Every year, more and more people on the planet turn their attention to natural disasters of various kinds. According to research recent years, The Earth has entered an active phase of tectonic activity - it is well known that throughout its existence, the land topography and the outlines of the continents as a whole have repeatedly undergone various changes. If we take into account the contents of Plato's manuscripts, such semi-mythical great civilizations as Atlantis and Hyperborea disappeared from the face of the earth as a result of the tectonic activity of our planet. For this reason, many of our contemporaries are seriously thinking about the direction in which human civilization should develop so that we do not suffer the same sad fate. Perhaps we should finally understand that the Earth is a kind of gigantic living organism, any interference in the work of which can end very sadly for our world. The bowels of the planet should be used more carefully and economically by people for their own purposes. In this article we will look at the most destructive earthquakes in human history.

1. In the mid-16th century, in the city of Shenxi (China), the most destructive earthquake to date occurred, killing more than 800 thousand people!

2. In 1923, on the first day of autumn, the Japanese region of Southern Kanto felt the full force and power of tremors, which, according to some estimates, was about 12 points. In this region there are megacities such as Yokohama and Tokyo. More than 150 thousand people became victims of the disaster.

3. August 15, 1950 year, the most powerful earthquake was recorded in the Indian city of Assami (India), which claimed the lives of “only” 1000 people - the fact is that it was impossible to measure its strength on the Richter scale due to the excessive scale of the instrument’s needles. A short time later, seismologists officially attributed the element to 9 points on the Richter scale. However, it was so powerful that it even sowed a certain panic among scientists - some of them initially believed that the epicenter of the earth's crust was located in Japan, while others believed that it was in the United States.

As for the Indian state of Assam, the situation here was also very ambiguous - for a week in a row, powerful tremors shook the surface of the earth, every now and then forming faults and failures, swallowing entire villages along with their inhabitants without a trace. All this was accompanied by constant emissions of fountains of hot steam and superheated liquid into the sky. As a result of the damage received, many dams could not contain the pressure of the water reserves stored in them - many cities and villages were simply flooded. Fleeing from certain death, residents climbed to the tops of trees, because not everyone knew the main ones. It should be noted that this year it was many times greater than the scale of destruction that was the result of the second most powerful earthquake that took place in these parts in 1897. The victims of the earlier disaster were 1,542 people.

4. 05/22/1960– on the outskirts of the Chilean city of Valdivia in the afternoon, the most powerful officially recorded earthquake occurred. The strength of the tremors of the Great Chilean Earthquake - this is the name given to this natural disaster - was approximately 9.3-9.5 points.

5. March 27, 1964 - in the American part of the Alaska Peninsula, closer to six o’clock local time, something happened that the locals could not even imagine. The force of the tremors was 9.2 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the disaster was at a depth of 20 kilometers in the northern part of the Gulf of Alaska. According to many scientists, it was this that caused the shift in the axis of rotation of our planet - as a result, its speed increased by 3 microseconds. The Great Chilean and Alaskan disasters are officially considered the most destructive and catastrophic in the history of mankind.

6. The earthquake that took place on July 28, 1976 late at night in the northeastern regions of China is considered the most destructive and terrible in terms of human casualties. Almost instantly, 650 thousand people became its victims - more than 780 thousand were injured and injured. varying degrees gravity. The strength of the shocks ranged from 7.9 to 8.2 points. The destruction was colossal. The epicenter of the disaster was located directly in Tangshan, a city with a population of millions. After several months, a huge space of ruins with a total area of ​​20 square kilometers remained on the site of the once flourishing, never-silent city.
According to eyewitnesses, shortly before the first wobble, the skies parted for many kilometers and shone with a bright light. At the end of the first blows, the plants and trees visually looked as if they had felt the effects of a steam roller. Some bushes were even burnt on some sides.

7. 7.12.1988— powerful tremors occurred on the territory of Armenia, the victims of which, according to the most conservative estimates, were 45 thousand people. Overnight, the city of Spitak, located near the epicenter, turned into a vast pile of ruins. Neighboring settlements - Kirovakan and Leninakan - were half destroyed. According to some calculations, the force of the shocks was almost 10 points on the Richter scale!

8. December 26, 2004- in the northwestern region of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean, like a bolt from the blue, earthquakes with a magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3 on the Richter scale occurred. This disaster and the accompanying giant tsunami claimed the lives of more than 300 thousand people.

