble and landslides, which is 59% of the population of Gansu at that time.

7 Chile Earthquake

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. In some areas of Chile, the waves were so big that some of the houses were abandoned 3 kilometers deep into the continent.

6 Kobe Earthquake

On January 17, 1995, one of the most devastating earthquakes in Japanese history occurred in the Kobo region. Although the magnitude of the tremors was 7.2, the epicenter was in a very densely populated area. The earthquake killed more than 5,000 people, injured 26,000 people and made about 10 million people homeless. $200 billion worth of damages were caused, a kilometer of freeway disappeared from the surface of the earth in a few minutes, several hundred thousand buildings were destroyed, and the work of the large transport company Hanshin Express was paralyzed for several weeks.

5 Kanto Earthquake

The Kanto earthquake on September 1, 1923 was the most destructive in Japanese history. The natural disaster almost completely destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama, where about 175,000 people died, and about one million people turned out to be homeless, about 200 thousand buildings were also destroyed or burned down. Destroyed communications and damaged water pipes did not allow the authorities to provide timely assistance to people and effectively deal with the consequences of the disaster.

4. Earthquake off the coast of Sumatra

An earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, took part in all the countries of the Indian Ocean. The force of the shocks was 9.1 on the Richter scale, but the deadliest was the tsunami, which claimed the lives of at least 230,000 people. The reason for the large number of victims was an undeveloped early warning system for the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The previous earthquake near Sumatra occurred in 2002, according to experts, this was a preliminary seismic activity before the big shift of the Indian plate. Then, during 2005, there were several more shocks, which, however, did not cause much harm to the countries.

3. Earthquake in Haiti

The earthquake in Haiti, which occurred on January 12, 2012, almost completely destroyed the capital of this island nation, Port-au-Prince. In just a few minutes, half of the city's population was left without a roof over their heads, and about 230,000 people died. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so the main assistance to the victims was provided by international organizations. Five years after the tragedy, about 80,000 still live in tents.

2. Tohoku earthquake

An earthquake at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the Japanese province of Tohoku has become the second largest nuclear disaster after the explosion of the Chernobyl power plant. 108 kilometers of ocean day rose by 8 meters in 6 minutes, which led to the appearance of a giant tsunami. Giant waves hit the northern islands of Japan, severely damaging several blocks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which led to radioactive contamination of large areas that became uninhabitable. During the tragedy, 15,889 people died and about 2,500 people went missing.

1. Tangshan earthquake

In the Chinese city of Tangshan, on July 28, 1976, an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale occurred, which turned out to be destroyed almost to the ground. The scale of the tragedy was reinforced by numerous mine workings. Also, the cities of Tianjin and Beijing were quite seriously affected by tremors. The Chinese authorities tried to limit the leakage of information on the scale of the tragedy, which was not known abroad for a long time, and the number of victims was deliberately reduced. According to official figures, about 250,000 people died, but they say that the real number of victims reaches 800,000 people. More than 5.3 million houses were also destroyed, making them uninhabitable.

On April 25, 2015, one of the strongest earthquakes in history struck Nepal, claiming thousands of lives and destroying a large number of historical monuments.

This is the seventh major earthquake in the 21st century. Let's try to remember them all.

2003 Iranian Bam earthquake

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On December 26, 2003, the ancient city of Bam in the province of Kerman, Iran, experienced a devastating earthquake (6.3 points), which killed more than 35 thousand people and injured more than 22 thousand (out of 200 thousand of the population). About 90% of the clay buildings of the historic city were destroyed.

The effects of the earthquake were so massive because many of the houses were made of mud and did not meet local 1989 regulations.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

By U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Philip A. McDaniel , via Wikimedia Commons

An underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean, which occurred exactly one year after the Iranian one, on December 26, 2004, caused a tsunami, recognized as the deadliest natural disaster in modern history. The magnitude of the earthquake was, according to various estimates, from 9.1 to 9.3. This is the third strongest earthquake in the history of observation.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Indian Ocean, to the north of Simeulue Island, located near the northwestern coast of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). The tsunami reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and other countries. The height of the waves exceeded 15 meters. The tsunami caused enormous destruction and a huge number of deaths, even in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6900 km from the epicenter.

Died, according to various estimates, from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people. The true death toll is unlikely to ever be known, as many people were swept into the sea by the water.

