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

The worst earthquakes in history

The large number of victims is associated not so much with the strength of the tremors, but with their duration. Judge the consequences of earthquake destruction in the 2nd century modern researchers can only according to 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 on the island of Haiti

Despite the fact that the earthquake occurred in 2010, the people of Haiti are still in need of humanitarian assistance, as well as on our own rebuilding settlements. 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

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

The most powerful earthquakes in Russia

Earthquake on Sakhalin

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 indicated on the map of Russia.

More than 1,500 rescuers were involved in eliminating the consequences. 2,040 people died under the rubble. A chapel was built and a memorial was erected on the site of Neftegorsk.

Earthquake in Japan

Tremors in Pacific Ocean caused a powerful tsunami, the height of the waves 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 prohibited from drinking tap water due to its high cesium content.

In addition, the Japanese government ordered TEPCO, which owns the nuclear power plant, to compensate moral damages to 80 thousand residents forced to leave the contaminated areas.

The most powerful earthquake in the world

The strongest tremors were felt in the state of Assam, which was reduced to ruins as a result of the earthquake - more than two thousand houses were destroyed and more than six thousand people were killed. The total area of ​​the territories caught in the destruction zone was 390 thousand square kilometers.

According to the site, earthquakes also often occur in volcanically active areas. We present to you an article about the highest volcanoes in the world.
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On August 26, 1883, the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano caused one of the most destructive earthquakes in history. We decided to recall other most powerful and terrible earthquakes.

Egyptian earthquake of 1201

This event was reflected in the chronicles of those years, and was also included in the Guinness Book as the most destructive. According to chroniclers, about a million people died in Syria. Perhaps the numbers told by historians are far from the truth, and there is a high probability that the facts have been exaggerated. What is known for certain is that this event led not only to large-scale destruction, but also to serious geopolitical changes and influenced the life of the entire region.

The list of the most destructive disasters in history includes the Ganja earthquake that occurred in 1139, which killed about 230,000 people. These consequences were caused by strong tremors with an amplitude of 11 points. Due to the fact that it occurred almost a thousand years ago, very little is known about this earthquake, and the main source of information is the description of the Armenian historian and poet Mkhitar Gosh. He describes cities reduced to ruins and a large number of victims. Taking advantage of the earthquake, the city was attacked Turkish troops, who were engaged in looting and killing people who survived the earthquake.
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It happened in the province of Shenxi in 1556. This earthquake killed more than 850,000 people, making it one of the most destructive and widespread in human history. At the epicenter of the disaster, more than 60% of people died: such huge casualties were caused by the fact that a large number of people lived in limestone caves, which easily collapsed even with small tremors. Historical records of those years say that most of the buildings were instantly destroyed, and the amplitude of the tremors was so great that the landscape was constantly changing: new ravines and hills appeared, rivers changed their location. The aftershocks that followed the earthquake, which lasted for several months after the tragedy, also caused serious destruction.

Eruption of Krakatoa volcano in 1883

Huge destruction was caused by the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano at the end of the nineteenth century. The prohibitive number of victims was avoided only due to the fact that the tsunami hit the less populated regions of the islands of Java and Sumatra. 40 thousand died, more than 800 thousand square kilometers of the territory of the volcano were covered with ash, which destroyed all life within a radius of several tens of kilometers from Krakatoa.
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Earthquake in 2010

Three years ago, a terrible tragedy occurred in Haiti, from which this small, poor country still cannot recover. A powerful earthquake and tsunami destroyed the entire infrastructure of the islands and forced the Haitians to engage in looting and robbery in order to survive in the current situation. The crime rate has skyrocketed to incredible heights, anarchy, infections and isolation from outside world made the situation tenfold worse. The dead number in the hundreds of thousands, the injured in the millions.

30.09.2014

Earthquakes are compared to earth tremors. As the earth's crust shifts, cities are destroyed and people die. Many of them will forever be remembered by us for the colossal losses and the enormous number of victims. So,

The most powerful earthquakes.

10.

The world's most powerful earthquakes are shaking Asia. A natural disaster in China, which struck in the winter of 1556, claimed the lives of 830,000 people. Damage from a natural disaster on such a scale as in the provinces of Henan and Shaanxi had never happened before. Its magnitude reached 9 points. The villages that fell within its zone of action were completely destroyed. 20-meter cracks and failures formed at the epicenter.

9.

The next strongest earthquake occurred in the vastness of China in the summer of 1976 in the North-Eastern part of the country. The epicenter was the city of Tangshan. According to official studies, the magnitude of the disaster was 7.8, and the number of victims reached 200,000. However, the data was greatly underestimated, because other sources established the magnitude at 8.2, and the number of victims between 655,000 and 800,000.

