The most powerful earthquake The strongest earthquakes in human history

Good day everyone, I am very happy to welcome those who are interested not only in games or shopping, but also in world problems. It is about the problems associated with cataclysms that I wanted to talk about today.

World catastrophes, one way or another, affect the life of every person on the planet. And it does not matter in which part of the earth an earthquake, flood or volcanic eruption occurred. Some people always suffer, while others sympathize and try to help.

Unfortunately, scientists cannot fully understand how to predict a terrible event. Take, for example, an earthquake. This is extremely dangerous phenomenon nature that cannot be predicted. Calculation of scientists allowed to learn about future shocks earth's surface just a few hours before they start.

But even here there may be a danger in the calculations, because the earthquake can be much stronger than predicted. Animals are the most effective predictor of impending disaster. Many say that animals are closer to the earth and more connected to it. So love your pets and they can save your life.

The danger of earth tremors lies in wait for those residents whose homes are located in mountainous areas. After all, the mountains are a kind of scars in the places where the titanic plates are broken. Good most of earthquakes take place at the bottom of the oceans, but this also poses a danger to coastal areas of residence. It is almost impossible to escape from the strongest tsunami.

The strongest earthquake in the history of mankind: the tragedy in Chile

The most powerful earthquake in the history of mankind occurred precisely off the Pacific coast and practically destroyed Chile in 1960. By different sources the strength of the shocks on the ocean floor at the epicenter was about 10 points. It is worth looking at the consequences of the wave that demolished large coastal cities almost to the ground.

The tsunami that covered Chile destroyed not only residential areas, but also industry, everything had to be rebuilt. At that time, it cost more than 400 billion dollars.

The strongest earthquakes in the world on the Richter scale: top 5

It is impossible to predict where the next earthquake will occur. How many people will get hurt. It is only known that over the last hundred years the number of the strongest catastrophes in the history of mankind has increased.

List of known largest earthquakes:

• One of the largest inland earthquakes is the Kemin earthquake. It took place in Kazakhstan in 1911, then, with an amplitude of 9 points, it almost completely collapsed Almaty city.
• The next most destructive earthquake, after the Chilean one, happened in Alaska in 1964. Due to the low population density in this part of the world, there were only 9 people affected by the shocks of 9.5 balls, plus 190 drowned. But because of the huge wave, the coasts of Canada, Japan and California were seriously affected.
• In 1952, a 9-magnitude earthquake took place off the coast of Kamchatka. And the risen giant wave with a height of 17 meters demolished Severo-Kurilsk almost completely, a third of the inhabitants of the city and nearby settlements died as a result.
• The Indian tsunami that drowned most of the coastal cities of Indonesia, Thailand, southern India and Sri Lanka in 2004. Earth tremors began near the island Sumatra. Then the disaster took the lives of more than 300 thousand people.
• But most catastrophic earthquake counts Japanese. Although it took place quite recently in 2011, it brought not only destruction to their country. The tsunami that caused damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant was the result of the earth tremors. Echoes of that catastrophe are still heard today. And the radioactive cloud hung over the ocean for a long time, and the whole world watched its movement with bated breath.

Is it possible to prepare for underground unrest? Can you predict what the consequences will be? Is there salvation and where to look for it?

A lot of questions arise in a person when he thinks about it. The problem of today's man is not that he is not ready for disasters, he just does not think about them. After watching TV and sympathizing with the victims, we forget about everything. We do not think that our country is also located at the intersection of titanic plate faults, and in Russia, as nowhere else, the probability of earthquakes is high.

Some theory about earthquakes

Due to modern scientific achievements scientists have suggested that tremors occur almost every day in the world. We do not feel most of them, due to the great depth of the epicenter or its small strength.

A person will feel shocks or a wave only starting from 3 balls, before that the force is so weak that only devices can catch the impulse. Some believe that there are many more earthquakes during the full moon.

The causes of underground unrest can be not only natural, but also caused by man. Regular weapons testing or mining disrupts the landscape and structure of the earth's surface. The most dangerous human impact is mountainous terrain adjustments. As you know, this is where most earthquakes occur.