9. May 12-13, 2008– in the Chinese province of Sichuan, an earthquake with a power of 7.9 occurred, killing more than 70 thousand people.

10. March 11, 2011 year in Japan one of the most powerful earthquakes recent years - his strength was estimated at 9 points on the Richter scale. The devastating consequences and the accompanying gigantic tsunami became the direct cause of a serious environmental disaster: the cooling systems were damaged nuclear power plant— the world was on the verge of radioactive contamination of the environment, which, to the deepest, could not be avoided. Albeit on a smaller scale, radiation leakage still occurred.

Everyone good day, I am very glad to welcome those who are interested not only in games or shopping, but also in world problems. It is about the problems associated with disasters that I wanted to talk today.

World disasters, one way or another, affect the life of every person on the planet. And it doesn’t matter in what part of the earth an earthquake, flood or volcanic eruption occurred. Some people always suffer, while others sympathize and try to help.

Unfortunately, scientists cannot fully understand how to predict a terrible event. Take, for example, an earthquake. This is an extremely dangerous natural phenomenon that cannot be predicted. Scientists' calculations made it possible to learn about future tremors earth's surface only a few hours before they start.

But even here there may be danger in the calculations, because the earthquake can be much stronger than predicted. The most effective predictor of impending disaster is animals. Many people say that animals are closer to the earth and are more connected to it. So love your pets and they can save your life.

The danger of earth tremors awaits those residents whose houses are located in mountainous areas. After all, mountains are peculiar scars in places of fracture of titanic plates. Fortunately, most earthquakes occur at the bottom of the oceans, but this also poses a danger for coastal living areas. It is almost impossible to escape from a strong tsunami.

The most powerful earthquake in human history: tragedy in Chile

The most strong earthquake in the history of mankind occurred precisely off the coast Pacific Ocean and practically destroyed Chile in 1960. By different sources The force of the tremors on the ocean floor at the epicenter was about 10 points. It is worth looking at the consequences of the wave that destroyed large coastal cities almost to the ground.

The tsunami that hit Chile destroyed not only residential areas, but also industry, everything had to be rebuilt. At that time it cost more than 400 billion dollars.

The strongest earthquakes in the world on the Richter scale: top 5

It is impossible to predict where the next earthquake will occur. How many people will suffer? We only know that over the last hundred years the number of severe disasters in human history has increased.

List of known largest earthquakes:

• The Kemin earthquake is considered one of the largest inland earthquakes. It took place in Kazakhstan in 1911, then, with an amplitude of 9 points, it almost completely collapsed Almaty city.
• The next most destructive earthquake, after the Chilean one, happened in Alaska in 1964. Due to the low population density in this part of the earth, only 9 people were affected by the 9.5 magnitude tremors, plus 190 drowned. But due to the huge wave, the coasts of Canada, Japan and California were seriously damaged.
• In 1952, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Kamchatka. And the rising giant wave 17 meters high swept away Severo-Kurilsk Almost completely, a third of the residents of the city and nearby settlements died as a result.
• Indian tsunami, which drowned most of the coastal cities of Indonesia, Thailand, southern India and Sri Lanka in 2004. Earth tremors began near the island Sumatra. Then the disaster took the lives of more than 300 thousand people.
• But the most catastrophic earthquake is considered Japanese. Although it took place quite recently in 2011, it brought not only destruction to its country. The earthquake caused a tsunami that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The echoes of that disaster can still be heard. And the radioactive cloud hung over the ocean for a long time, and the whole world watched its movement with bated breath.

Is it possible to prepare for underground unrest? Can you predict what consequences it will bring? Is there salvation and where to look for it?

Many questions arise in a person when he thinks about this. Problem current person It’s not that he’s not prepared for disasters, he just doesn’t think about them. After watching TV and sympathizing with the victims, we forget about everything. We don’t think that our country is also located at the intersection of titanic plate faults, and in Russia, like nowhere else, the probability of earthquakes is high.

A little theory about earthquakes

Thanks to modern scientific achievements, scientists have suggested that tremors occur almost every day in the world. We do not feel most of them, due to the great depth of the epicenter or its small strength.

A person will feel tremors or a wave only starting from 3 points; before this, the force is so weak that only instruments can detect the impulse. Some people believe that there are many more earthquakes during the full moon.

The causes of underground disturbances can be not only natural, but also caused by humans. Regular weapons testing or mining disrupts the landscape and structure of the earth's surface. The most dangerous human impact is the adjustment of mountainous terrain. As you know, this is where earthquakes most often occur.