8.

Another incident, which is regarded as a major earthquake, occurred in India. Its epicenter was the city of Calcutta. There is not much information about it, but the death toll reached 300,000.

7.

Underwater tremors of the earth are no less dangerous and destructive for the inhabitants of the earth than underground ones. In 2004, in the Indian Ocean, displacements of the earth's crust brought destruction and death to residents in almost twenty countries. Its magnitude reached 9 points. Waves measuring 150 meters in size hit coastal cities with unprecedented force. Estimated different sources the death toll ranges from 255,000 to 300,000.

6.

The strongest earthquakes in the world did not spare Japan either. The natural disaster, named after the affected Kanto region, occurred in September 1923. Some sources call it Tokyo after the capital. In addition to the destructive forces of nature, fires played a major role and aggravated the situation. The fire rose up to 60 meters above the gasoline spilled in the port. Due to the destroyed infrastructure, rescuers could not work effectively. The number of victims in this region reached 174,000 people, in total, the number of victims, both physically and economically, reached 4,000,000.

5.

The natural disaster in Ashgabat occurred during Soviet Union in October 1948 and affected not only the Turkmen people, but also the Russian people. The city was practically destroyed, and from half to two thirds of its inhabitants died, according to estimates from various sources. After calculating the damage caused by the disaster, 110,000 deaths were announced, and in 2010, the country's president announced 176,000 deaths.

4.

The strongest earthquakes in Lisbon claimed 80,000 lives in just 6 minutes. After the tremors, tsunamis and fires followed, which significantly worsened the situation.

3.

The disaster brought further losses to the Chinese province of Sichuan in 2008. The magnitude of the tremors was 8 points, and they were felt not only in Beijing and Shanghai, where buildings began to tremble and the evacuation of the population began, they were felt even in eight neighboring countries. The death toll reaches 69,000.

2.

The Assam earthquake of June 1897 became famous for the vast extent of the destruction it caused. An area of ​​390 thousand square kilometers was completely turned into ruins, and, in general, the destruction affected an area of ​​650 thousand square kilometers. The death toll was 1,500 people.

1.

January 2010 darkened the lives of Haitians with another natural disaster. On this moment Official information on the number of deaths has never been announced, despite the significant amount of time that has passed since then. Independent sources estimate that just one of the mass graves that appeared after the disaster contains about 8,000 bodies. Total number According to unofficial data, the death toll from the rampant disaster could reach hundreds of thousands of Haitians.

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

The most interesting evidence about the Tangshan earthquake was published in 1977 by Sinna and Larisa Lomnitz, in National University Mexico City. They wrote that immediately before the first earthquake, the skies were illuminated with radiance for many kilometers around. And after the shock, the trees and plants around the city looked as if they had been run over by a steam roller, and the remaining bushes sticking out here and there were burned on one side.

One of the most powerful earthquakes in human history—measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale—struck the remote Gansu province of China in 1920. The powerful tremor turned the rickety, animal skin-covered homes of local residents into ruins. 10 ancient cities turned into ruins in one minute. 180 thousand inhabitants died and another 20 thousand died from the cold, left without their homes.

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

3. The most powerful - by number of points

The most powerful earthquake, which even seismographs were unable to measure because the needles were too high, occurred on August 15, 1950 in Assam, India. It claimed the lives of more than 1000 people. Later, the earthquake began to be attributed to a force of 9 points on the Richter scale. The power of the tremors was so colossal that it caused confusion in the calculations of seismologists. American seismologists decided that it happened in Japan, and Japanese seismologists decided that it happened in the USA.

In the Assam zone the situation is no less complicated. Catastrophic tremors shook the earth for 5 days, opening holes and closing them again, sending fountains of hot steam and superheated liquid into the sky, swallowing entire villages. Dams were damaged, cities and towns were flooded. The local population fled from the elements in the trees. The destruction then exceeded the losses caused by the second most powerful earthquake, which occurred in the area in 1897. 1,542 people died then.

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

4. The most powerful thing in the history of Sicily

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

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

On the Calabrian side the wave was higher, resulting in more damage. In the Reggio area the earthquake was stronger than in all other places in Sicily. But the greatest number of casualties was in Messina, the largest of the affected cities, which is also a center of tourism, with big amount great hotels.

Help was unable to arrive in time due to a complete lack of communication with the rest of Italy. The next morning, Russian sailors landed in Messina. The Russians had doctors who provided first aid medical care to the victims. 600 armed Russian sailors began to restore order. On the same day, the British Navy arrived and with their help control was completely restored.