2008 Sichuan earthquake

By 人神之间 (Own work (Original text: self-made 自己制作)) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

The Sichuan earthquake is a devastating earthquake that occurred on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan Province, China. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8 Mw according to the China Seismological Bureau. The epicenter was recorded 75 km from the capital of Sichuan, the city of Chengdu. The quake was felt in Beijing (1500 km away) and Shanghai (1700 km), where office buildings shook and evacuations began. It was also felt in neighboring countries: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia.

The earthquake occurred in the seismically active Longmenshan Fault, which runs along the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, separating it from the Sino-Tibetan Mountains.

Official sources say that as of August 4, 2008, about 70 thousand people died, about 18 thousand people went missing, almost 300 thousand were injured.

2010 Haiti earthquake

By Logan Abassi / UNDP Global [CC BY 2.0 ], undefined

On January 12, 2010, a major earthquake hit the island of Haiti. The epicenter was located 22 km southwest of the capital of the Republic of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.

The earthquake in Haiti was the result of the movement of the earth's crust in the contact zone of the Caribbean and North American lithospheric plates. The last time an earthquake of such destructive power occurred in Haiti in 1751.

According to official data, as of March 18, 2010, the death toll was more than 200 thousand people, more than 300 thousand people were injured, and 869 people were missing. Material damage is estimated at 5.6 billion euros.

2010 Chile earthquake

By Atilio Leandro (originally posted to Flickr as San Antonio/Chile) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ], undefined

Chile earthquake - a powerful earthquake that occurred on February 27, 2010 off the coast of Chile, causing loss of life, destruction and the formation of a tsunami. One of the largest earthquakes in the last half century. The epicenter of the earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 was located 90 kilometers from the capital of the Bio-Bio Concepción region, the country's second largest agglomeration after Santiago. Less than a thousand people became victims of the disaster.

The earthquake caused a tsunami that hit 11 islands and the coast of Maule, but the number of victims caused by the tsunami is minimal: most of the inhabitants of the coast managed to hide from the tsunami in the mountains.

2011 Japan earthquake

By U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Johnson [CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

An earthquake off the east coast of the island of Honshu in Japan, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011. Its magnitude was up to 9.1. This is the strongest earthquake in the known history of Japan.

The earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that wreaked havoc on the northern islands of the Japanese archipelago. The maximum wave height was about 40 meters. The tsunami spread throughout the Pacific Ocean; warnings and evacuations were issued in many coastal countries, including along the Pacific coast of North and South America from Alaska to Chile.

As a result of a natural disaster, an accident occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Three reactors were damaged to varying degrees and became a source of strong radioactive emissions.

As of September 5, 2012, the official death toll from the earthquake and tsunami was more than 15,000 people, about 3,000 were missing, and more than 6,000 were injured.

2015 Nepal earthquake

By Krish Dulal (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

The 2015 Nepal earthquakes are a series of earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.2Mw and 7.8Mw that occurred on 25 and 26 April 2015. The tremors were felt in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. The aftershocks were also observed on Everest, triggering avalanches that killed more than 80 climbers.

The Nepalese government confirmed the death of more than 4 thousand people, about 7 thousand people were injured. According to media reports, in the neighboring countries of Nepal (India, Bangladesh, China), a total of about 100 people died.

According to preliminary data, thousands of houses were completely destroyed in the country, the damage is estimated at $ 5 billion.

The earthquake in Chile caused the collapse of 2.5 thousand buildings and the partial destruction of urban infrastructure. The magnitude of the earthquake is estimated at 8.2 on the Richter scale.

The earthquake killed six people, including those who died of a heart attack. More than 900,000 people were evacuated - all from the coastal, most seismic areas of the country. Then on Thursday, another earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck off the coast of Chile, after which about 20 more aftershocks were recorded.

The history of Chile has many earthquakes, one of which is considered the most powerful in the history of observations.

Great Chilean earthquake

On May 22, 1960, the Chilean city of Valdivia was almost completely destroyed. The catastrophe, which was later called the "great Chilean earthquake", claimed the lives of about 6 thousand people and deprived of shelter about 2 million people.

Moreover, the founded mass of people suffered from a tsunami, the waves of which reached a height of 10 meters and caused significant damage to the city of Hilo in Hawaii, about 10 thousand kilometers from the epicenter, the remnants of the tsunami even reached the coast of Japan.

The magnitude of the earthquake, according to various estimates, reached from 9.3 to 9.5 on the Richter scale. The damage in 1960 prices amounted to about half a billion dollars.

