They Came Without Warning: The Most Catastr0phic Earthquakes Ever Recorded That Rip.ped Cities Apart, Changed Maps, and Claimed Thousands of Lives — Are We Ready for the Next One?
They Came Without Warning: The Most Catastr0phic Earthquakes Ever Recorded That Rip.ped Cities Apart, Changed Maps, and Claimed Thousands of Lives — Are We Ready for the Next One?
An 8.8-magnitude quake off the coast of Russia set off tsunami warnings – how does it compare with past temblors?
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia’s far east early on Wednesday, causing tsunami waves to wash ashore in Japan and Alaska and prompting calls for people around the Pacific to be on alert and move to higher ground.
The 8.8-magnitude temblor set off warnings in Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south towards New Zealand.
Here’s a glance at some of the most powerful earthquakes recorded previously, according to the US Geological Survey.
1. Biobío, Chile
A 9.5-magnitude earthquake struck in a central region of Chile in 1960. Known as the Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake, the largest ever recorded temblor resulted in more than 1,600 deaths in the country and beyond, most of which were caused by the resulting large tsunami. Thousands of people were injured.
2. Alaska
In 1964, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the Alaska’s Prince William Sound, lasting for almost five minutes. More than 130 people were killed in the largest recorded earthquake in the US and subsequent tsunami. There were huge landslides and towering waves that caused severe flooding. The event was followed by thousands of aftershocks for weeks after the initial quake.
3. Sumatra, Indonesia
A 9.1-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami devastated south-east and south Asia and east Africa in 2004, killing 230,000 people. Indonesia alone recorded more than 167,000 deaths as entire communities were wiped out.
4. Tohoku, Japan
A 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of north-east Japan in 2011, triggering a towering tsunami that smashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant. It knocked out power and cooling systems and triggered meltdowns in three reactors. More than 18,000 people were killed in the quake and tsunami, some of whom have never been recovered.
5. Kamchatka, Russia
In 1952, a 9.0-magnitude quake caused significant damage but no reported deaths despite a tsunami that hit Hawaii with 9.1-metre (30ft) waves.
6. Biobío, Chile
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit central Chile in 2010, shaking the capital for a minute and half and setting off a tsunami. More than 500 people were killed in the disaster.
7. Esmeraldas, Ecuador
In 1906, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami killed 500 to 1,500 people. Its effects were felt for miles along the Central American coast and as far away as San Francisco and Japan.
8. Alaska
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In 1965, an 8.7-magnitudequake struck Alaska’s Rat Islands, causing a tsunami with waves 11 metres (35ft) high. There was some relatively minor damage, including cracks in buildings and in an asphalt runway.
9. Tibet
At least 780 people were killed when an 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck in 1950. Dozens of villages were destroyed, including at least one that slid into a river. There were also major landslides that jammed the Subansiri River in India. When the water eventually broke through, it resulted in a deadly 7-metre (23ft) wave.
10. Sumatra, Indonesia
In 2012, an 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra, in Indonesia. Though the quake caused little damage, it increased pressure on a fault that was the source of the devastating 2004 tsunami.
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