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. The most powerful earthquake in the Caucasus in the 20th century

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

The panel buildings, as it turned out later, collapsed due to the fact that numerous technology violations were committed during their installation.

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

This happened off the coast of Alaska on March 27, 1964 (about 8.5 on the Richter scale). The epicenter was located 120 km east of the city of Anchorage, and Anchorage itself and the settlements around Prince William Sound were the most affected. To the north of the epicenter the ground dropped by 3.5 meters, and to the south it rose by at least two. The underground disaster caused a tsunami that devastated forests and port facilities along the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon and Northern California and reached Antarctica.

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

The strongest earthquakes throughout human history have caused colossal material damage and caused a huge number of casualties among the population. The first mention of tremors dates back to 2000 BC.
And despite the achievements modern science and the development of technology, no one can still predict the exact time when the disaster will strike, so it often becomes impossible to quickly and timely evacuate people.

Earthquakes are natural disasters that kill the most people, much more than, for example, hurricanes or typhoons.
In this rating we will talk about the 12 most powerful and destructive earthquakes in human history.

12. Lisbon

On November 1, 1755, a powerful earthquake occurred in the capital of Portugal, the city of Lisbon, later called the Great Lisbon Earthquake. A terrible coincidence was that on November 1 - All Saints' Day, thousands of residents gathered for mass in the churches of Lisbon. These churches, like other buildings throughout the city, could not withstand the powerful shocks and collapsed, burying thousands of unfortunates under their rubble.

Then a 6-meter tsunami wave rushed into the city, covering the surviving people rushing in panic through the streets of destroyed Lisbon. The destruction and loss of life were colossal! As a result of the earthquake, which lasted no more than 6 minutes, the tsunami it caused and numerous fires that engulfed the city, at least 80,000 residents of the Portuguese capital died.

Many famous figures and philosophers touched on this deadly earthquake in their works, for example, Immanuel Kant, who tried to find scientific explanation such a massive tragedy.

11. San Francisco

On April 18, 1906, at 5:12 am, powerful tremors shook sleeping San Francisco. The force of the tremors was 7.9 points and as a result of the strongest earthquake in the city, 80% of the buildings were destroyed.

After the first count of the dead, authorities reported 400 victims, but later their number increased to 3,000 people. However, the main damage to the city was caused not by the earthquake itself, but by the monstrous fire it caused. As a result, more than 28,000 buildings throughout San Francisco were destroyed, with property damage amounting to more than $400 million at the exchange rate of that time.
Many residents themselves set fire to their dilapidated houses, which were insured against fire, but not against earthquakes.

10. Messina

The largest earthquake in Europe was the earthquake in Sicily and Southern Italy, when on December 28, 1908, as a result of powerful tremors measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, according to various experts, from 120 to 200,000 people died.
The epicenter of the disaster was the Strait of Messina, located between the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily; the city of Messina suffered the most, where practically not a single surviving building remained. A huge tsunami wave, caused by tremors and amplified by an underwater landslide, also caused a lot of destruction.

Documented fact: rescuers were able to pull two exhausted, dehydrated, but alive children from the rubble, 18 days after the disaster struck! The numerous and extensive destructions were caused primarily by the poor quality of buildings in Messina and other parts of Sicily.

Russian sailors of the Imperial Navy provided invaluable assistance to the residents of Messina. Ships included study group sailed in the Mediterranean Sea and on the day of the tragedy ended up in the port of Augusta in Sicily. Immediately after the tremors, sailors organized a rescue operation and thanks to their brave actions, thousands of residents were saved.

9. Haiyuan

One of the deadliest earthquakes in human history was the devastating earthquake that struck Haiyuan County, part of Gansu Province, on December 16, 1920.
Historians estimate that at least 230,000 people died that day. The force of the tremors was such that entire villages disappeared in the faults of the earth’s crust, such big cities like Xi'an, Taiyuan and Lanzhou. Incredibly, strong waves formed after the disaster were recorded even in Norway.

Modern researchers believe that the death toll was much higher and totaled at least 270,000 people. At that time, this was 59% of the population of Haiyuan County. Several tens of thousands of people died from the cold after their homes were destroyed by the elements.

8. Chile

The earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960, considered the strongest earthquake in the history of seismology, measured 9.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake was so powerful that it caused tsunami waves more than 10 meters high, which covered not only the coast of Chile, but also caused enormous damage to the city of Hilo in Hawaii, and some of the waves reached the coasts of Japan and the Philippines.

More than 6,000 people died, most of whom were hit by the tsunami, and the destruction was unimaginable. 2 million people were left homeless and the damage amounted to more than $500 million. In some areas of Chile, the impact of the tsunami wave was so strong that many houses were carried away 3 km inland.

