Strongest earthquakes. Wellington, New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

Most earthquakes occur at the edges of tectonic plates. It is noticed that over the past two centuries, strong earthquakes have arisen as a result of ripping open large faults that come out to the surface.

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

Most sources of earthquakes occur near the surface of the Earth. "

That is, an earthquake begins with a shock, on land or in water (ocean), the reasons for these tremors are unclear ... After the break, the movement begins rocks deep in the earth. There are the most seismically active regions, such as Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Armenia, Sakhalin.

The strength of magnitude and the number of victims is not always related concepts, the number of victims depends on the area, the proximity of people to populated areas from the epicenter of the shock. The fortress of the buildings and the density of the population are also of great importance.

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

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

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

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

The disaster was not only in the earthquake and tsunami itself, but in the devastation that arose later, and in the infections that enveloped the "impoverished" Indonesia from the decay of corpses. The water was poisoned, there was infection everywhere, there was no food and houses, many people died from a humanitarian disaster. It is the poorest areas and the people living in them that have suffered greatly. Eyewitnesses said that the tsunami wave swept away everything, both people and children and houses, mixed with the rubble of houses, small children and animals were whirling in a whirlwind.

After (since it is always hot in Indonesia), literally in a couple of days, the swollen corpses of people filled the bays of destroyed cities, there was nothing to drink and nothing to breathe. It was beyond the power of even the world communities that rushed to the aid to remove the corpses; they were able to cope with only a small fraction of a percent. More than a million residents were left homeless, a third of all those killed were children. More than 9 thousand tourists have gone missing. The earthquake is one of the largest in all respects, in the top five places, the tsunami is the strongest in history.

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

The tsunami losses amounted to USD 84 million. This is one of the strongest earthquakes, but with a relatively small number of casualties, since the aftereffects of the tremors were in sparsely populated areas, uninhabited islands.

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

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

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

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

The earthquake itself occurred in three shocks. The economic damage from the 2011 earthquake in Japan is estimated at $ 198-309 billion. Refineries burned down and exploded, machine production was stopped, and many other industries, Japan fell into a global crisis.

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

People drove in cars, when waves emerged from the corners of the buildings, burying both cars and people under them, many in panic ran wherever they looked, in the end they were still captured by the elements. There are many shots of people running in despair across a sinking bridge ... sitting on the roofs of crumbling houses.

The deadliest earthquakes by the number of victims:

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

- May 21, 525 Antioch, Byzantine empire now Turkey), casualties - 250,000 people, magnitude 8.0

- December 16, 1920 Ningxia Gansu, PRC, casualties - 240,000, magnitude - 7.8 or 8.5

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

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

There is not enough data on the earthquakes of 1556 in China and 525 in Antioch. There are sources that almost reliably report information about these disasters, and there are sources that deny such a number of victims.

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

The nearby villages were completely destroyed and buried under mudflows, everything was complicated by the fact that then people lived densely, inhabiting the territory (as always in China) and right in earthen caves on the slopes of mountains, hills or in the lowlands, and with tremors of the walls of the caves and "flimsy" houses collapsed in one second. In some places the earth diverged "at the seams" by 20 meters ...

The earthquake in Tangshan on July 28, 1976 killed at least 242,419 people, but according to some sources the number of victims reaches 655 thousand people. 90% of all buildings in the city were destroyed under the waves from the first shock, the second shock followed already 15 hours later, just when the workers were clearing the rubble, burying them under themselves.

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

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

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

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

All happening natural disasters, the most terrible, terrible, wild, as if they make it clear to us how insignificant a person is before the power of nature ... How small are the ambitions of people in comparison with the forces of the elements ... Those who even once saw the elements with their own eyes never argue with God. Then don't believe in the Apocalypse ...

30.09.2014

Earthquakes have been compared to earthquakes. From displacement crust cities are destroyed and people are dying. Many of them will forever be remembered for their colossal losses and an enormous number of victims. So,

The strongest earthquakes.

10.

The worst earthquakes in the world are shaking Asia. A natural disaster in China, which broke out in the winter of 1556, claimed the lives of 830,000. Damage from a disaster of such magnitude as in Henan and Shaanxi provinces has not happened until now. Its magnitude reached 9 points. The villages that fell into the zone of its action were completely destroyed. At the epicenter, 20 meter cracks and dips formed.