Only it is difficult for people to prove that they are wrong and they need to change their way of life so that after us the descendants live in peace for more than one thousand years.

World wars and human cruelty towards brothers lead to the fact that cataclysms began to occur more and more often. After all, the earth is also a living and intelligent organism ...

Imagine yourself in her place, not only do they constantly pump out oil, extract metals, they also fight, destroying not only people, but also environment, poisoning with lead and burning thousands of kilometers of land.

As a result, the soil dies, and with it all the plants. There are so many beautiful things in the world, is it possible that a person will never grow up. sentient being can't be so disrespectful to nature.

How to behave during an earthquake

The rules of conduct during earthly talk, each of us went through at school. Even regular training alarms are preparation both physically and psychologically.

How can you react a common person when does an earthquake start? The first is fear, and it’s good if you pull yourself together quickly enough, orient yourself and go to a safe distance from the surrounding buildings, which can collapse if the shocks are strong.

But when panic sets in, it most often occurs in office buildings, where workers are under stress every day. And then a catastrophe happened, running around instead of a constructive evacuation begins.

At the first shocks, it is worth hiding under the table, then when a wall or ceiling collapses, you will suffer less, and it will be easier for rescuers to find. If you decide to leave the building, then you should do it at the first shocks until they become stronger or the surrounding objects begin to fall.

Try to stay along walls without windows. When shaking, glass cracks in the first place and you can get hurt badly. As soon as you get out of the building, move to a safe distance. You should not drive a car, due to electronics, the car can simply be blocked, and you along with it.

If you live in an earthquake-prone area, then you should prepare a bag or backpack with the essentials for the first time. You can also put documents and some money there. This is convenient in a critical situation, you can immediately grab and run out of a dangerous room.

12 points on the Richter scale: adventure project "On the Edge" and learn a lot of new things! See you soon!

Text - agent Q.

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The strongest earthquakes throughout the history of mankind caused enormous material damage and were the cause of huge amount casualties among the population. The first mention of tremors date back to 2000 BC.
And despite the achievements modern science and the development of technology, no one can still predict the exact time when the elements will strike, so it often becomes impossible to quickly and timely evacuate people.

Earthquakes are natural disasters that kill the most people, much more than, for example, hurricanes or typhoons.
In this rating, we will talk about the 12 most powerful and destructive earthquakes in the history of mankind.

12. Lisbon

November 1, 1755, in the capital of Portugal, the city of Lisbon, there was a strong earthquake, later called the Great Lisbon Earthquake. It was a terrible coincidence that on November 1, All Saints Day, thousands of residents gathered for mass in the churches of Lisbon. These churches, like other buildings throughout the city, could not withstand the powerful shocks and collapsed, burying thousands of unfortunate people under their rubble.

Then a 6-meter tsunami wave poured into the city, covering the survivors, rushing in panic along the streets of the destroyed Lisbon. The destruction and loss of life was enormous! As a result of the earthquake, which lasted no more than 6 minutes, caused by a tsunami and numerous fires that engulfed the city, at least 80,000 residents of the capital of Portugal died.

Many famous figures and philosophers dealt with this deadly earthquake in their works, for example, Immanuel Kant, who tried to find a scientific explanation for such a large-scale tragedy.

11. San Francisco

On April 18, 1906, at 5:12 am, powerful tremors shook the sleeping San Francisco. The force of the shocks was 7.9 points and as a result of a strong earthquake in the city, 80% of the buildings were destroyed.

After the first count of the dead, the authorities reported 400 victims, but later their number increased to 3,000 people. However, the main damage to the city was caused not by the earthquake itself, but by the monstrous fire caused by it. As a result, more than 28,000 buildings were destroyed throughout San Francisco, and property damage amounted to more than $ 400 million at the rate of that time.
Many residents themselves set fire to their dilapidated houses, which were insured against fire, but not against earthquakes.

10. Messina

The largest earthquake in Europe was the earthquake in Sicily and Southern Italy, when on December 28, 1908, as a result of the most powerful tremors with a force of 7.5 on the Richter scale, according to various experts, from 120 to 200,000 people died.
The epicenter of the disaster was the Strait of Messina, located between the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily, the city of Messina suffered the most, where there was practically not a single surviving building left. A huge tsunami wave, caused by tremors and reinforced by an underwater landslide, also brought a lot of destruction.

