5 most powerful earthquakes in human history. The largest earthquakes in the world

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

As a result of an earthquake in Tibet and Indian state Assam killed more than 1,500 people. 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 at Indian Ocean, the place 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 in the entire known history of 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. Total damage from natural disaster 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 carried away 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. Huge waves caused severe damage around the world, killing 138 people in Japan, 61 people in Hawaii and 32 in the Philippines. The damage in 1960 prices was about half a billion dollars.

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

The list of major earthquakes includes hundreds, thousands natural phenomena, according to Wikipedia, the list of the most powerful earthquakes in terms of magnitude according to Wikipedia (we will talk about the most powerful ones below), in terms of mortality (number of victims and 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, non-residential areas. And in poor areas with forever warm climate, where the houses are like houses of cards, the uneven earth's surface with impressive elevation changes, any earthquake, even of medium magnitude in terms of strength, turns into a tragedy on a global scale - with a typhoon, landslides, mudflows, mud flows, floods, tsunamis, tornadoes.

“Earthquake - underground 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 at present their nature is not entirely clear. The appearance of these forces is associated with temperature inhomogeneities in the bowels of the Earth.

Most earthquakes occur at the margins of tectonic plates. It has been noted that over the past two centuries, strong earthquakes have arisen as a result of the rupture of large faults coming to the surface.

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

Most earthquakes occur near the Earth's surface."

That is, an earthquake begins with a shock, on land or in water (ocean), the causes of these shocks are unclear... After the break the movement begins rocks in the depths of the Earth. There are the most seismically active areas, including, for example, Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Armenia, and Sakhalin.

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

The largest earthquake in terms of magnitude in one list is the Chilean earthquake that occurred on May 22, 1960 in Valdivia (9.5 points on the Richter scale), and in the other - the earthquake in Ganja (on the site of Azerbaijan), with a magnitude of 11 points. But this natural disaster occurred 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 one, which occurred in Chile, is also called the Great Chilean earthquake; as a result of the shock, a tsunami arose with waves above 10 meters and a speed of 800 km per hour; even the regions of Japan and the Philippines were affected by the already subsiding storm. The number of victims, despite the scale of destruction, is less than in other major earthquakes, mainly because sparsely populated areas suffered the main destruction. 6 thousand people died, damage was about half a billion dollars (at 1960 prices).

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

The 2004 earthquake in Indonesia is one of the worst natural disasters to have occurred on the planet in history, both in terms of the number of victims, the scale of destruction, and the magnitude. The tsunami arose due to the collision of plates in the ocean, the height of the waves 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 remained unidentified, and some of the victims were forever classified as “missing” because the bodies were carried into the ocean, where they were eaten by predators or disappeared without a trace into the depths of the sea.

The disaster was not only in the earthquake and tsunami itself, but in the destruction that occurred later, and in the infections that enveloped “poor” Indonesia from the decomposition of corpses. The water was poisoned, there was infection everywhere, there was no food or homes, many people died from a humanitarian catastrophe. It was the poorest areas and the people living in them that suffered the most. Eyewitnesses said that the tsunami wave demolished everything, people, children, and houses; mixed with the rubble of houses, small children and animals were circling in the whirlwind.

Afterwards (since Indonesia is always hot), literally a couple of days later, the swollen corpses of people filled the bays of the destroyed cities, there was nothing to drink and nothing to breathe. Even the world communities who rushed to help were unable to remove the corpses; they managed only a small fraction of a percent. More than a million residents were left homeless, and a third of all those killed were children. Over 9 thousand tourists went 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 Alaskan earthquake, which occurred on March 27, 1964 in Alaska, USA, with a magnitude of 9.2, is a disaster of great magnitude, but despite such a powerful force of the tremors, the number of victims ranged from 150 to several hundred, including from tsunamis, landslides and destruction buildings.

Losses from the tsunami amounted to 84 million US dollars. This is one of the most strong earthquakes, but with relatively a small amount victims, since the consequences of the tremors were in sparsely populated areas and deserted islands.

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

The tremors themselves lasted half an hour, the first wave of the tsunami arrived 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 wave, those who survived ran to the mountains in what they were wearing and after a while began to return to their houses, and then the second wave came, which reached the height of a five-story building (15-18 meters) - this decided the fate of many Northern Kuril residents, almost half The city's inhabitants were buried in the ruins by the first and second waves.

