On January 11, 1693, the Sicilian earthquake occurred during the eruption of Mount Etna. It literally turned several cities in southern Italy, Sicily and Malta into dust, and the rubble of buildings became the grave of 100 thousand people. RG recalls the deadliest earthquakes.
Chinese earthquake - 830 thousand victims
This earthquake, which occurred in 1556, is also called the Great China. It was truly catastrophic. Its magnitude, according to today's estimates, reached 11 points. The epicenter of the disaster was in the valley of the Wei River in Shaanxi province, near the cities of Huaxian, Weinan and Huanin. All three cities were reduced to a pile of rubble in less than 8 minutes.
At the epicenter of the earthquake, 20-meter gaps and cracks opened. The destruction affected areas 500 kilometers away from the epicenter. A large number of casualties were due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of the population of the province lived in limestone caves, which either collapsed after the first tremors or were flooded by mudflows.
Chinese historical records contain the following data about the earthquake: “Mountains and rivers changed their location, roads were destroyed. In some places the ground suddenly rose and new hills appeared, or vice versa - parts of the former hills went underground, floated and became new plains. In in other places there were constant mudflows, or the ground was splitting and new ravines appeared.”
Tangshan earthquake - 800 thousand victims
The earthquake in the Chinese city of Tangshan is recognized by experts as the largest natural disaster of the 20th century. In the early morning of July 28, 1976, at a depth of 22 kilometers, an 8.2 magnitude shock occurred, which killed from 240 to 800 thousand people in a matter of minutes. Subsequent aftershocks with a magnitude of 7 completely destroyed 6 million residential buildings.
The Chinese government still refuses to name exact numbers loss of life, with more than half a million people still missing.
The Tangshan tragedy formed the basis of the feature film "Earthquake", which is one of the most expensive in the history of cinema of the Republic.
Indian Ocean earthquake - 227,898 victims
Let's dilute our peculiar "rating" with an underwater earthquake. It occurred in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004, and the tsunami that followed, according to various estimates, killed up to 300 thousand people. The exact number of victims is still unknown - ocean waves washed away thousands of people from the coastal area. The dead were found even in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6,900 km from the epicenter.
The energy released by the earthquake is estimated to be approximately 2 exajoules. This energy would be enough to boil 150 liters of water for every inhabitant of the Earth, or the same amount of energy that humanity uses in 2 years. The Earth's surface oscillated within 20-30 centimeters, which is equivalent to tidal forces acting from the Sun and Moon. The shock wave passed through the entire planet: vertical vibrations of 3 millimeters were recorded in the American state of Oklahoma.
The earthquake shortened the length of the day by about 2.68 microseconds, that is, by about one-billionth, due to the decrease in the oblateness of the Earth.
Earthquake in Haiti - 222,570 victims
The earthquake occurred on January 12, 2010 in the immediate vicinity of the capital of the Republic - Port-au-Prince. The force of the shock, according to various estimates, did not exceed 7 points, but the extreme population density in this area led to colossal casualties.
Immediately after the main shock, aftershocks with a force of up to 5 points followed, which completed the destruction. Thousands of residential buildings and almost all hospitals were destroyed. About 3 million people were left homeless. The country's capital was devastated by an earthquake, the water supply was destroyed, epidemics and looting began.
Ashgabat earthquake - 176 thousand victims
On the night of October 5-6, 1948, an earthquake occurred in the capital of the Turkmen SSR, Ashgabat, which is recognized by experts as one of the most destructive. The strength in the epicentral region was 9-10 points, Ashgabat was destroyed by 98 percent, and 3⁄4 of the city’s population died.
In 1948, very little was reported about the disaster in the official Soviet press. It was only said that “the earthquake resulted in human casualties.” Later, information about the victims in the media stopped publishing altogether. A large number of victims was associated with the early time of the earthquake and architectural features: Ashgabat was built up with houses with flat roofs.
To combat the consequences of the earthquake, carry out search and rescue operations and bury the victims, 4 divisions of the Red Army were transferred to the city. The disaster claimed the lives of the mother of a major political figure, Saparmurat Niyazov, and his brothers, Muhammetmuraat and Niyazmurat.