Documented fact: rescuers were able to pull two malnourished, dehydrated, but alive children from the rubble, 18 days after the disaster! Numerous and extensive destruction was caused primarily by the poor quality of buildings in Messina and other parts of Sicily.

Russian sailors of the imperial fleet provided invaluable assistance to the inhabitants of Messina. Ships in the composition study group sailed on mediterranean sea and on the day of the tragedy ended up in the port of Augusta in Sicily. Immediately after the tremors, the sailors organized a rescue operation and thanks to their courageous actions, thousands of residents were saved.

9. Haiyuan

One of the deadliest earthquakes in human history was the devastating earthquake that hit Haiyuan County in Gansu Province on December 16, 1920.
Historians estimate that at least 230,000 people died that day. The strength of the tremors was such that entire villages disappeared in the faults of the earth's crust, such large cities as Xi'an, Taiyuan and Lanzhou were very badly damaged. Incredibly, but strong waves formed after the impact of the elements were recorded even in Norway.

Modern researchers believe that the death toll was much higher and totals at least 270,000 people. At that time, it was 59% of the population of Haiyuan County. Several tens of thousands of people died from the cold after their homes were destroyed by the elements.

8. Chile

The earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960, is considered the strongest earthquake in the history of seismology, the magnitude of the tremors was 9.5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake was so powerful that it caused tsunami waves over 10 meters high, covering not only the coast of Chile, but also causing great damage to the city of Hilo in Hawaii, and some of the waves reached the coast of Japan and the Philippines.

More than 6,000 people died, most of them hit by the tsunami, the destruction was unimaginable. 2 million people were left without housing and shelter, and the amount of damage amounted to more than 500 million dollars. In some areas of Chile, the impact of the tsunami wave was so strong that many houses were blown 3 km inland.

7. Alaska

On March 27, 1964, the most powerful earthquake in American history hit Alaska. The strength of the rumors was 9.2 on the Richter scale and this earthquake became the strongest since the elements struck in Chile in 1960.
129 people died, of which 6 were unfortunate victims of the tremors, the rest were washed away by a huge tsunami wave. The elements caused the greatest destruction in Anchorage, and tremors were registered in 47 US states.

6. Kobe

The earthquake in Kobe, Japan on January 16, 1995 was one of the most devastating in history. Tremors with a force of 7.3 began at 05:46 am local time and continued for several days. As a result, more than 6,000 people died, 26,000 were injured.

The damage done to the infrastructure of the city was simply enormous. More than 200,000 buildings were destroyed, 120 out of 150 berths were destroyed in the port of Kobe, and there was no power supply for several days. The total damage from the impact of the elements amounted to about 200 billion dollars, which at that time was 2.5% of Japan's total GDP.

Not only government services rushed to help the affected residents, but also the Japanese mafia - the yakuza, whose members delivered water and food to the victims of the disaster.

5. Sumatra

On December 26, 2004, the strongest tsunami that hit the coasts of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other countries was caused by a devastating earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the tremors was in the Indian Ocean, near the island of Simeulue, off the northwestern coast of Sumatra. The earthquake was unusually large, there was a shift of the earth's crust at a distance of 1200 km.

The height of the tsunami waves reached 15-30 meters and according to various estimates, from 230 to 300,000 people became victims of the disaster, although it is impossible to calculate the exact number of deaths. Many people were simply washed away into the ocean.
One of the reasons for this number of victims was the lack of an early warning system in the Indian Ocean, with which it was possible to inform the local population about the approaching tsunami.

4. Kashmir

On October 8, 2005, in the Kashmir region, which is under the control of Pakistan, there was the strongest earthquake in South Asia in the last hundred years. The force of the tremors was 7.6 on the Richter scale, which is comparable to the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.
According to official data, 84,000 people died as a result of the disaster, according to unofficial data, more than 200,000. Rescue work was hampered by the military conflict between Pakistan and India in the region. Many villages and villages were completely wiped off the face of the earth, and the city of Balakot in Pakistan was also completely destroyed. In India, 1300 people became victims of the earthquake.

