Scientists of our time have recognized that earthquakes are a process of geological transformation of our planet, but their nature has not yet been fully clarified. One can only imagine what horror the earthquake caused to a man of the past, when even now mankind cannot resist this natural element. One of the strongest recorded in the history of earthquakes destroyed the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete in the last third of the 17th century BC. But we will not look so far, and we will consider the most powerful earthquakes of the New and Modern times.
17
Gyumri and Spitak (December 7, 1988)
Magnitude: 6.8 points
In 1988, the most powerful earthquake in the history of the USSR occurred. As a result of a series of powerful tremors in a few minutes, the north of Armenia was severely destroyed, and the city of Spitak simply ceased to exist.
So, to the end it is not known how many people died. The numbers vary from 25 to 170 thousand people. The element destroyed more than 50% of the industry of the region, and 500 thousand Armenians remained homeless.
The republic was assisted by 111 world states, and experts and volunteers came from all over the Soviet Union to help the victims.
16
Haiti (January 12, 2010)
Magnitude: 7.0 points
At the beginning of 2010 as a result of tremors, the strength of which reached seven points, the island of Haiti was badly damaged, and most of all the capital is Port-au-Prince.
Almost 3 million inhabitants of the tropical island were left homeless. Everything, including hospitals and other administrative and public buildings, was destroyed. People simply had nowhere to help.
World organizations have provided immediate assistance to the victims. Later they claimed that from 180 to 240 thousand people were victims of the earthquake.
15
Kobe (January 17, 1995)
Magnitude: 7.3 points
The Japanese islands are, perhaps, in one of the most earthquake-prone zones of the planet. The tragedy in Kobe in January 1995, when the power of the tremors reached 7.3 points, claimed the lives of 7 thousand people, and more than 25 thousand residents of the Japanese city were injured.
The worst thing is that the tremors lasted several days, and people could not return to their homes, and doctors and rescuers could effectively help and organize the analysis of the rubble.
The port and port outbuildings were almost destroyed, and 200 thousand residential and administrative buildings were damaged in the city itself.
14
Messina (December 28, 1908)
Magnitude: 7.5 points
In the south of Italy and the island of Sicily, in 1908 the strongest earthquake occurred in Europe, the epicenter of which was in the Strait of Messina, and seismic activity reached 7.5 points.
In the coastal city of Messina, as a result of the tragedy, not a single building was left. Huge destruction by the coastal settlement was caused by the tsunami that began.
Surprisingly, 18 days after the tragedy, two living, but very exhausted children were removed from under the rubble. But invaluable assistance to the victims was provided by the sailors of the Russian fleet, who were in the Mediterranean Sea and were the first to come to the rescue.
By the way, on thebiggest.ru you can read about the greatest victories of the Russian fleet in history.
13
San Francisco (April 18, 1906)
Magnitude: 7.5 points
In the early morning of April 18, 1906, strong tremors, magnitude 7.5, woke the sleeping San Francisco. The earthquake caused a severe fire, which caused even greater damage.
As a result of the tragedy, about 3,000 residents died, and the damage caused by the disaster amounted to about $ 400 million at the exchange rate of that time. But, it is noteworthy, some residents burned their dilapidated houses on their own, because the dwellings were insured against fire, and not from an earthquake.
This tragedy has become one of the most devastating in this part of the United States.
12
Haiyuan (December 16, 1920)
Magnitude: 7.8 points
China is located in a dangerous seismic region of the Earth, and earthquakes often occur here. But in December 1920, one of the most tragic and deadly earthquakes occurred in Gansu province.
It is estimated that 230,000 people died in Haiyuan County in one day. The tragedy was so terrible because, according to eyewitnesses, the villages simply fell into the faults of the earth's crust. Many cities of the province were in ruins, and many people, left without a roof over their heads, died from the cold.
Then it was already possible to track seismic activity, and the shocks were so strong that they were felt even in Norway.
11
Assam Tibet (August 15, 1950)
Magnitude: 8.6 points
70 villages simply disappeared as a result of natural disasters caused by an earthquake with an epicenter in Tibet, which led to the greatest destruction in the Indian state of Assam. Landslides throughout the region claimed the lives of 1,526 people and made parts of the landscape unrecognizable from the air.
After the earthquake, a severe flood followed, and eight days after the first aftershocks on the Subansiri River, a natural dam collapsed, provoking the appearance of a seven-meter wall of water that collapsed in the surrounding villages.
Near the epicenter of the earthquake, witnesses spoke of sounds similar to explosions that seemed to emanate from the air, while seismologists located far away (from England and Norway) noted “fluctuations” in the lakes.
10
Lisbon (November 1, 1755)
Magnitude: 8.7 points
On the Iberian Peninsula on November 1, 1755, one of the strongest tremors of the earth's crust of that time occurred, which almost completely destroyed the Portuguese capital - the city of Lisbon.
Because of this, it went down in history as the “Great Lisbon earthquake,” but the tragedy was that it happened on the eve of all the saints.
People gathered in churches, the walls of which could not withstand tremors and, having collapsed, buried thousands of people under the ruins. After the tremors, the city was covered by the strongest tsunami. Later, experts announced that 80 thousand people died that day.