Sicilian earthquake - 100 thousand victims
Well, and finally - the Sicilian earthquake of 1693 or the Great Sicilian - one of the largest in the history of all of Italy. It occurred on January 11, 1693 during the eruption of Etna and caused destruction in southern Italy, Sicily and Malta. The earthquake itself and subsequent aftershocks and landslides killed about 100 thousand people.
South-eastern Sicily suffered the most: many architectural monuments were destroyed here. It was in the Val di Noto area, almost completely destroyed, that a new architectural style late Baroque, known as the "Sicilian Baroque". Many buildings of this style are protected by UNESCO monuments.
The danger of such a natural phenomenon as an earthquake is assessed by most seismologists in points. There are several scales by which the strength of seismic shocks is assessed. The scale, adopted in Russia, Europe and the CIS countries, was developed in 1964. According to data from a 12-point scale, the greatest destructive force is typical for an earthquake of 12 points, and such strong tremors are classified as a “severe catastrophe.” There are also other methods for measuring the strength of shocks, which take into account fundamentally different aspects - the area where the shocks occurred, the time of “shaking” and other factors. However, no matter how the strength of tremors is measured, there are natural disasters that are among the most terrible.
The strength of earthquakes: has there ever been a magnitude 12?
Since the Kamori scale was adopted, and this made it possible to evaluate natural disasters that have not yet disappeared into the dust of centuries, at least 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 12 have occurred.
- Tragedy in Chile, 1960.
- Destruction in Mongolia, 1957.
- Tremors in the Himalayas, 1950.
In first place in the ranking, which contains the most strong earthquakes in the world, the 1960 cataclysm known as the “Great Chilean Earthquake.” The scale of destruction is estimated at the maximum known 12 points, while the magnitude of the ground vibrations exceeded 9.5 points. The most powerful earthquake in history occurred in May 1960 in Chile, near several cities. The epicenter was Valdivia, where the fluctuations reached a maximum, but the population was warned of the impending danger, since the tremors were felt in nearby provinces of Chile the day before. 10 thousand people are considered dead in this terrible disaster; a lot of people were carried away by the tsunami that began, but experts say that without prior notification there could have been many more victims. By the way, many people were saved due to the fact that the mass of people went to church for Sunday services. At the moment the shaking began, people were in churches that stood.
At the very destructive earthquakes The world includes the Gobi-Altai disaster, which swept through Mongolia on December 4, 1957. As a result of the tragedy, the earth was literally turned inside out: fractures formed, demonstrating geological processes that would not be visible under normal circumstances. High mountains V mountain ranges ceased to exist, the peaks collapsed, and the usual pattern of the mountains was disrupted.
Tremors in populated areas progressed and continued for quite a long time until they reached 11-12 points. People managed to leave their homes seconds before complete destruction. Dust flying from the mountains covered the cities of southern Mongolia for 48 hours, visibility did not exceed several tens of meters.
Another terrible cataclysm, estimated by seismologists at 11-12 points, occurred in the Himalayas, in the highlands of Tibet, in 1950. The terrible aftermath of the earthquake in the form of mudflows and landslides changed the relief of the mountains beyond recognition. Co with a terrible roar the mountains folded like paper, and dust clouds spread from the epicenter to a radius of up to 2000 km.
Tremors from the depths of centuries: what do we know about ancient earthquakes?
The largest earthquakes that occurred in modern times, discussed and well covered in the media.
Thus, they are still widely known, the memory of them, of the victims and destruction, is still fresh. But what about earthquakes that occurred a long time ago - a hundred, two hundred or three hundred years ago? Traces of destruction have long been eliminated, and witnesses either survived the incident or died. Nevertheless, historical literature contains traces of the most terrible earthquakes in the world, which occurred a long time ago. Thus, in the chronicles recording the largest earthquakes in the world, it is written that in ancient times tremors occurred much more often than now, and were much stronger. According to one such source, in 365 BC, tremors occurred that affected the entire Mediterranean territory, as a result of which the seabed was exposed before the eyes of eyewitnesses.
Deadly earthquake for one of the Wonders of the World
One of the most famous ancient earthquakes is the destruction of 244 BC. In those days, according to scientists, tremors occurred much more often, but this particular earthquake is especially famous: as a result of the tremors, the statue of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes collapsed. This statue, according to ancient sources, was one of the Eight Wonders of the World. It was a giant beacon in the form of a statue of a man with a torch in his hand. The statue was so huge that a flotilla could sail between its spread legs. The size played a cruel joke on the Colossus: its legs turned out to be too fragile to withstand seismological activity, and the Colossus collapsed.