9.

Next thing strong earthquake happened in the vastness of China in the summer of 1976 in the northeastern part of the country. The epicenter was the city of Tangshan. According to official research, the magnitude natural disaster was 7.8, and the number of victims reached 200,000. However, the data were greatly underestimated, because other sources set the magnitude at 8.2, and the number of victims from 655,000 to 800,000.

8.

Another incident, which is regarded as the strongest earthquake, occurred in India. Its epicenter was the city of Calcutta. There is not much information about him, but the death toll has 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 Indian Ocean the displacement of the earth's crust brought devastation and death of inhabitants in almost twenty states. Its magnitude reached 9 points. Waves, 150 meters in size, hit the coastal cities with unprecedented force. According to various sources, the death toll ranges from 255,000 to 300,000.

6.

The strongest earthquakes in the world did not pass by, and Japan. The natural disaster, named after the affected Kanto region, occurred in September 1923. Some sources name it in honor of the capital - Tokyo. In addition to the destructive forces of nature, fires played an important role, which exacerbated the situation. The fire rose up to 60 meters above the gasoline spilled in the port. Due to the destroyed infrastructure, the rescuers were unable to work effectively. The number of victims in this region has reached 174,000, in total, the number of victims, both physically and economically, has reached 4,000,000.

5.

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

4.

The worst earthquakes in Lisbon claimed 80,000 lives in just 6 minutes. The aftershocks were followed by tsunamis and fires, which significantly exacerbated the situation.

3.

Another loss Chinese province Sichuan was struck by the elements 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 rises to 69,000.

2.

The Assamese earthquake in June 1897 was famous for the vastness of the territories in which destruction was made. 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.

1.

January 2010 darkened the lives of Haitians with another natural disaster. On the this moment official information the death toll was never announced, despite a significant amount of time that has passed since then. Independent sources estimate that only one of the mass graves, which appeared after the disaster, contains about 8,000 bodies. According to unofficial data, the total death toll from the rampant disaster may reach hundreds of thousands of Haitians.

The danger of such natural phenomenon, like an earthquake, is estimated 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 characteristic of an earthquake of 12 points, and such strong aftershocks are qualified as a "strong catastrophe". There are also other methods for measuring the strength of shocks, which take into account fundamentally different moments - the area on which the shocks occurred, the time of "shaking" and other factors. However, no matter how the strength of the tremors is measured, there is natural disasters, which are among the most terrible.

The severity of earthquakes: was it 12 points at least once?

Since the Kamori scale was taken into consideration, and this made it possible to assess natural disasters that have not yet disappeared in the dust of centuries, there have been at least 3 earthquakes of magnitude 12.

1. Tragedy in Chile, 1960.
2. Destruction in Mongolia, 1957
3. Tremors in the Himalayas, 1950.

In the first place of the rating, which contains the most powerful earthquakes in the world, the cataclysm of 1960, known as the "Great Chilean earthquake". The scale of destruction is estimated at the maximum known 12 points, while the magnitude of earth vibrations exceeded 9.5 points. The strongest earthquake in history occurred in May 1960 in Chile, near several cities. Valdivia became the epicenter, where fluctuations reached their maximum, but the population was alerted to the impending danger, since the day before the tremors were felt in the nearby provinces of Chile. The death toll in this terrible catastrophe is considered to be 10 thousand people, a lot of people were carried away by the outbreak of the tsunami, but experts say that without prior notification the number of victims could have been many times greater. By the way, many people were saved due to the fact that a lot of people went to church for Sunday services. At the moment of the beginning of the shaking, people were in the temples, which resisted.

In the most devastating earthquakes Peace includes the Gobi-Altai disaster that swept across Mongolia on December 4, 1957. As a result of the tragedy, the earth was literally turned inside out: kinks were formed, demonstrating such geological processes that are not visible under normal circumstances. High mountains v mountain ranges ceased to exist, the peaks collapsed, the usual pattern of the mountains was disrupted.