7. Alaska

On March 27, 1964, the most powerful earthquake in American history occurred in Alaska. The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.2 on the Richter scale and this earthquake was the strongest since the disaster struck Chile in 1960.
129 people died, of which 6 were victims of tremors, the rest were washed away by a huge tsunami wave. The disaster caused the greatest destruction in Anchorage, and tremors were recorded in 47 US states.

6. Kobe

The Kobe earthquake in Japan on January 16, 1995 was one of the most destructive in history. Tremors with a magnitude of 7.3 began at 05:46 am local time and continued for several days. As a result, more than 6,000 people died and 26,000 were injured.

The damage caused to the city's infrastructure was simply enormous. More than 200,000 buildings were destroyed, 120 of the 150 berths in the port of Kobe were destroyed, and there was no power supply for several days. The total damage from the disaster was about $200 billion, which at that time was 2.5% of Japan's total GDP.

Not only government services rushed to help the affected residents, but also the Japanese mafia - the Yakuza, whose members delivered water and food to those affected by the disaster.

5. Sumatra

On December 26, 2004, a powerful tsunami that hit the shores of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other countries was caused by a devastating earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the tremors was in the Indian Ocean, near the island of Simeulue, off the northwestern coast of Sumatra. The earthquake was unusually large; the earth's crust shifted at a distance of 1200 km.

The height of the tsunami waves reached 15-30 meters and, according to various estimates, from 230 to 300,000 people became victims of the disaster, although the exact number of deaths is impossible to calculate. Many people were simply washed into the ocean.
One of the reasons for such a number of casualties was the lack of an early warning system in the Indian Ocean with which to report to the local population about the approach of a tsunami.

4. Kashmir

On October 8, 2005, the worst earthquake to hit South Asia in a century occurred in the Pakistani-administered Kashmir region. The strength of the tremors was 7.6 on the Richter scale, which is comparable to the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.
As a result of the disaster, according to official data, 84,000 people died, according to unofficial data, more than 200,000. Rescue efforts have been hampered by military conflict between Pakistan and India in the region. Many villages were completely wiped off the face of the earth, and the city of Balakot in Pakistan was completely destroyed. In India, the earthquake killed 1,300 people.

3. Haiti

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale occurred in Haiti. The main blow fell on the capital of the state - the city of Port-au-Prince. The consequences were terrible: almost 3 million people were left homeless, all hospitals and thousands of residential buildings were destroyed. The number of victims was simply enormous, according to various estimates from 160 to 230,000 people.

Criminals who had escaped from a prison destroyed by the elements poured into the city; cases of looting, robberies and robberies became frequent on the streets. Material damage from the earthquake is estimated at 5.6 billion dollars.

Despite the fact that many countries - Russia, France, Spain, Ukraine, the USA, Canada and dozens of others - provided all possible assistance in eliminating the consequences of the disaster in Haiti, more than five years after the earthquake, more than 80,000 people still live in improvised camps for refugees.
Haiti is poorest country in the western hemisphere and this disaster dealt an irreparable blow to the economy and living standards of citizens.

2. Earthquake in Japan

On March 11, 2011, the strongest earthquake in Japanese history occurred in the Tohoku region. The epicenter was located east of the island of Honshu and the strength of the tremors was 9.1 on the Richter scale.
As a result of the disaster, the nuclear power plant in the city of Fukushima was severely damaged and power units at reactors 1, 2, and 3 were destroyed. Many areas became uninhabitable as a result of radioactive radiation.

After underwater tremors, a huge tsunami wave covered the coast and destroyed thousands of administrative and residential buildings. More than 16,000 people died, 2,500 are still considered missing.

The material damage was also colossal - more than $100 billion. And given that the complete restoration of the destroyed infrastructure may take years, the amount of damage may increase several times.

1. Spitak and Leninakan

There are many tragic dates in the history of the USSR, and one of the most famous is the earthquake that shook the Armenian SSR on December 7, 1988. Powerful tremors in just half a minute almost completely destroyed the northern part of the republic, capturing the territory where more than 1 million inhabitants lived.

The consequences of the disaster were monstrous: the city of Spitak was almost completely wiped off the face of the Earth, Leninakan was severely damaged, more than 300 villages were destroyed and 40% of the republic’s industrial capacity was destroyed. More than 500 thousand Armenians were left homeless, according to various estimates, from 25,000 to 170,000 residents died, 17,000 citizens remained disabled.
111 states and all republics of the USSR provided assistance in the restoration of destroyed Armenia.