Iranian earthquake of 856
The death of hundreds of thousands of people as a result of even not very strong earthquakes was common: there were no systems for predicting seismic activity, no warning, no evacuation. Thus, in 856, more than 200 thousand people became victims of tremors in the north of Iran, and the city of Damkhan was wiped off the face of the earth. By the way, the record number of victims for this one earthquake is comparable to the number of victims of earthquakes in Iran for the rest of the time, until today.
The bloodiest earthquake in the world
The Chinese earthquake of 1565, which destroyed the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, killed more than 830 thousand people. This is an absolute record for the number of human casualties, which has not yet been exceeded. It remained in history as the “Great Jiajing Earthquake” (named after the emperor then in power). Historians estimate its power at 7.9 - 8 points, as evidenced by geological surveys.
This is how this phenomenon was described in the chronicles:
“In the winter of 1556, a catastrophic earthquake occurred in Shaanxi and the provinces around it. Our Hua County has suffered numerous troubles and misfortunes. Mountains and rivers changed their location, roads were destroyed. In some places, the ground unexpectedly rose and new hills appeared, or vice versa - parts of the former hills went underground, floated and became new plains. In other places, mudflows constantly occurred, or the ground split and new ravines appeared. Private houses, public buildings, temples and city walls collapsed with lightning speed and completely.”.
Cataclysm for All Saints' Day in Portugal
A terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 80 thousand Portuguese occurred in Lisbon on November 1, 1755. This cataclysm is not included among the most powerful earthquakes in the world either in terms of the number of victims or the strength of seismic activity. But the terrible irony of fate with which this phenomenon broke out is shocking: the tremors began precisely when people went to celebrate the holiday in church. The temples of Lisbon could not stand it and collapsed, burying a huge number of unfortunates, and then the city was covered by a 6-meter tsunami wave, killing the rest of the people on the streets.
The largest earthquakes in the history of the twentieth century
The ten disasters of the 20th century that claimed the greatest number of lives and brought the most terrible destruction are reflected in the summary table:
| date | Place | Epicenter | Seismic activity in points | Dead (Persons) |
|
| 22 km from Port-au-Prince | |||||
| Tangshan/Hebei Province | |||||
| Indonesia | |||||
| 90 km from Tokyo | |||||
| Turkmen SSR | |||||
| Erzincan | |||||
| Pakistan | |||||
| 25 km from Chimbote |
Tangshan-1976
The Chinese events of 1976 are captured in Feng Xiaogang's film "Disaster". Despite the relative weakness of the magnitude, the disaster claimed a large number of lives; the first shock provoked the destruction of 90% of residential buildings in Tangshan. The hospital building disappeared without a trace; the opening of the earth literally swallowed up the passenger train.
Sumatra 2004, the largest in geographical terms
The 2004 Sumatran earthquake affected several countries: India, Thailand, South Africa, Sri Lanka. The exact number of victims is impossible to calculate, since the main destructive force - the tsunami - carried tens of thousands of people into the ocean. This is the largest earthquake in terms of geography, since its prerequisites were the movement of plates in the Indian Ocean with subsequent tremors over a distance of up to 1600 km. The ocean floor rose as a result of the collision of the Indian and Burmese plates; tsunami waves ran in all directions from the fracture of the plates, which rolled thousands of kilometers and reached the shores.
Haiti 2010, our time
In 2010, Haiti experienced its first major earthquake after almost 260 years of calm. The greatest damage was suffered by the national fund of the republics: the entire center of the capital with its rich cultural heritage, all administrative and government buildings were damaged. More than 232 thousand people died, many of whom were carried away by the tsunami waves. The consequences of the disaster were a surge in the incidence of intestinal diseases and an increase in crime: the tremors destroyed prison buildings, which prisoners immediately took advantage of.
The most powerful earthquakes in Russia
In Russia there are also dangerous seismically active regions where an earthquake can occur. However, most of these Russian territories are located far from densely populated areas, which eliminates the possibility of large destruction and casualties.
The largest earthquakes in Russia, however, are also inscribed in the tragic history of the struggle between the elements and man.