3. Haiti

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck Haiti. The main blow fell on the capital of the state - the city of Port-au-Prince. The consequences were terrible: almost 3 million people were left homeless, all hospitals and thousands of residential buildings were destroyed. The number of victims was simply enormous, according to various estimates from 160 to 230,000 people.

Criminals who escaped from the prison destroyed by the elements poured into the city, cases of looting, robberies and robberies became frequent on the streets. The material damage from the earthquake is estimated at 5.6 billion dollars.

Despite the fact that many states - Russia, France, Spain, Ukraine, the USA, Canada and dozens of others - provided all possible assistance in eliminating the consequences of the elements of Haiti, more than five years after the earthquake, more than 80,000 people still live in makeshift camps for refugees.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and this disaster dealt an irreparable blow to the economy and the standard of living of citizens.

2. Earthquake in Japan

On March 11, 2011, the strongest earthquake in Japanese history struck the Tohoku region. The epicenter was located east of the island of Honshu and the strength of the tremors was 9.1 on the Richter scale.
As a result of the disaster, the nuclear power plant in the city of Fukushima was badly damaged and power units at reactors 1, 2, and 3 were destroyed. Many areas became uninhabitable as a result of radioactive radiation.

After underwater tremors, a huge tsunami wave covered the coast and destroyed thousands of administrative and residential buildings. More than 16,000 people died, 2,500 are still considered missing.

The material damage also turned out to be colossal - more than 100 billion dollars. And given that it may take years to completely restore the destroyed infrastructure, the amount of damage can increase several times.

1. Spitak and Leninakan

There are many tragic dates in the history of the USSR, and one of the most famous is the earthquake that shook the Armenian SSR on December 7, 1988. The most powerful tremors in just half a minute almost completely destroyed the northern part of the republic, capturing the territory where more than 1 million inhabitants lived.

The consequences of the disaster were monstrous: the city of Spitak was almost completely wiped off the face of the Earth, Leninakan was badly damaged, more than 300 villages were destroyed and 40% of the industrial capacities of the republic were destroyed. More than 500 thousand Armenians were left homeless, according to various estimates, from 25,000 to 170,000 people died, 17,000 citizens were left disabled.
111 states and all the republics of the USSR provided assistance in the restoration of destroyed Armenia.

There are about a million earthquakes on Earth each year, most of which are so small that most people mistake them for a loaded car driving down a nearby street. However, really strong points and shifts of 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 from the coast of southern Portugal. The strongest 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

From one of the strongest earthquakes in Europe, which occurred on December 28, 1908, Sicily and Italy suffered, during which about 120,000 people died. The epicenter of the tremors layer 7.5 was in the Strait of Messina, which led to just a huge tsunami that hit the coast, literally sweeping away everything in its path. The tragedy was exacerbated by numerous underwater landslides that 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 of the rubble.

8 Gansu Earthquake

One of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes occurred on December 16, 1920 in the Chinese province of Gansu. The force of the shocks was about 7.8 points on the Richter scale, which led to the destruction of entire cities and villages, in which not a single whole building remained. Also, significant damage was caused by big cities like 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 Chile Earthquake

It was one of the strongest earthquakes in the history of mankind on May 22, 1960 in Chile, the strength of which at the epicenter reached 9.5 points, and the fault was 1000 kilometers. Due to the natural disaster, 1,655 people died, 3,000 people were injured, about 2 million people were left homeless, and losses were inflicted on half a billion dollars. The tsunami resulting from this earthquake reached the coasts of Japan, the Philippines and Hawaii and caused significant damage to coastal settlements. In some areas of Chile, the waves were so big that some of the houses were abandoned 3 kilometers deep into the continent.

6 Kobe Earthquake

On January 17, 1995, one of the most devastating earthquakes in Japanese history occurred in the Kobo region. Although the magnitude of the tremors was 7.2, the epicenter was in a very densely populated area. The earthquake killed more than 5,000 people, injured 26,000 people and made about 10 million people homeless. $200 billion worth of damages were caused, a kilometer of freeway disappeared from the surface of the earth in a few minutes, several hundred thousand buildings were destroyed, and large-scale work transport company Hanshin Express was paralyzed for several weeks.