Great Alaska earthquake

On March 27, 1964, the second largest earthquake in the history of observations occurred in the northern part of the Gulf of Alaska. The magnitude was 9.1-9.2 on the Richter scale.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the College Fjord, of the major cities, Anchorage, located 120 km west of the epicenter, was the most affected. In Valdez, Seward and on Kodiak Island, there has been a strong change in the coastline.

Nine people died directly from the earthquake, but the tsunami also claimed another 190 lives. The waves caused severe damage from Canada to California to Japan.

Such a low number of victims for a disaster of this magnitude is due to the low population density in Alaska. The damage in 1965 prices amounted to about $400 million.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

On December 26, 2004, an underwater earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale occurred in the Indian Ocean. This earthquake was the third strongest in the history of observations.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located not far from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The earthquake triggered one of the most destructive tsunamis in history. The height of the waves exceeded 15 meters, they reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and a number of other countries.

The tsunami almost completely destroyed the coastal infrastructure in the east of Sri Lanka and the northwestern coast of Indonesia. Died, according to various estimates, from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people. The damage from the tsunami amounted to about $10 billion.

Tsunami in Severo-Kurilsk

On November 5, 1952, an earthquake occurred 130 kilometers from the coast of Kamchatka, the magnitude of which is estimated at 9 points on the Richter scale.

An hour later, a powerful tsunami reached the coast, which destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and caused damage to a number of other settlements. According to official figures, 2336 people died. The population of Severo-Kurilsk before the tragedy was about 6 thousand people. Three waves up to 15-18 meters high hit the city. Damage from the tsunami is estimated at $1 million.

Great East Japan Earthquake

March 11, 2011 in the east of the island of Honshu, 130 km east of the city of Sendai, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 to 9.1 on the Richter scale.

It became one of the strongest earthquakes in the entire known history of Japan. After 10-30 minutes, the tsunami reached the coast of Japan, and after 69 minutes the waves reached the Sendai airport. As a result of the tsunami, about 16 thousand people died, about 6 thousand were injured and 2 thousand went missing.

Much of the island lost power as the earthquake shut down 11 units at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The damage from the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami is estimated at $14.5-$36.6 billion.

Great China Earthquake

On January 23, 1556, an earthquake occurred that killed 830,000 people, more than any other earthquake in human history. The disaster has gone down in history as the "Great China Earthquake".

The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Wei River Valley in Shaanxi Province, not far from the cities of Huaxian, Weinan and Huanin.

20-meter dips and cracks opened at the epicenter of the earthquake. The destruction affected territories 500 km away from the epicenter. Some areas of Shaanxi were completely depopulated, in others about 60% of the population died.

Great Kanto Earthquake

On September 1, 1923, an earthquake occurred 90 km southwest of Tokyo in the sea near the island of Oshima in Sagami Bay, which as a result was called the Great Kanto Earthquake.

In just two days, 356 tremors occurred, of which the first were the strongest. The earthquake caused a powerful tsunami, the waves reached 12 meters, they hit the coast and destroyed small settlements.

The earthquake also caused fires in major cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka. More than 300,000 buildings were destroyed in Tokyo, and 11,000 buildings in Yokohama were destroyed by tremors. Infrastructure in the cities was also seriously damaged, with 360 out of 675 bridges destroyed by fire.

The total death toll was 174 thousand, another 542 thousand are missing. The damage is estimated at $4.5 billion, which at that time was twice the country's annual budget.

Tsunami in Ecuador

As a result of powerful tremors, a powerful tsunami arose, which hit the entire coast of Central America. The first wave reached San Francisco in the north and Japan in the west.

However, due to the low population density, the death toll was minimal - about 1,500 people.

Earthquake in Chile

On February 27, 2010, Chile experienced one of the largest earthquakes in the last half century. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.8 on the Richter scale.

The epicenter was located near the city of Bio-Bio Concepción, which is the center of Chile's second largest agglomeration after Santiago. The main damage was suffered by the cities of Bio-Bio and Maule, the death toll was 540 and 64 people, respectively.

The earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit 11 islands and the coast of Maule, but there were no casualties because the inhabitants hid in the mountains in advance.

The amount of damage is estimated at $15-$30 billion, about 2 million people were left homeless, about half a million residential buildings were destroyed.

Earthquake in Cascadia

On January 26, 1700, an earthquake occurred west of Vancouver Island in Canada, the magnitude of which is estimated at 8.7-9.2 on the Richter scale.

There is practically no data on this earthquake, since at that time there were no written records in the region. Only the oral traditions of the American Indians remained.

According to geology and seismology, strong earthquakes in Cascadia occur about once every 500 years and are almost always accompanied by a tsunami.