Among the most terrible earthquakes in Russia:
- North Kuril destruction of 1952.
- Neftegorsk destruction in 1995.
Kamchatka-1952
Severo-Kurilsk was completely destroyed as a result of tremors and tsunami on November 4, 1952. Unrest in the ocean, 100 km from the coast, brought waves 20 meters high to the city, hour after hour washing the coast and washing away coastal settlements into the ocean. The terrible flood destroyed all buildings and killed more than 2 thousand people.
Sakhalin-1995
On March 27, 1995, the elements took only 17 seconds to wipe out the workers' village of Neftegorsk in the Sakhalin region. More than 2 thousand residents of the village died, accounting for 80% of the residents. Large-scale destruction did not allow the village to be restored, so the settlement became a ghost: a memorial plaque was installed in it telling about the victims of the tragedy, and the residents themselves were evacuated.
A dangerous area in Russia from the point of view of seismic activity is any region at the junction of tectonic plates:
- Kamchatka and Sakhalin,
- Caucasian republics,
- Altai region.
In any of these regions, the possibility of a natural earthquake remains possible, since the mechanism of the generation of tremors has not yet been studied.
Every year our planet is subjected to various disasters that destroy entire cities and lead to the death of many people. One of these includes earthquakes, which are called “earth tremors” and are associated with displacement earth's crust. Today we can name the most powerful earthquakes in the world, which simply amazed us with their destructive power and number of victims.
China: great earthquake (1556)
Asian countries are often hit by severe natural disasters. This natural disaster of the mid-16th century, which occurred in the provinces of Shaanxi and Henan, was of such enormous proportions that had not previously been known. This magnitude 9 earthquake, accompanied by the formation of 20-meter cracks, claimed the lives of 830,000 people. The settlements that were located in the disaster zone were completely destroyed.
Earthquake in Kanto (Japan, 1923)
The full power of the 12-magnitude tremors was felt by the Japanese Southern Konto (Tokyo and Yokohama are located here) in 1923. The destructive forces of nature were joined by fires, which greatly aggravated the situation. The flames rose up almost 60 meters - this is how the spilled gasoline burned. As a result of this and because of the destroyed infrastructure, rescuers were unable to organize their work effectively. This disaster killed approximately 170,000 people.
Assam earthquake (India, 1950)
This earthquake, which occurred in Indian Assami, was the most powerful. The element was assigned a magnitude of 9, but eyewitnesses claim that the tremors were much more powerful. This earthquake caused the death of 1,000 people and great destruction. A few years earlier, there was also an earthquake here, which was striking in its scale - an area of 390,000 km2 was turned into ruins, and the death toll was 1,500 people.
Earthquake in Chile (1960)
Chilean Valdivia was virtually destroyed by this earthquake, which caused the death of 6,000 people and the loss of shelter over the heads of approximately 2,000,000 people. Most of the population living here suffered from a tsunami caused by tremors, the height of which was at least 10 meters. According to various sources, the strength of the earthquake was 9.3-9.5.
Alaska earthquake (1964)
This earthquake was very destructive in its strength. It was rated 9.2 points. The earthquake itself killed 9 people, but the tsunami it caused led to the death of another 190 people. The tsunami had quite destructive force, causing serious destruction in many populated areas from Canada to Japan.
Earthquake in Tangshan (China, 1976)
This is the second natural disaster in China, which is characterized by a terrifying number of victims and great power destruction. The very center of the earthquake was in Tangshan (the city has a population of millions). The tremors were 7.9-8.2 points. The disaster led to colossal destruction, the number of victims was 650,000 people. Another 780,000 were wounded.
Armenian earthquake (1988)
The power of this earthquake, which completely turned the city of Spitak, located at the epicenter of the cataclysm, into ruins, was 10 points. There was a lot of destruction in nearby settlements. The number of victims was approximately 45,000 people.
Underwater tremors in the Indian Ocean (2004)
This underwater earthquake was the third most powerful in the entire history of observing such cataclysms. The underwater tremors that occurred in the Indian Ocean had a force of 9.1-9.3 points. The epicenter was located near the island of Sumatra. This earthquake caused a huge tsunami. The total number of victims of the disaster was about 300,000 people.