Jerks in populated areas they went on increasing and continued for quite a long time, until they reached 11-12 points. People managed to leave their homes seconds before the complete destruction. The dust flying from the mountains covered the cities of the southern part of Mongolia for 48 hours, the visibility did not exceed several tens of meters.

Another terrible cataclysm, estimated by seismologists at 11-12 points, happened in the Himalayas, in the highlands of Tibet, in 1950. The terrible trail of the earthquake in the form of mudflows and landslides changed the relief of the mountains beyond recognition. With a terrible roar, the mountains formed like paper, and dust clouds spread from the epicenter to a radius of up to 2000 km.

Tremors from time immemorial: what do we know about earthquakes of antiquity?

The largest earthquakes that have occurred in modern times, discussed and well covered in the media.

Thus, they are still on hearing, the memory of them, of the victims and destruction is still fresh. But what about earthquakes that happened a long time ago - a hundred, two hundred or three hundred years ago? The traces of destruction have long been eliminated, and the witnesses either survived the incident or died. However historical literature contains traces of the worst earthquakes in the world that happened long ago. So, in the annals recording the largest earthquakes in the world, it is written that in ancient times the tremors happened much more often than now, and were much stronger. According to one such source, in 365 BC, tremors occurred throughout the Mediterranean area, as a result of which, before the eyes of eyewitnesses, the seabed was exposed.

Fatal 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 happened much more often, but it was this earthquake that 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 lighthouse in the form of a statue of a man with a torch in his hand. The statue was so huge that a flotilla could swim between its legs apart. The dimensions played a cruel joke with the Colossus: the legs turned out to be too fragile in order 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 a common occurrence: there were no systems for predicting seismic activity, no warning or evacuation. So, in 856 more than 200 thousand people became victims of aftershocks in the north of Iran, 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 1565 Chinese earthquake that destroyed the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi killed more than 830,000 people. This is an absolute record for the number of human victims, which has not been exceeded until now. In history, it remained as the "Great Jiajing Earthquake" (after the emperor who was then in power). Historians estimate its thickness at 7.9 - 8 points, as evidenced by geological surveys.

This is how this phenomenon was described in the annals:
“In the winter of 1556, a catastrophic earthquake struck Shaanxi and the provinces around it. Our county, Hua, has suffered numerous misfortunes and misfortunes. Mountains and rivers changed their location, roads were destroyed. In some places, the earth suddenly rose, and new hills appeared, or vice versa - parts of the former hills went underground, swam and became new plains. In other places, mudflows constantly descended, or the earth 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, which claimed the lives of more than 80 thousand Portuguese, took place in Lisbon on November 1, 1755. In the most powerful earthquakes in the world, this cataclysm is not inscribed either in the number of victims or in the strength of seismic activity. But the terrible irony with which this phenomenon erupted is shocking: the tremors began exactly when people went to celebrate the holiday in the church. The temples of Lisbon could not stand it and collapsed, burying a huge number of unfortunates under them, and then the city was covered by a 6-meter tsunami wave, which killed the rest of the people on the streets.

The largest earthquakes in the history of the twentieth century

Ten catastrophes of the 20th century that carried away the largest number lives and those who brought the most terrible destruction are reflected in the summary table:

Tangshan 1976

Chinese events 1976 captured in Feng Xiaogang's film "Catastrophe". Despite the relative weakness of magnitude, the disaster carried away big number lives, the first shock provoked the destruction of 90% of residential buildings in Tangshan. The hospital building disappeared without a trace, the open earth literally swallowed up a passenger train.

Sumatra 2004, the largest in a geographic sense

The 2004 Sumatran earthquake affected several countries: India, Thailand, South Africa, Sri Lanka. The exact number of victims cannot be calculated, 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, as its prerequisites were plate movement in the Indian Ocean, followed by aftershocks at a distance of up to 1600 km. The ocean floor rose as a result of the collision of the Indian and Burma plates, tsunami waves ran in all directions from the fracture of the plates, which rolled thousands of kilometers and reached the coast.

Haiti 2010, our time

Haiti was hit by the first major earthquake in 2010 after almost 260 years of silence. 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: tremors destroyed prison buildings, which were immediately used by prisoners.