The third wave was weaker, but also brought death and destruction: those who were able to survive stayed 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 still missing. In terms of the totality of one type of energy, this earthquake exceeded the strength of the Indonesian one (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. Economic damage from the 2011 Japan earthquake is estimated at $198–309 billion. Oil refineries burned and exploded, car production was stopped, and many other industries were stopped, Japan fell into a global crisis.

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

People were driving in cars when waves came out from around the corners of buildings, burying both cars and people, many ran in panic wherever they looked, in the end they were still captured by the elements. There are many shots of people running in despair across a bridge going under water... sitting on the roofs of collapsing houses.

The deadliest earthquakes by number of victims are:

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

- May 21, 525 Antioch, Byzantine Empire now Turkey), victims - 250,000 people, magnitude 8.0

- December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China, victims - 240,000 people, magnitude - 7.8 or 8.5

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

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

There is insufficient data for the earthquakes of 1556 in China and 525 in Antioch. There are sources that report information about these disasters almost for certain, and there are sources that deny such a number of victims.

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

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) right in earthen caves on the slopes of mountains, hills or in lowlands, and during earthquakes the walls of caves and “flimsy” houses collapsed in one second. In some places the ground split apart at the seams by 20 meters...

The Tangshan earthquake of July 28, 1976 killed at least 242,419 people, but some estimates put the death toll at up to 655,000. 90% of all the buildings in the city were destroyed under the waves from the first shock; the second shock followed 15 hours later, just when the workers were clearing the rubble, burying them under it too.

Strong tremors, there were about 130 of them, occurred for several more days, burying everything that was alive before. The opening earth was burying people and buildings in cracks; a hospital, along with its patients and staff, and a train with passengers fell into such an abyss. A drama film, Earthquake, directed by Feng Xiaogang, was made about the disaster.

The 1920 earthquake in Ningxia Gansu (PRC) killed at least 270 thousand people. About 100 thousand died from the consequences of the disaster: 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 the cities usually did not exceed 10 thousand people, that is, it is possible to compare the scale of destruction and the strength of the tremors, if such were the victims. The disaster claimed the lives of at least 230 thousand people.

All the natural disasters that occur, the most terrible, terrible, wild ones, seem to make us understand how insignificant man is before the power of nature... How small the ambitions of people are in comparison with the forces of the elements... Those who have at least once seen the elements with their own eyes never argue with God. Then don’t believe in the Apocalypse...

Despite the rapid development of technology, people are still vulnerable and defenseless against natural disasters, and one of the worst natural disasters is an earthquake. In the conditions of modern megacities, vulnerability increases even more, but humanity continues to follow the path of urbanization, as if it does not remember or does not learn the lessons of history. People have never learned to truly predict earthquakes. What is known is that they can appear even in areas that are traditionally considered earthquake-resistant.

It is also known that the earth is currently entering a phase of high seismic activity. And this fact excites the minds of many people who are able to look ahead. All disaster films are not just fiction, they are a warning to humanity that history, unfortunately, repeats itself. What is the history of the strongest earthquakes on earth?

The greatest earthquakes in terms of power and catastrophic consequences in the entire history of mankind are officially recognized as the great Chilean earthquake (May 22, 1960) and the great Alaskan earthquake (March 27, 1964). The first occurred 435 km south of Santiago (Chile) and was so powerful that the resulting 10-meter tsunami destroyed the city of Hilo on Hawaiian Islands 10,000 km from the epicenter! The tsunami then even reached the shores of Japan. The human victims of that earthquake (officially - 6 thousand people) died mainly from the tsunami.

Alaska earthquake

The Alaskan earthquake occurred in good friday at a depth of 20,000 m in the north of the Gulf of Alaska. In addition to destroyed settlements in Alaska and disfigured terrain, this earthquake led to a shift in the earth's axis and an acceleration of the planet's movement. The most powerful earthquake on the Richter scale is considered to be in Japan in 1923, the epicenter of which was Tokyo and Yokohama, the force of the tremors reached a maximum of 12 points, and about 150 thousand people were injured.