5 Kanto Earthquake

The Kanto earthquake on September 1, 1923 was the most destructive in Japanese history. The natural disaster almost completely destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama, where about 175,000 people died, and about one million people turned out to be homeless, about 200 thousand buildings were also destroyed or burned down. Destroyed communications and damaged water pipes did not allow the authorities to provide timely assistance to people and effectively deal with the consequences of the disaster.

4. Earthquake off the coast of Sumatra

Earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, all countries participated indian ocean. The force of the shocks was 9.1 on the Richter scale, but the deadliest was the tsunami, which claimed the lives of at least 230,000 people. Cause a large number victims, was an undeveloped early warning system for the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The previous earthquake near Sumatra occurred in 2002, according to experts, this was a preliminary seismic activity before the big shift of the Indian plate. Then, during 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 nation, Port-au-Prince. In just a few minutes, half of the city's population was left without a roof over their heads, and about 230,000 people died. Haiti is the most poor country in the Western Hemisphere, so the main assistance to the victims was provided international organizations. Five years after the tragedy, about 80,000 still live in tents.

2. Tohoku earthquake

Earthquake at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the Japanese province of Tohoku, has become the second largest nuclear disaster after the explosion Chernobyl power plant. 108 kilometers of the ocean day rose 8 meters in 6 minutes, which led to the appearance of a giant tsunami. Giant waves hit the northern islands of Japan, severely damaging several units at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, resulting in radioactive contamination large areas that have become uninhabitable. During the tragedy, 15,889 people died and about 2,500 people went 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 turned out to be destroyed almost to the ground. The scale of the tragedy was reinforced by numerous mine workings. Also, the cities of Tianjin and Beijing were quite seriously affected by tremors. The Chinese authorities tried to limit the leakage of information about the scale of the tragedy, which for a long time did not know abroad, and the number of victims was deliberately reduced. 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, making them uninhabitable.

The power of tremors is estimated by the amplitude of the earth's crust from 1 to 10 points. The most earthquake-prone areas are in mountainous areas. We present you the most strong earthquakes in history.

The worst earthquakes in history

A large number of victims is associated not so much with the strength of the shocks, but with their duration. Modern researchers can judge the consequences of the destruction of the earthquake in the II century only by the surviving chronicles, according to which the cities of Catania, Messina and Ragusa in Sicily were practically destroyed, and the coastal cities of Akratiri and Paralimni in Cyprus were also covered by a strong wave.

Earthquake in Haiti

Despite the fact that the earthquake happened in 2010, the people of Haiti still need humanitarian aid, as well as on their own rebuild settlements. This is the second most powerful earthquake in Haiti, the first occurred in 1751 - then the cities had to be rebuilt over the next 15 years.

Earthquake in China

Within 6 months after the main earthquake, the so-called aftershocks were repeatedly felt - repeated seismic shocks power of 1-2 points. This catastrophe occurred during the reign of Emperor Jiajing, so in Chinese history it is called the Great Jiajing Earthquake.

The strongest earthquakes in Russia

Earthquake on Sakhalin

The most significant consequences were felt in Neftegorsk, which was 30 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. Within 17 seconds, almost all houses were destroyed. The damage caused amounted to 2 trillion rubles, and the authorities decided not to restore the settlements, so this city is no longer marked on the map of Russia.

More than 1500 rescuers were involved in the liquidation of the consequences. 2040 people died under the rubble. A chapel was built on the site of Neftegorsk and a memorial was erected.

Earthquake in Japan

Tremors in the Pacific Ocean caused a powerful tsunami, the wave height of which was 10 meters. As a result of the collapse of a large flow of water on the coast of Japan, a radiation accident occurred at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Subsequently, for several months, residents of nearby areas were forbidden to drink tap water due to its high content of cesium.

In addition, the Japanese government ordered the TEPCO company, which owns the nuclear power plant, to compensate for the moral damage to 80,000 residents who were forced to leave the contaminated areas.

The strongest earthquake in the world

The strongest tremors were felt in the state of Assam, which was devastated by the quake, destroying more than 2,000 houses and killing more than 6,000 people. total area territories in the zone of destruction amounted to 390 thousand square kilometers.