9
The coast of Ecuador (January 3, 1906)
Magnitude: 8.8 points
An earthquake that occurred in the ocean off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia caused a deadly tsunami that killed between 500 and 1,500 people on the coastline from Central America to San Francisco. In Hawaii that day, rivers suddenly dwindled about 12 hours after the first tremors, and then plunged into the water, as a series of successively large waves flooded the entire coast.
8
Chile (February 27, 2010)
Magnitude: 8.8 points
The region around Concepcion has been widely known as the center of seismic shocks since the 16th century, but only a few were as devastating as the early morning earthquake that caused the Pacific Ocean tsunami on February 27, 2010.
The earthquake cost the lives of more than 500 people, more than 12,000 were injured and more than 800 thousand people lost their homes. The damage from the disaster amounted to more than $ 30 billion.
7
Kamchatka (November 4, 1952)
Magnitude: 9.0 points
This strong earthquake occurred in the ocean near the Kamchatka Peninsula. And although this region is not crowded with people, not far from the epicenter was the city of Severo-Kurilsk, which stood on the island of Paramushir.
At night, people in the city felt strong shocks and ran out of their houses. The shocks continued for several minutes, then calmed down.
The population of the city noticed that the water in the ocean receded on average half a kilometer from the usual coastline. But many did not know that this was a clear sign that the tsunami would hit the shore soon. And so it happened. 45 minutes after the tremors, the city was literally washed away by giant waves up to 18 meters in height.
The city was destroyed to the ground. More than 2 thousand people became victims of the disaster.
6
Japan (March 11, 2011)
Magnitude: 9.1 points
March 11, 2011 became a black page in the history of Japan. It was on this day that the largest earthquake occurred in the history of this Asian country and the entire Far Eastern region.
In some places, the tremors reached a magnitude of 9.1 points, and the epicenter was in the sea east of the island of Honshu. It is scary that 2.5 thousand people are still missing, and only 25 thousand people in Japan have died.
As a result of a terrifying earthquake, an accident occurred at the largest Japanese nuclear power plant, Fukushima, and tens of thousands of square kilometers were contaminated with radiation.
5
North Pacific Coast of America (January 26, 1700)
Magnitude: 9.0 points (estimate)
About this devastating earthquake reads only one record made from the words of Native Americans off the island of Vancouver.
They described the devastating tsunami that destroyed the community of Paken Bay.
In addition, on the same day, a powerful tsunami hit Japan. Historians and seismologists connect these two events into one, talking about an example of a terrifying revelry of the elements. If you know something about this event, TheBiggest asks you to write about it in the comments.
4
Arica (August 13, 1868)
Magnitude: 9.0 points (estimate)
In 1868, the city of Arica, which at that time was part of Peru, suffered a devastating earthquake, which led to the complete destruction of the city.
The destruction was brought by both the earthquake itself and the subsequent tsunami. According to historical chronicles that day, more than 25 thousand inhabitants died in the city.
3
Sumatra (December 26, 2004)
Magnitude: 9.1 points
The strongest in its destructive power and power tsunami hit the coast of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other states of Oceania. It was caused by an earthquake that occurred under the waters of the Indian Ocean. In this region, the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Burmese and goes deeper beneath it.
As a result, waves with a height of more than 12 meters hit the cities, and 1,200-meter part of the earth's crust shifted by 15 meters. Killed not only locals, but also numerous tourists. The exact number of victims cannot be calculated.
The reason for such a terrible tragedy was that the islands simply did not have a timely warning system of the population about the impending elements.
2
Alaska (March 28, 1964)
Magnitude: 9.2 points
Undoubtedly, the largest earthquakes bring destruction and death. This happened in Alaska in 1964.
Tremors, whose strength on the Richter scale was 9.2 points, became the most powerful on the North American continent. Their strength was felt in 47 states of the USA.
A total of 129 people died, and six more died under the rubble of buildings, the rest were washed away into the ocean by a powerful tsunami. The damage from the elements amounted to at least $ 311 million.
The earthquake caused landslides in Anchorage, and also helped to raise several islands to 11 meters in height.
1
Chile (May 22, 1960)
Magnitude: 9.5 points
No less destructive was the tragedy in Chile in 1960. Today it is a powerful earthquake, described by seismologists. It claimed the lives of 6 thousand people.
Shocks of magnitude up to 9.5 points crushed ten-meter waves, which, reaching the coast, demolished everything in its path. More than 2 million Chileans were left without housing, and the echoes of the tsunami reached the shores of Japan and the Philippines.
Some elements of residential buildings and even whole buildings were carried by waves 3 kilometers inland of the Latin American continent.
As a result of this disaster, the damage amounted to $ 550 million.
Finally
As you can see, the most powerful earthquakes in the world caused great damage and led to numerous casualties. These tragedies have forever entered into the memory of mankind, but the worst thing is that we cannot predict either the exact time or the place where the next earthquake could occur.
Undoubtedly, the most terrible earthquakes are a warning to mankind that nature can present unexpected deadly surprises, and you must be prepared to resist, and most importantly, learn to predict and predict. TheBiggest editors are waiting for your comments on the topic of the article. Write to us what strong earthquakes should, in your opinion, also be included in our list.