Greatest loss of life

China, as the most populous country, experienced the most severe earthquake in the world in terms of casualties. The earthquake in Shenxi, which occurred in the mid-16th century and claimed the lives of 800,000 people, is considered the most destructive to this day. No less catastrophic was the earthquake in northeast China on July 28, 1976, when 650,000 people died and more than 780,000 were injured.

Such dire consequences were explained by the fact that most of the victims lived in caves that were filled up and flooded by mudflows. All that was left of the million-strong city of Tangshan were ruins; even the trees looked like they had been left behind by a steam roller. This earthquake was preceded by an unusual celestial phenomenon - the heavens seemed to part and sparkle with a bright radiance. An earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004 in the Indian Ocean (Sumatra Island) raised a giant tsunami that killed more than 300,000 people.

Chilean earthquake

Image by geokitta.blogspot.com

In terms of area coverage, the most powerful earthquake in the world occurred in India on August 15, 1960. This earthquake caused real panic among scientists because they could not determine either its strength (the instruments simply went off scale, so they officially declared a 9-magnitude element) or the epicenter. Some seismologists claimed that it was in India, others that it was in the USA, and still others that it was in Japan. In the end, it was agreed that the epicenter was in Assami, India.

For a whole week this city and the surrounding area were shaken by powerful tremors, giant holes formed in the ground, in which many villages disappeared without a trace, here and there giant pillars burst out of the ground hot water and a couple. Also due to destruction river dams many settlements were flooded. But, oddly enough, only 1,000 people were declared dead.

Greatest damage to an individual state

Image – yk24.ru

December 10, 1988. A 10-magnitude earthquake occurred on the territory of the Armenian SSR, which completely destroyed the city of Spitak and half destroyed the cities of Leninakan and Kirovokan; according to the most conservative estimates, 45 thousand people were injured. The Armenian nuclear power plant was shut down in an emergency, and in general this earthquake destroyed 40% of the Armenian economy in a matter of minutes; it was the most powerful earthquake in the world in terms of the amount of damage for a single country.

The most serious threat to the world

Image – loveopium.ru

March 11, 2011 Japan experienced the most powerful earthquake in the world in terms of global threat. Due to the destruction on nuclear power plant there was a threat of radioactive contamination of the entire world ocean, at the cost of incredible efforts and human sacrifices, catastrophic consequences managed to be minimized, but radiation leakage still occurred. After this, Germany completely abandoned the development of nuclear energy, and the United States began to actively develop alternative methods of energy production.

On April 25, 2015, one of the most powerful earthquakes in history occurred in Nepal, claiming thousands of lives and destroying large number historical monuments.

This is the seventh major earthquake in the 21st century. Let's try to remember them all.

2003 Iranian Bam earthquake

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December 26, 2003 ancient city Bam in Kerman Province, Iran, survived devastating earthquake(6.3 points), in which more than 35 thousand people died and more than 22 thousand were injured (out of 200 thousand population). About 90% of the historic city's clay buildings were destroyed.

The impact of the earthquake was so widespread because many of the houses were made of clay and did not meet local 1989 codes.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake

By U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Philip A. McDaniel, via Wikimedia Commons

An undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, exactly one year after the Iranian one, on December 26, 2004, caused a tsunami, recognized as the deadliest natural disaster in 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 in the Indian Ocean, north of the island of Simeulue, located off the northwestern coast of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). The tsunami reached the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and other countries. The height of the waves exceeded 15 meters. The tsunami caused enormous destruction and a huge number of dead people, even to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6900 km from the epicenter.

According to various estimates, from 225 thousand to 300 thousand people died. The true death toll is unlikely to ever be known, as many people were swept out to sea.

2008 Sichuan earthquake

By 人神之间 (Own work (Original text: self-made 自己制作)) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Sichuan earthquake was a devastating earthquake that occurred on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan Province, China. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8 Mw according to the China Seismological Bureau. The epicenter was recorded 75 km from the capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu. The earthquake was felt in Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km), where office buildings shook and evacuations began. It was also felt in neighboring countries: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia.

The earthquake occurred on the seismically active Longmenshan fault, which runs along western edge Sichuan Basin, separating it from the Sino-Tibetan mountains.