It’s just difficult for people to prove that they are wrong and that they need to change their way of life so that after us our descendants can live peacefully for thousands of years.

World wars and human cruelty towards brothers lead to the fact that cataclysms began to occur more and more often. After all, the earth is also a living and intelligent organism...

Imagine yourself in her place, not only are they constantly pumping out oil, extracting metals, but they are also fighting, destroying not only people, but also environment, poisoning with lead and burning thousands of kilometers of land.

As a result, the soil dies, and with it all the plants. There is so much beauty in the world, can a person never grow up? A rational being cannot treat nature with such disrespect.

How to behave during an earthquake

Each of us learned the rules of behavior during earthly discussions back in school. Even regular drills mean preparation both physically and psychologically.

How might he react? a common person when does the earthquake start? The first is fear, and it’s good if you pull yourself together quickly enough, get your bearings and go to a safe distance from the surrounding buildings, which may collapse if the shocks are strong.

But when panic sets in, it most often occurs in office buildings, where workers are under stress every day. And then a disaster happened, running around began instead of constructive evacuation.

At the first tremors, you should hide under the table, then if a wall or ceiling collapses, you will suffer less, and it will be easier for rescuers to find you. If you decide to leave the building, you should do so at the first tremors before they become stronger or surrounding objects begin to fall.

Try to stay along walls without windows. When shaking, the glass is the first to crack and you can get seriously injured. As soon as you get out of the building, move to a safe distance. You should not drive a car; due to the electronics, the car may simply become blocked, and so will you.

If you live in an earthquake-prone area, you should prepare a bag or backpack with the essentials for the first time. You can also put documents and some money there. It's convenient in critical situation You can immediately grab it and run out of the dangerous room.

12 points on the Richter scale: adventure project “On the Edge” and learn a lot of new things! See you soon!

Text - agent Q.

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Today we will talk about the deadliest and largest earthquakes that occurred on our planet.

The list of major earthquakes includes hundreds, thousands natural phenomena, according to Wikipedia, the list of the most powerful earthquakes in terms of magnitude according to Wikipedia (we will talk about the most powerful ones below), in terms of mortality (number of victims and scale of destruction) there are also 13 earthquakes, the lists are far from identical.

This is due to the fact that seismically active areas in which very strong tremors occurred were in the mountains, non-residential areas. And in poor areas with an eternally warm climate, where houses are like houses of cards, the uneven earth's surface with impressive differences in elevation, any earthquake, even one of medium magnitude, turns into a tragedy on a global scale - with a typhoon, landslides, mudflows, mud flows, floods, tsunami, tornadoes.

“Earthquake - underground tremors and vibrations of the earth's surface. According to modern views, earthquakes reflect the process of geological transformation of the planet.

It is believed that the root cause of earthquakes is global geological and tectonic forces, but at present their nature is not entirely clear. The appearance of these forces is associated with temperature inhomogeneities in the bowels of the Earth.

Most earthquakes occur at the margins of tectonic plates. It has been noted that over the past two centuries, strong earthquakes have arisen as a result of the rupture of large faults that come to the surface.

Earthquakes are best known for the devastation they can cause. Destructions of buildings and structures are caused by soil vibrations or giant tidal waves (tsunamis) that occur during seismic displacements on the seabed.

Most earthquakes occur near the Earth's surface."

That is, an earthquake begins with a shock, on land or in water (ocean), the causes of these shocks are unclear... After the rupture, the movement of rocks deep in the Earth begins. There are the most seismically active areas, including, for example, Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Armenia, and Sakhalin.

The strength of the magnitude and the number of victims are not always related concepts; the number of victims depends on the area, the proximity of populated areas to the epicenter of the shock. The strength of buildings and population density are also important.

The largest earthquake in terms of magnitude in one list is the Chilean earthquake that occurred on May 22, 1960 in Valdivia (9.5 points on the Richter scale), and in the other - the earthquake in Ganja (on the site of Azerbaijan), with a magnitude of 11 points. But this natural disaster occurred a very long time ago - on September 30, 1139, so the details are not known for certain; according to rough estimates, 230 thousand people died, the phenomenon is included in the list of the five most destructive earthquakes.

