A series of earthquakes in Italy led to several hundred casualties. It's a tragedy, but it could have been worse. NV selected the most destructive earthquakes in the history of civilization

How NV, the Italian earthquakes were quite strong - magnitude 6.2 and 4 on the Richter scale. However, unlike popular belief among ordinary people, the strength of the tremors is not always directly related to the number of victims.

A lot depends on how densely populated the region is in which the disaster occurs and what the earthquake resistance of the buildings is.

The last factor played an important role in Italian events. In particular, some observers note that the economic damage will be enormous due to the fact that old buildings in many cities in central Italy have simply collapsed like houses of cards. All this will have to be rebuilt.

Sometimes colossal earthquakes resulted in relatively few casualties. As happened in Alaska in 1964, when an earthquake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale killed 128 people. For example, in the Armenian city of Spitak in 1988, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 led to the death of 25 thousand people.

NV chose 7 underground disasters that took away greatest number human lives.

The most monstrous earthquake in human history. The death toll exceeded 830 thousand people.

No measurements were taken at that time, but, analyzing eyewitness accounts, scientists estimate it to be at least 8 points on the Richter scale. Cracks with a depth of over 20 m opened at the epicenter of the earthquake. Destruction was recorded within a radius of 500 km from the epicenter.

Such a huge number of victims is explained high density population, as well as the fact that most people lived in the lungs wooden buildings and caves dug into the hillsides.

An earthquake is unique in nature. It consisted of two shocks of identical strength (7.8 points on the Richter scale). The second followed 16 hours after the first.

In total, 650 thousand people died as a result of the tragedy. The destruction was so monstrous that the government of communist China even agreed to accept help from its sworn capitalist enemies.

227 thousand people died as a result of a powerful earthquake in the Indian Ocean (9.3 points) with a force equivalent to 23 thousand nuclear charges, similar to the one that was detonated in Hiroshima.

The monstrous tsunami resulting from the earthquake hit 11 Asian countries. The waves reached 15 m in height.

An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale led to the death of 200 thousand people and terrible destruction over an area of ​​over 3.8 thousand square meters. km.

Over the next few months, more than 20 thousand people died from the cold, losing their homes in the midst of a harsh winter.

A powerful earthquake (magnitude 7.9) literally wiped out Yokohama and caused enormous destruction in Tokyo.

143 thousand people died, more than 1 million lost their homes. A total of 600 thousand buildings were destroyed (90% of buildings in Yokohama and 40% in Tokyo).

The Soviet authorities tried in every possible way to hide the truth about the 1948 cataclysm. Therefore, for many decades, in official sources, in the column for the number of victims, the figure of 10 thousand people was indicated.

During the era of perestroika, documents were made public, according to which the death toll was 11 (!) times higher.

As a result of a powerful earthquake (7.9 points), Ashgabat turned into ruins in a matter of minutes - almost not a single intact building remained in the city.

The shock, measuring 7 on the Richter scale, and a series of subsequent impacts, some reaching magnitude 4, killed at least 100,000 people. 250 thousand private houses and about 30 thousand government buildings were destroyed.

The cataclysm in Haiti was marked by unprecedented unity, with which the developed countries the world sent assistance to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake. The United States sent an aircraft carrier with food rations and medical supplies to the shores of Haiti. More than 20 countries sent military personnel to Haiti to provide assistance and maintain order in the devastated country.

TASS DOSSIER. On November 12, 2017, an incident occurred on the Iran-Iraq border strong earthquake. One after another, two impacts with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.3 were recorded, respectively. The main blow fell on the provinces of Kermanshah and Ilam in western Iran.

As a result, according to preliminary data, more than 350 people were killed and over 3 thousand were injured.

The editors of TASS-DOSSIER have prepared material about the ten largest earthquakes of the 20th and 21st centuries. When compiling the rating, the officially confirmed number of deaths was taken into account.

January 12, 2010 At 21:53 UTC, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred in Haiti. Its hypocenter was located in the sea, 25 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 13 km. 316 thousand people died, more than 300 thousand were injured, 1.3 million were left homeless. 97 thousand houses were destroyed, 188 thousand buildings were damaged. The city of Port-au-Prince was almost completely destroyed. Economic damage amounted to $7.9 billion.

July 27, 1976 At 19:42 UTC, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred near the Chinese mining town of Tangshan, Hebei Province, 150 km east of Beijing. According to official data, 242 thousand 769 people died (the media suggested that the real number of victims could reach 800 thousand). Tangshan turned into ruins, destruction was also recorded in Tianjin and Beijing. Everything in the region was damaged car roads and about 400 km of railway track, which made it difficult for rescue teams to arrive in the city. Economic damage amounted to $2 billion.