Official sources state that as of August 4, 2008, about 70 thousand people were killed, about 18 thousand people were missing, and almost 300 thousand were injured.

2010 Haiti earthquake

By Logan Abassi / UNDP Global [CC BY 2.0 ], undefined

On January 12, 2010, a major earthquake occurred on the island of Haiti. The epicenter was located 22 km southwest of the capital of the Republic of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.

The earthquake in Haiti was the result of a movement earth's crust in the contact zone of the Caribbean and North American lithospheric plates. Last time such an earthquake destructive force occurred in Haiti in 1751.

According to official data, as of March 18, 2010, the death toll was more than 200 thousand people, more than 300 thousand people were injured, and 869 people were missing. Material damage is estimated at 5.6 billion euros.

2010 Chile earthquake

By Atilio Leandro (originally posted to Flickr as San Antonio/Chile) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ], undefined

Earthquake in Chile - powerful earthquake, which occurred on February 27, 2010 off the coast of Chile, causing loss of life, destruction and the formation of a tsunami. One of the largest earthquakes in the last half century. The epicenter of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake was 90 kilometers from the capital of the Bio-Bio region, Concepción, the country's second largest agglomeration after Santiago. Less than a thousand people became victims of the disaster.

The earthquake caused a tsunami, which hit 11 islands and the coast of Maule, but the number of victims caused by the tsunami was minimal: most of the residents of the coast managed to hide from the tsunami in the mountains.

2011 Japan earthquake

By U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Johnson [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Earthquake east coast Honshu Island in Japan, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011. Its magnitude was up to 9.1. This is the strongest earthquake in known history Japan.

The earthquake caused a powerful tsunami, which caused widespread destruction on the northern islands of the Japanese archipelago. Maximum height the waves were about 40 meters. The tsunami spread throughout Pacific Ocean; in many coastal countries, including along the entire Pacific coast of North and South America from Alaska to Chile, warnings were issued and evacuations were carried out.

As a result of a natural disaster, an accident occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Three reactors were in varying degrees damaged and became a source of strong radioactive emissions.

As of September 5, 2012, the official death toll as a result of the earthquake and tsunami was more than 15 thousand people, about 3 thousand are missing, and more than 6 thousand were injured.

2015 Nepal earthquake

By Krish Dulal (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The 2015 Nepal earthquakes were a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 4.2Mw to 7.8Mw that occurred on April 25 and 26, 2015. Tremors were felt in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Tremors were also observed on Everest, triggering a descent snow avalanches, resulting in the death of more than 80 climbers.

The Nepalese government has confirmed the death of more than 4 thousand people, about 7 thousand people were injured. According to media reports, a total of about 100 people died in Nepal's neighboring countries (India, Bangladesh, China).

According to preliminary data, thousands of houses were completely destroyed in the country, the damage is estimated at $5 billion.

WITH most famous strong earthquake in the history of mankind, which took greatest number lives, occurred in Shaanxi and Henan in China. Estimated to have died on 2 February 1556 830 thousand people. In history 20th and 21st centuries A colossal number of vibrations of the earth's crust of enormous force were recorded, resulting in numerous human casualties. According to experts, the number major earthquakes is growing every year. Also, almost 150 are recorded annually earthquakes small magnitude. Observers attribute this to the approach of the mysterious planet Nibiru.

We bring to your attention the most strong and major earthquakes that happened on our planet in the 20th and 21st centuries, each of which entailed huge number dead, piles of destroyed buildings and homes, a record number of people left homeless. Position in the ranking of described earthquakes very conditional.

† In terms of the number of victims, it is considered one of the most large 20th and 21st centuries Tien Shan earthquake July 28, 1976 with magnitude 7.9. Death toll reaches 750,000.

† In 1950, in the state of Assam (India), so much happened strong earthquake that all the seismographs went off scale. Its magnitude was 9 on the Richter scale.

† February 4, 1976 due to the appearance of a crack in the Motagua fault in Guatemala over 1 million inhabitants left homeless in an instant.