The most powerful earthquakes in Russia

In Russia, there are also dangerous seismically active regions in which an earthquake can occur. However, most of these Russian territories are remote from densely populated areas, which excludes the possibility of great 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 worst earthquakes in Russia:

• The North Kuril destruction of 1952.
• Neftegorsk destruction of 1995.

Kamchatka-1952

Severo-Kurilsk was completely destroyed as a result of tremors and tsunami on November 4, 1952. Waves in the ocean, 100 km from the coast, bring waves of 20 meters high into the city, hour after hour washing the coast and washing coastal settlements into the ocean. A terrible stream demolished all buildings and killed more than 2 thousand people.

Sakhalin-1995

On March 27, 1995, the disaster took only 17 seconds to wipe out the working village of Neftegorsk in the Sakhalin Region. More than 2 thousand residents of the village died, which accounted for 80% of the residents. Large-scale destruction did not allow the settlement to be rebuilt, 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 region in Russia in terms 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 likelihood of a natural earthquake remains, since the mechanism of the origin of tremors has not yet been studied.

Every year our planet is subjected to various cataclysms that destroy entire cities and lead to the death of many people. One of these includes earthquakes, which are called "earthquakes" and are associated with the displacement of the earth's crust. Today we can name the most powerful earthquakes in the world, which simply struck with destructive force and the number of victims.

China: Great Earthquake (1556)

Asian countries are often struck by the strongest natural elements. This natural disaster of the middle of the 16th century, which occurred in the provinces of Shaanxi and Henan, was of such a huge scale that was not previously known. This 9-point earthquake, accompanied by the formation of 20-meter cracks, claimed the lives of 830,000 people. The settlements that were located in the natural disaster zone were completely destroyed.

Earthquake in Kanto (Japan, 1923)

The full power of the 12-point tremors was felt by the Japanese South Konto (Tokyo, Yokohama is located here) in 1923. The destructive forces of nature were joined by fires, which greatly exacerbated the situation. The tongues of flame rose almost 60 meters upward - this is how spilled gasoline burned. As a result, and because of the destroyed infrastructure, the rescuers were unable to effectively organize their work. This disaster killed an estimated 170,000 people.

Assam earthquake (India, 1950)

This earthquake, which happened in Indian Assami, became the most powerful. The elements were assigned 9 points, but eyewitnesses claim that the tremors were much more powerful. This earthquake caused 1000 deaths and great destruction. A few years earlier, there was also an earthquake here, striking in its scale - an area of ​​390,000 km2 turned into ruins, the death toll was 1,500.

Earthquake in Chile (1960)

Chile's Valdivia was virtually destroyed by this earthquake, which killed 6,000 people and lost a roof over their heads for an estimated 2,000,000. Most of the population living here was affected by the tsunami caused by the tremors, the height of which was at least 10 meters. According to various sources, the strength of the earthquake was equal to 9.3-9.5 points.

Earthquake in Alaska (1964)

This earthquake was very destructive in its strength. It was estimated at 9.2 points. The earthquake itself killed 9 people, but the tsunami caused by it led to the death of another 190 people. The tsunami was quite destructive, causing serious destruction in many settlements from Canada to Japan.

Earthquake in Tangshan (China, 1976)

This is the second natural disaster in China, with a horrific death toll and great destructive power. The very center of the earthquake was in Tangshan (the city is multimillion). 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 injured.

Armenian earthquake (1988)

The power of this earthquake, which completely turned into ruins the city of Spitak, located at the epicenter of the cataclysm, was 10 points. There was a lot of destruction in the settlements in the neighborhood. The death toll was approximately 45,000.

Tremors in the Indian Ocean (2004)

This underwater earthquake was the third in a row among the strongest ever observed such cataclysms. The underwater tremors 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 element - this time an earthquake of 7.9 points happened in Sichuan. The 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-point earthquake was another natural disaster in Japan with a grandiose destructive scale. The aftereffect of the tremors was a tsunami, which damaged nuclear power plant, and this became the threat of radioactive contamination of the environment.