December 26, 2004 At 00:58 UTC an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean. Scientists estimate its magnitude to be between 9.1 and 9.3. The hypocenter was located 160 km west of the island of Sumatra, at a depth of 30 km. There was a shift of tectonic plates over 1200 km, the resulting tsunami up to 10 meters high reached the coasts of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India and the east coast of Africa. As a result, according to various estimates, from 225 to 300 thousand people in 14 countries were killed, about 2.2 million were injured. The earthquake and tsunami caused numerous destruction, economic damage to Thailand is estimated at $5 billion, India - $1.6 billion, the Maldives - $1.3 billion, Indonesia - $4.5 billion, Sumatra Islands - $675 million.

December 16, 1920 At 12:06 UTC, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in Gansu Province, China. The epicenter was in Haiyuan County. Oscillations earth's crust led to destruction on an area of ​​67.5 thousand square meters. km, affecting seven provinces and regions. The earthquake was accompanied by numerous landslides and landslides that buried entire villages. Numerous cracks formed on the surface, the largest of which reached 200 km in length. Several rivers changed their course. According to various estimates, the total number of victims of the earthquake was 200-240 thousand people, about 20 thousand people died from the cold, having lost their shelter.

September 1, 1923 At 2:58 UTC, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Japan, dubbed the Great Kanto Earthquake. The hypocenter was located 90 km southwest of Tokyo in the sea near Oshima Island. Many populated areas, including Tokyo, Yokohama, and Yokosuka, suffered enormous destruction. Fires started in the cities; in Tokyo alone, about 40 thousand people suffocated from smoke in one of the squares. A 12-meter tsunami formed in Sagami Bay, devastating coastal settlements.

In total, about 143 thousand people died, 542 thousand were missing, more than 694 thousand homes were destroyed or burned down. Material losses were estimated at $4.5 billion, which at that time amounted to two of the country's annual budgets and five times higher than Japan's expenses in the Russo-Japanese War. The Great Kanto Earthquake is the most destructive in Japanese history.

October 5, 1948 at 20:12 UTC an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred in Ashgabat (Turkmen SSR). As a result, 90-98% of all buildings were destroyed, and the cities of Batir and Bezmein were also severely damaged. During Soviet times exact amount no victims were named; in 2010, the President of Turkmenistan stated that the earthquake claimed the lives of 176 thousand residents of the republic, including 89% of Ashgabat residents. Since 1995, October 6 is celebrated in Turkmenistan as Remembrance Day.

May 12, 2008 At 6:28 UTC, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred in the Chinese province of Sichuan. The epicenter was located in Wenchuan County, 80 km northwest of the provincial capital, Chengdu. The tremors were felt in Beijing (1,500 km from the epicenter) and Shanghai (1,700 km). The earthquake was also felt in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia. 87.6 thousand people became victims of the natural disaster, more than 370 thousand were injured. 15 million people were evacuated, more than 5 million were left homeless. In total, more than 45.5 million people were affected in 10 provinces. 5.36 million buildings were completely destroyed, more than 21 million were damaged. The total economic loss is estimated at $86 billion.

October 8, 2005 At 3:50 UTC an earthquake occurred in South Asia - in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The magnitude was 7.6. The epicenter was located 105 km northeast of the capital of Pakistan. In Pakistan, 86 thousand people were killed and more than 69 thousand people were injured. More than 32 thousand buildings were destroyed. In India, 1.3 thousand people became victims, 6.2 thousand were injured. More than 4 million people lost their homes. The Pakistani government estimated the damage at $5-12 billion. The earthquake was the most destructive in South Asia in the last 100 years. As a result, a 100 km long fault was formed, along which almost all structures were destroyed. Tremors were also felt in China, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

December 28, 1908 At 4:20 UTC, an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 occurred in the city of Messina on the island of Sicily (Italy). The epicenter was located in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula. The tremors caused a tsunami 6-12 meters high. As a result, the cities of Messina, Reggio Calabria and Palmi and about 20 other settlements were destroyed. 72 thousand people died (40% of the population of Messina and 25% of the inhabitants of Reggio Calabria). This earthquake is considered the strongest in the history of Europe. The crews of the Russian ships Tsesarevich, Slava, Admiral Makarov and Bogatyr, which at that moment were in the port of Augusta in Sicily, took part in clearing the rubble and helping the population.

May 31, 1970 At 20:23 UTC, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred near Peru. The hypocenter was located in the Peru-Chile deep-sea trench in the Pacific Ocean, 25 km east of Chimbote, a major Peruvian fishing port. The tremors caused a glacier to fall from Mount Huascaran (height 6768 m), which caused a giant landslide of stones, ice and mud about 1.5 km long and more than 750 m wide. It fell at a speed of more than 200 km/h on the cities of Yungay, Karaz and Ranrairka, destroying dozens of villages along the way. As a result of the earthquake and landslide, about 70 thousand people were killed or missing, more than 157 thousand were injured, 800 thousand were left homeless. The damage amounted to about $260 million.

On the morning of April 25, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred in Nepal. As a result, the capital of the country, Kathmandu, was seriously damaged, many houses were destroyed to the ground, and the death toll goes into the thousands. This is the worst natural disaster to hit Nepal in the last 80 years.