† Most major earthquake in the 20th century according to the scale of the Japanese seismologist Kanamori, it was observed on May 22, 1960 in Chile. Then at least 10 thousand people. Were destroyed major cities- Concepcion, which existed for more than 400 years, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Osorno and others. The Pacific coast for more than 1000 km suffered from the rampant disaster. Coastal strip with an area of ​​10 thousand square meters. km sank below ocean level and was covered by a two-meter layer of water. 14 volcanoes have awakened. A series of subsequent aftershocks killed 5,700 people and left another 100,000 homeless. The damage caused was estimated at $400 million, and 20% of the country's industrial complex was destroyed. In 7 days (May 21-30) almost all countryside Chile has been reduced to ruins. The monstrous destruction on the coast was complemented by a gigantic tsunami. In particular, the port of Ankund, the capital of the island of Chiloe, was washed away. And on Easter Island, a 10-meter wave scattered, like grains of sand, multi-ton (up to 80 tons) stones of an ancient ritual structure - ahu Tongariki.

† Trouble came to the city of Verny (today Alma-Ata) on the eve of the New Year 1911. The area of ​​complete destruction (9-11 points) covered the territory with an area of ​​15 thousand square meters. km. Mountain ranges and valleys were cut by faults up to 200 km long. The strip of the greatest disturbances of the earth's surface (500 m wide and 100 km long) was recorded on the southern coast of Issyk-Kul. Millions of tons of soil have shifted.

†Greatest seismic disaster 20th century occurred on August 15, 1950 in the highlands of Tibet. The energy was approximately equal to the force of the explosion 100 thousand atomic bombs . The total weight of the displaced rocks was about 2 billion tons. Eyewitness accounts were terrifying. A deafening roar erupted from the bowels of the earth. In Calcutta, more than 1,000 km away, underground vibrations caused bouts of seasickness among residents. Cars were thrown back 800 m, a section of the railway track 300 m long was lowered by almost 5 m, and the road was completely destroyed.

† Strong 11-12 points earthquake erupted on December 4, 1957 in southern Mongolia. It started around noon with a strong jolt. Residents managed to run out of the premises, and when the subsequent main blow wiped out the buildings, almost no one was left in them. Huge dark clouds of dust rose above the mountains, initially hiding the peaks. The dust spread quickly, covering the entire 230 km long mountain range. Visibility did not exceed 100 m. The air cleared only after two days. Soil vibrations were observed over an area of ​​5 million square meters. km.

† On August 31, 2012, an explosion occurred in the central part of the Philippine archipelago. major earthquake magnitude 7.6, which led to significant destruction of roads and bridges. Residents of the island of Samar hastened to take refuge on high ground, fearing a possible tsunami. The epicenter of the earthquake was 146 km from the island. The source of the tremors lay at a depth of 32 km. Fortunately, strong earthquake did not trigger a tsunami.

†March 11, 2011 in Strana rising sun happened more than 20 major earthquakes of the 21st century, the strongest with a magnitude of up to 8.9 on the Richter scale. In Tokyo, buildings swayed and a major highway collapsed. A 10 m high tsunami reached the island of Honshu, and a six meter high tsunami hit the island of Hokkaido. In Miyagi Prefecture, water washed away not only boats, houses and cars, but also tanks from a military factory. The nuclear power plant stopped operating. Authorities have decided to close Narita International Airport in Tokyo. The cataclysm led to a displacement of the Earth's rotation axis by almost ten centimeters... The official death toll in 12 prefectures of Japan is 15,870 people, 2846 people are missing in 6 prefectures, 6110 injured in 20 prefectures. 3,400 houses were completely or partially destroyed. The city of Rikuzentakata, located in the northeastern Iwate Prefecture, was almost completely submerged under water. Strong explosion occurred at the oil storage facility of the oil company Cosmo Oil in the city of Likihara, in the suburbs of Tokyo. Explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant led to a radiation leak... A ghost loomed over the world again nuclear death, and the suburbs of Tokyo could well become one of.

† Late August 2012 episode earthquakes deprived the residents of the small town of Brawley in California. Here 400 happened in 4 days weak and moderate tremors. Nature reminded us that we need to be prepared for anything, because this is an earthquake-prone area.

We talked about the most dangerous natural disasters 20th and 21st centuries - earthquakes, the force and consequences of which could well lead to an unprecedented global catastrophe on Earth. The threat of global disaster is real. The same elements that created our fragile planet can destroy it. The earth is not ready for strong, large earthquakes magnitude 10 or more.