The first one, which occurred in Chile, is also called the Great Chilean Earthquake; as a result of the shock, a tsunami arose with waves above 10 meters and a speed of 800 km per hour; even the regions of Japan and the Philippines were affected by the already subsiding storm. The number of victims, despite the scale of destruction, is less than in other major earthquakes, mainly because sparsely populated areas suffered the main destruction. 6 thousand people died, damage was about half a billion dollars (at 1960 prices).

In terms of magnitude, the following five earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 9 on the Richter and Kanamori scale are considered the strongest after those listed above:

The 2004 earthquake in Indonesia is one of the worst natural disasters to have occurred on the planet in history, both in terms of the number of victims, the scale of destruction, and the magnitude. The tsunami arose due to the collision of plates in the ocean, the height of the waves was more than 15 meters, the speed was 500-1000 km per hour, destruction and casualties were even 7 km from the epicenter of the shock. The number of victims is from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people. Some people remained unidentified, and some of the victims were forever classified as “missing” because the bodies were carried into the ocean, where they were eaten by predators or disappeared without a trace into the depths of the sea.

The disaster was not only in the earthquake and tsunami itself, but in the destruction that occurred later, and in the infections that enveloped “poor” Indonesia from the decomposition of corpses. The water was poisoned, there was infection everywhere, there was no food or homes, many people died from a humanitarian catastrophe. It was the poorest areas and the people living in them that suffered the most. Eyewitnesses said that the tsunami wave demolished everything, people, children, and houses; mixed with the rubble of houses, small children and animals were circling in the whirlwind.

Afterwards (since Indonesia is always hot), literally a couple of days later, the swollen corpses of people filled the bays of the destroyed cities, there was nothing to drink and nothing to breathe. Even the world communities who rushed to help were unable to remove the corpses; they managed only a small fraction of a percent. More than a million residents were left homeless, and a third of all those killed were children. Over 9 thousand tourists went missing. The earthquake is one of the largest in all respects, in the top five places, the tsunami is the strongest in history.

The Great Alaskan earthquake, which occurred on March 27, 1964 in Alaska, USA, with a magnitude of 9.2, is a disaster of great magnitude, but despite such a powerful force of tremors, the number of victims ranged from 150 to several hundred, including from tsunamis, landslides and destruction buildings.

Losses from the tsunami amounted to 84 million US dollars. This is one of the most powerful earthquakes, but with a relatively small number of victims, since the consequences of the tremors were in sparsely populated areas, uninhabited islands.

The earthquake and tsunami in Severo-Kurilsk occurred on November 5, 1952 at about 5 am; as a result of the disaster, several settlements in the Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions were destroyed.

The tremors themselves lasted half an hour; the first tsunami wave arrived an hour after the tremors. The earthquake itself did not cause major destruction; the overwhelming number of deaths was due to the tsunami, which occurred in three waves. During the first wave, those who survived ran to the mountains in what they were wearing and after a while began to return to their houses, and then the second wave came, which reached the height of a five-story building (15-18 meters) - this decided the fate of many Northern Kuril residents, almost half The city's inhabitants were buried in the ruins by the first and second waves.

The third wave was weaker, but also brought death and destruction: those who were able to survive stayed afloat or tried to save others - and then they were overtaken by another tsunami, the last, but for many, deadly. According to official data, 2,336 people became victims of the North Kuril tsunami (despite the fact that the city’s population was about 6 thousand people).

As a result of the Japanese earthquake of March 11, 2011 in Sendai, with a magnitude of 9, at least 16 thousand people died, and more than 10 thousand were still missing. In terms of the totality of one type of energy, this earthquake exceeded the strength of the Indonesian one (2004) by almost 2 times, but part of the main force was under water, northern Japan shifted 2.4 meters towards North America.

The earthquake itself occurred in three shocks. Economic damage from the 2011 Japan earthquake is estimated at $198–309 billion. Oil refineries burned and exploded, car production was stopped, and many other industries were stopped, Japan fell into a global crisis.

The tsunami itself and its consequences were filmed in different regions of Japan on a video camera, since the development of digital technology at that time was already sufficient, and the effects of the elements can be seen in many videos posted on the Internet, in films based on footage of amateur filming.

People were driving in cars when waves came out from around the corners of buildings, burying both cars and people, many ran in panic wherever they looked, and in the end they were still captured by the elements. There are many shots of people running in despair across a bridge going under water... sitting on the roofs of collapsing houses.