Today we will tell you about 10 most powerful earthquakes in recorded history.

10. Assam - Tibet, 1950 - magnitude 8.6

The earthquake killed more than 1,500 people in Tibet and the Indian state of Assam. The natural disaster provoked the formation of cracks in the ground, as well as numerous avalanches and landslides. Some landslides were so large that they blocked the flow of rivers. After some time, when the water nevertheless broke through the obstacle from the mud, the rivers flooded vast areas, demolishing everything in its path. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Tibet, where the Eurasian and Hindustan tectonic plates collide.

9. North Sumatra, Indonesia, 2005 – magnitude 8.6

The earthquake occurred on March 28, 2005, several months after the tsunami completely destroyed the region (see point 3). The natural disaster claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people and caused serious damage to the region that has not recovered. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Indian Ocean, where the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates collide.

8. Alaska, USA, 1965 – magnitude 8.7

Despite its strength, the earthquake did not cause serious damage due to the fact that its epicenter is located in a fairly sparsely populated area near the Aleutian Islands. The ten-meter tsunami that followed also did not cause serious damage. The earthquake occurred where the Pacific and North American plates collided.

7. Ecuador, 1906 – magnitude 8.8

On January 31, 1906, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Ecuador. As a result of powerful tremors, a tsunami arose that hit the entire coast of Central America. Due to the low population density, the death toll was relatively small - about 1,500 people.

6. Chile, 2010 – magnitude 8.8

On February 27, 2010, one of the largest earthquakes in the last half century occurred in Chile. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.8 on the Richter scale. The main damage was suffered by the cities of Bio-Bio and Maule, the death toll was more than 600 people.

The earthquake caused a tsunami that hit 11 islands and the coast of Maule, but casualties were avoided because residents hid in the mountains in advance. The amount of damage is estimated at $15-$30 billion, about 2 million people were left homeless, and about half a million residential buildings were destroyed.

5. Kamchatka, Russia, 1952 – magnitude 9.0

On November 5, 1952, 130 kilometers from the coast of Kamchatka, an earthquake occurred, the magnitude of which was 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 data, 2,336 people died, which was approximately 40% of the population of Severo-Kurilsk. Three waves up to 15-18 meters high hit the city. Damage from the tsunami is estimated at $1 million.

4. Honshu, Japan, 2011 – magnitude 9.0

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred east of the island of Honshu. This earthquake is considered the most powerful ever famous story Japan.

The tremors caused a powerful tsunami (up to 7 meters in height), which killed about 16 thousand people. Moreover, an earthquake and a tsunami were the cause of the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The total damage from the disaster is estimated at $14.5-$36.6 billion.

3. North Sumatra, Indonesia, 2004 – magnitude 9.1

An undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 caused a tsunami that was considered the deadliest natural disaster in the world. modern history. The magnitude of the earthquake was, according to various estimates, from 9.1 to 9.3. This is the third most powerful earthquake on record.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 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 several other countries.

Satellite image (before and after the tsunami)

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

2. Alaska, USA, 1964 – magnitude 9.2

The Great Alaska Earthquake is the strongest earthquake in US history, with a magnitude of 9.1-9.2 on the Richter scale and a duration of approximately 3 minutes. The epicenter of the earthquake was in College Fjord, the northern part of the Gulf of Alaska at a depth of more than 20 km. The tremors caused a powerful tsunami, which claimed more lives.

The Great Alaska Earthquake caused destruction in many communities in Alaska. However, the death toll was quite small - only 140 people, and 131 of them died from the tsunami. The waves caused serious damage as far as California and Japan. The damage in 1965 prices was about $400 million.

1. Chile, 1960 – magnitude 9.5

The Great Chilean Earthquake (or Valdivian Earthquake) is the strongest earthquake in the history of observation; its magnitude, according to various estimates, ranged from 9.3 to 9.5. The earthquake occurred on May 22, 1960, its epicenter was located near the city of Valdivia, 435 kilometers south of Santiago.

The tremors caused a powerful tsunami, the height of the waves reaching 10 meters. The number of victims was about 6 thousand people, and the majority of people died from the tsunami. The huge waves caused severe damage around the world, killing 138 people in Japan, 61 in Hawaii and 32 in the Philippines. The damage in 1960 prices was about half a billion dollars.

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 Atlantic Ocean 200 kilometers off 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. Significant damage was also 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. Earthquake in Chile

It's from strongest earthquake in the history of mankind 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. Damages amounted to 200 billion dollars, a kilometer of highway disappeared from the surface of the earth in a few minutes, several hundred thousand buildings were destroyed, and the work of a large transport company The 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. The reason for the large number of casualties was the undeveloped early warning system for tsunamis 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 poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so international organizations provided the main assistance to the victims. 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 northern islands Japan, seriously damaging several units at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which led to radioactive contamination large areas which have become 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 leakage of information on 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.

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 of the 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.