According to the site, earthquakes also often occur in volcanically active zones. We present you an article about the highest volcanoes in the world.
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The magnitude of the earthquake that took place in Japan was 8.8. It happened on March 11 and will never be forgotten, because in the entire history of the country, the earthquake was the strongest and largest. Speaking about the world, earthquakes happen quite often, however, fortunately, the consequences after them, so to speak, are not very detrimental. But still, catastrophes do happen.

There is an earthquake that people will remember for a long time. It is considered the largest in the last 100 years. The earthquake occurred in Haiti, it was officially recorded and documented. The date of January 12, 2010 turned out to be deplorable for the population of Haiti. It happened in the evening at 17-00. There was a shock with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale, this madness lasted for 40 seconds, and then there were smaller shocks in strength, but up to 5. There were 15 such shocks, and the total was 30.

The strength of such an earthquake was incredible, there are not enough words to describe. But what are the words when this natural disaster claimed the lives of 232 thousand people (data vary around this mark). Millions of inhabitants were left without a roof over their heads, and the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, was completely in ruins.

There is an opinion that such terrible consequences could have been avoided if the country's authorities had foreseen the possibility of such earthquakes in advance. Some publications wrote that after the disaster, many residents were left without food, water and shelter. Help was provided slowly, it was simply not enough. For food, people stood in line for a long time, to which there was no end in sight. Naturally, such unsanitary conditions caused a surge of diseases, among which was cholera, which claimed the lives of more than one hundred people.

A less powerful earthquake, which was put in second place, was the earthquake on July 28, 1976 in the city of Tangshan (China). The force of the earthquake was estimated at 8.2 points, as a result, 222 thousand died civilians, but, to be specific, there are no specifics in these numbers. The data is approximate. Many international organizations subsequently kept count of the dead after the Tangshan earthquake. Some say that the dead numbered up to 800 thousand people, and the aftershocks were 7.8 points. There is no exact data, why they are being hidden and who is behind it - no one knows either.

Already in 2004, people also had to survive the earthquake. It has been recognized as one of the most devastating and one of the deadliest disasters on the planet. The earthquake affected Asia, reached the Indian Ocean, passed from Indonesia all the way to East Africa. His strength was 9.2 points on the scale, caused huge costs and took the lives of 230 thousand people.

Always in such cases, statistics are kept, according to which the lands most prone to earthquakes are the Eastern and South-Eastern lands of Asia. For example, in the province of Sichuan (China) on May 12, 2008, there was an earthquake with a force of 7.8 points, during which 69 thousand people died, 18 thousand were missing, and approximately 370 thousand people were injured. This earthquake was ranked seventh among the largest.

In Iran, in the city of Bam on December 26, 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.3 points occurred. 35 thousand people died. This disaster was ranked 10th among all the others.

Russia also felt the tragedy of the consequences of earthquakes. On March 27, 1995, Sakhalin was hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake. 2,000 people died.

The night of October 5-6, 1948 in Turkmenistan turned out to be tragic for many, and for some - the last. The strength of the earthquake at the epicenter was 9 points, and the magnitude - 7.3. There were two most intense blows, lasting 5-8 seconds. The strength of the first 8 points, the second - 9 points. And in the morning there was a third shock of 7-8 points. Within 4 days the earthquake gradually subsided. Almost 90-98% of all buildings in Ashgabat were destroyed. Approximately 50-66% of the population died (up to 100 thousand people).

Many argue that not 100, but 150 thousand people were carried away by the earthquake to the next world. The Soviet media were in no hurry to announce the exact figures, and did not intend to. Haste in their action is not noticed. It was said only that this disaster claimed the lives of many people. And the consequences were still so great that even 4 military divisions arrived in Ashgabat to help the residents.

Once again, China suffered from an earthquake. In the province of Gansu on December 16, 1920, an earthquake of 7.8 points occurred. Its magnitude was 8.6. It bears resemblance to the Great China Earthquake. Many villages were wiped off the face of the earth, the death toll was from 180 to 240 thousand people. This number includes 20 thousand people who died from the cold that took possession of them, and people had nowhere to hide from it.