Earthquake in China (2008)
And again the territory of China was subjected to a formidable disaster - this time an earthquake of 7.9 points occurred in Sichuan. Tremors were even felt in Shanghai and Beijing. 70,000 people died as a result of this natural disaster.
Earthquake in Japan (2011)
This 9.0-magnitude earthquake became another natural disaster in Japan with enormous destructive scale. The consequence of the tremors was a tsunami, which damaged a nuclear power plant, and this became a threat of radioactive contamination of the environment.
The magnitude of the earthquake that took place in Japan was 8.8. It happened on March 11 and will never be forgotten, because in the entire history of the country, the earthquake was the strongest and largest. Speaking about the world, earthquakes happen quite often, however, fortunately, the consequences after them, so to speak, are not very damaging. But global disasters still happen.
There is an earthquake that people will remember for a long time. It is considered the largest in the last 100 years. The earthquake occurred in Haiti, it was officially recorded and documented. The date January 12, 2010 turned out to be deplorable for the Haitian population. It happened in the evening at 17-00. There was a shock with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale, this madness lasted for 40 seconds, and then there were smaller shocks, but up to 5. There were 15 such shocks, and the total was 30.
The power of such an earthquake was incredible, there are not enough words to describe it. But what are the words when this natural disaster claimed the lives of 232 thousand people (data vary around this mark). Millions of residents were left homeless, and the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, was completely in ruins.
There is an opinion that such terrible consequences could have been avoided if the country's authorities had foreseen in advance the possibility of such earthquakes. Some publications wrote that after the disaster, many residents were left without food, water and shelter. Help was provided slowly, there was simply not enough of it. People stood in line for a long time to get food, with no end in sight. Naturally, such unsanitary conditions caused a surge in diseases, among which was cholera, which claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
A less powerful earthquake, which was ranked second, was the earthquake of July 28, 1976 in the city of Tangshan (China). The strength of the earthquake was estimated at 8.2 points, as a result, 222 thousand civilians died, but, to be specific, there is no specificity in these numbers. Data is approximate. Many international organizations subsequently kept a death toll following the Tangshan earthquake. Some say that the death toll numbered up to 800 thousand people, and the tremors were 7.8 magnitude. There is no exact data; no one knows why they are hiding it and who is behind it.
Already in 2004, people also had to endure an earthquake. It was recognized as one of the most destructive and one of the deadliest disasters on the planet. The earthquake affected Asia, reached the Indian Ocean, and passed from Indonesia all the way to eastern Africa. Its strength was 9.2 points on the scale, caused enormous costs and took the lives of 230 thousand people.
In such cases, statistics are always kept according to which the Eastern and South-Eastern lands of Asia are considered to be the lands most susceptible to earthquakes. For example, in the province of Sichuan (China) on May 12, 2008, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, during which 69 thousand people died, 18 thousand were missing, and approximately 370 thousand people were injured. This earthquake was ranked seventh among the largest.
In Iran, in the city of Bam on December 26, 2003, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 occurred. 35 thousand people died. This disaster was ranked 10th among all others.
Russia also felt the tragic consequences of the earthquakes. On March 27, 1995, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 occurred in Sakhalin. 2,000 people died.
The night from October 5 to 6, 1948 in Turkmenestan turned out to be tragic for many, and for some it was the last. The strength of the earthquake at the epicenter was 9 points, and the magnitude was 7.3. There were two most intense impacts, lasting 5-8 seconds. The strength of the first is 8 points, the second is 9 points. And in the morning there was a third shock of 7-8 points. Over the course of 4 days, the earthquake gradually subsided. Almost 90-98% of all buildings in Ashgabat were destroyed. Approximately 50-66% of the population died (up to 100 thousand people).
Many argue that not 100, but 150 thousand people were carried away by the earthquake to the next world. The Soviet media was in no hurry to announce exact figures, and did not intend to. No haste was noticed in their action. They only said that this disaster claimed the lives of many people. But the consequences were still so great that even 4 military divisions arrived in Ashgabat to help the residents.
Once again China suffered from an earthquake. On December 16, 1920, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in Gansu Province. Its magnitude was 8.6. It has similarities to the Great China Earthquake. Many villages were razed to the ground, and the death toll ranged from 180 to 240 thousand people. This number includes 20 thousand people who died from the cold that took possession of them, and people had nowhere to hide from it.