The deadliest earthquakes by number of victims are:

- July 28, 1976 Tangshan, victims - 242,419 (according to unofficial data, over 655,000 people died), magnitude - 8.2

- May 21, 525 Antioch, Byzantine Empire now Turkey), victims - 250,000 people, magnitude 8.0

- December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China, victims - 240,000 people, magnitude - 7.8 or 8.5

- December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia, victims - 230,210 people, magnitude - 9.2

- October 11, 1138 Aleppo, Emirate of Aleppo (now Syria), casualties - 230,000 people, magnitude - 8.5

There is insufficient data for the earthquakes of 1556 in China and 525 in Antioch. There are sources that report information about these disasters almost for certain, and there are sources that deny such a number of victims.

However, today the Great Chinese earthquake is considered the strongest in the history of mankind. The epicenter of the tremor was in the Weihe River, which is just under 1 km long and is a tributary of the larger river.

Nearby villages were completely destroyed and buried under mudflows, everything was complicated by the fact that then people lived densely, inhabiting the territory (as always in China) and right in earthen caves on the slopes of mountains, hills or in lowlands, and during earthquakes the walls of the caves and “flimsy” houses collapsed in one second. In some places the ground split apart at the seams by 20 meters...

The Tangshan earthquake of July 28, 1976 killed at least 242,419 people, but some estimates put the death toll as high as 655,000. 90% of all the buildings in the city were destroyed under the waves from the first shock; the second shock followed 15 hours later, just when the workers were clearing the rubble, burying them under it too.

Strong tremors, there were about 130 of them, continued for several days, burying everything that was alive before. The opening earth was burying people and buildings in cracks; a hospital, along with its patients and staff, and a train with passengers fell into such an abyss. A drama film, Earthquake, directed by Feng Xiaogang, was made about the disaster.

The 1920 earthquake in Ningxia Gansu (PRC) killed at least 270 thousand people. About 100 thousand died from the consequences of the disaster: cold, landslides, mudflows. 7 provinces were destroyed.

We talked about the terrible earthquake and tsunami of 2004 in Indonesia above.

1138 earthquake in Syria (Aleppo) shocked contemporaries not only by the number of victims, but also by the fact that in that area and at that time there were sparsely populated areas, and the cities usually did not exceed 10 thousand people, that is, it is possible to compare the scale of destruction and the strength of the tremors, if such were the victims. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 230 thousand people.

All the natural disasters that occur, the most terrible, terrible, wild ones, seem to make us understand how insignificant man is before the power of nature... How small the ambitions of people are in comparison with the forces of the elements... Those who have at least once seen the elements with their own eyes never argue with God. Then don’t believe in the Apocalypse...

About a million earthquakes occur on Earth every year, most of them so minor that most people would mistake them for a loaded car driving down the street next door. However, really strong points and shifts in 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 destructive 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. Strong 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

One of the strongest earthquakes in Europe, which occurred on December 28, 1908, affected Sicily and Italy, during which about 120,000 people died. The epicenter of the tremors, a layer of 7.5 points, was located in the Strait of Messina, which led to a simply huge tsunami that hit the coast, literally sweeping away everything in its path. The tragedy was aggravated by numerous underwater landslides, which 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 from under the rubble.

8. Earthquake in Gansu

One of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes occurred on December 16, 1920 in the Chinese province of Gansu. The force of the tremors was about 7.8 on the Richter scale, which led to the destruction of entire cities and villages in which not a single intact building remained. And also significant damage was caused by such major cities like 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. Earthquake in Chile

One of the strongest earthquakes in human history occurred on May 22, 1960 in Chile, the strength of which at the epicenter reached 9.5 points, and the fault was 1000 kilometers. The natural disaster killed 1,655 people, injured 3,000 people, left about 2 million people homeless, and caused half a billion dollars in losses. The tsunami generated by this earthquake reached the coasts of Japan, the Philippines and Hawaii and caused significant damage to coastal communities. In some areas of Chile, the waves were so large that some houses were abandoned 3 kilometers deep into the continent.

6. Kobe earthquake

On January 17, 1995, one of the most destructive earthquakes in Japanese history occurred in the Kobo area. Although the force of the tremors was 7.2 points, the epicenter was located in a very densely populated area. The earthquake killed more than 5,000 people, injured 26,000 people and left about 10 million people homeless. Losses amounted to 200 billion dollars, a kilometer of expressway 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. Earthquake in Kanto

The Kanto earthquake, which occurred on September 1, 1923, was the most destructive in the history of Japan. The natural disaster almost completely destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama, where about 175,000 people died, about one million people were left homeless, and about 200 thousand buildings were destroyed or burned down. Destroyed communications and damaged water supply did not allow the authorities to provide timely assistance to people and effectively combat the consequences of the disaster.