TASS-DOSSIER. On November 12, 2017, a strong earthquake struck the border between Iran and Iraq. One after the other, two shocks were recorded with a magnitude of 7.2 and 7.3, 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 died, over 3 thousand were injured.

The editorial staff of TASS-DOSSIER prepared material on the ten largest earthquakes of the 20th and 21st centuries. When compiling the rating, the officially confirmed death toll was taken into account.

January 12, 2010 At 21:53 UTC, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. Its hypocenter was in the sea, 25 km south-west of the capital - the city of 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. The economic damage amounted to $ 7.9 billion.

July 27, 1976 at 19:42 UTC in the area of ​​the Chinese mining city of Tangshan, Hebei province, 150 km east of Beijing, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 occurred. 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. In the region, all roads and about 400 km of railroad tracks were damaged, which made it difficult for rescue teams to arrive in the city. The economic damage amounted to $ 2 billion.

December 26, 2004 at 00:58 UTC, an earthquake struck the Indian Ocean. According to scientists, its magnitude ranged from 9.1 to 9.3. The hypocenter was located 160 km west of Sumatra, at a depth of 30 km. The tectonic plates shifted over 1200 km, the resulting tsunami up to 10 meters high reached the shores 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 died in 14 countries, about 2.2 million were affected.The earthquake and tsunami caused numerous destruction, the economic damage to Thailand is estimated at $ 5 billion, India - $ 1.6 billion, Maldives - $ 1.3 billion, Indonesia - $ 4.5 billion, Sumatra - $ 675 million.

December 16, 1920 at 12:06 UTC in the Chinese province of Gansu there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. The epicenter was in Haiyuan County. Fluctuations in the 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, which buried entire villages under them. Numerous cracks formed on the surface, the length of the largest one reaching 200 km. Several rivers have changed course. According to various estimates, total number victims of the earthquake amounted to 200-240 thousand people, about 20 thousand people died from the cold, having lost their homes.

September 1, 1923 At 2:58 UTC, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit Japan, dubbed the Great Kanto Earthquake. The hypocenter was located 90 km southwest of Tokyo in the sea near Oshima Island. Many settlements, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, have undergone tremendous destruction. Fires broke out in cities, only in Tokyo, in one of the squares, about 40 thousand people were suffocated from smoke. 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 dwellings were destroyed or burned down. Material losses were estimated at $ 4.5 billion, which at that time amounted to two annual budgets of the country and five times higher than Japan's expenditures in Russo-Japanese War... The "Great Kanto Earthquake" is the most destructive in the history of Japan.

October 5, 1948 At 20:12 UTC, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 occurred in Ashgabat (Turkmen SSR). As a result, 90-98% of all buildings were destroyed, the cities of Batir and Bezmein were also severely damaged. V Soviet time The exact number of victims was not named; in 2010, the President of Turkmenistan said that the earthquake claimed the lives of 176 thousand residents of the republic, including 89% of Ashgabat residents. Since 1995, October 6 in Turkmenistan is celebrated as the Day of Remembrance.

May 12, 2008 At 6:28 UTC, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 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 damage is estimated at $ 86 billion.

October 8, 2005 at 3:50 UTC there was an earthquake 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 died, 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 has estimated the damage at $ 5-12 billion. The earthquake was the most destructive in South Asia over the past 100 years. As a result, a 100 km long fault was formed, along which almost all structures were destroyed. The tremors were also felt in the PRC, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

December 28, 1908 at 4:20 UTC in the city of Messina on the island of Sicily (Italy) there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2. The epicenter was located in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula. 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. Killed 72 thousand people (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 time were in the port of Augusta in Sicily, took part in the analysis of the debris and assistance to the population.

May 31, 1970 at 20:23 UTC, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 occurred near Peru. The hypocenter was located in the Peruvian-Chilean deep-sea trench in Pacific 25 km east of Chimbote, a major Peruvian fishing port. From tremors from Mount Huascaran (height 6768 m), a glacier broke, 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 Yungai, Karaz and Ranrairka, destroying dozens of villages along the way. As a result of the earthquake and landslide, about 70 thousand people died and went missing, more than 157 thousand were injured, 800 thousand were left homeless. The damage amounted to about $ 260 million.