4. Earthquake off the coast of Sumatra

The earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra on December 26, 2004 affected all countries of the Indian Ocean. The force of the tremors was 9.1 on the Richter scale, but the deadliest was the tsunami, which killed at least 230,000 people. Reason large quantity victims, was the undeveloped early warning system for the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The previous earthquake near Sumatra occurred in 2002, according to experts this was preliminary seismic activity before a major shift of the Indian plate. Then, throughout 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 state, Port-au-Prince. In just a few minutes, half the city's population was left homeless, and about 230,000 people died. Haiti is the most poor country in the Western Hemisphere, so the main assistance to the victims was provided by international organizations. 5 years after the tragedy, about 80,000 continue to live in tents.

2. Tohoku earthquake

An earthquake at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the Japanese province of Tohoku turned into the second largest nuclear disaster after the explosion of the Chernobyl power plant. 108 kilometers of ocean day rose 8 meters in 6 minutes, which led to the appearance of a giant tsunami. Giant waves hit the northern islands of Japan, seriously damaging several units 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 were 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 was destroyed almost to the ground. The scale of the tragedy was intensified by numerous mining operations. The cities of Tianjin and Beijing were also seriously damaged by the tremors. The Chinese authorities tried to limit as much as possible the leak of information about the scale of the tragedy, which was not known abroad for a long time, and deliberately reduced the number of victims. 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, rendering them uninhabitable.

This list shows the strongest earthquakes (on the Richter scale - magnitude) in the history of observation.

Assam, Tibet

1950, magnitude 8.6, epicenter Tibet

The earthquake caused very strong landslides that blocked entire rivers. At that time, approximately 1,500 people died in eastern Tibet and Assam in India alone.

North Sumatra, Indonesia

The earthquake killed more than 100 people and left hundreds with varying degrees of injury, mostly on the island of Nias in the eastern Indian Ocean. This is the second largest earthquake to hit the island. A couple of months earlier, there was another one here, ranking third on the list of the strongest earthquakes in the world.

Rat Islands, Alaska

1965, magnitude 8.7

A powerful earthquake caused a tsunami reaching a height of 10 meters. But despite its strength, the earthquake did not bring dire consequences, mainly due to the remoteness of the islands and the fact that these islands are uninhabited. Tsunamis were recorded in Hawaii and even Japan.

coast of Ecuador, Colombia

1906, magnitude 8.8

The earthquake caused a giant tsunami that killed approximately 1,500 people. The tsunami reached the shores of Central America, San Francisco and Japan.

Maule Region, Chile

More than 500 people became victims of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and 800,000 people were left homeless. In total, more than 1.8 million people were affected by the earthquake, and the damage caused exceeded $30 billion. The earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and Nazca tectonic plates. South America at a depth of 35 km.

Kamchatka, Russia (USSR)

The first scientifically recorded earthquake with a whopping 9 points on the Richter scale was recorded precisely on the eastern coast of Kamchatka, in the Pacific Ocean at approximately 5 o'clock in the morning. As a result of the earthquake, a tsunami (15–18 meters high) was formed, which destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk. Then 2,336 people died.

east coast of Japan

in 2011, magnitude 9

March 11, 2011 is a sad date for Japan. An earthquake that occurred in the western Pacific Ocean generated a tsunami 130 km east of the city of Sendai, which killed 29,000 people and damaged several nuclear reactors.

west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia

The third strongest earthquake occurred underwater in the Indian Ocean. It caused a giant tsunami, considered the deadliest natural disaster in the world. modern history. The tsunami reached 14 countries, mainly in Southeast Asia and East Africa. Then, according to various estimates, from 225 to 300 thousand people died ( exact figure unknown as many people were carried away into the ocean), another 1,700,000 were left without a roof.

Great Alaska earthquake, USA

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami took the lives of about 130 people. And economic losses amounted to approximately $311 million. This terrible event occurred on Good Friday.

The strongest earthquake in the history of observation had a magnitude of 9.5, creating a destructive tsunami, waves that reached 10 meters in height. Then 5,700 people died in Chile, 61 people in Hawaii and 130 in Japan. The damage to 1960 prices was approximately half a billion dollars.