While many earthquakes have occurred across the world, some of them were terrible; here is a list of the worst earthquake recorded in history.
On February 7, 2023, a powerful earthquake near the Syrian border in southeast Turkey killed 2,000 people there as well as in Turkey. Without a doubt, earthquakes have proven to be one of the worst natural tragedies throughout history and have caused enormous devastation. The Top Ten Worst Earthquakes in History are listed below.
Every region of our planet is experiencing some sort of natural disaster, which might intensify in the worst manner imaginable.
Without a doubt, earthquakes have proven to be one of the worst natural tragedies throughout history and have caused enormous devastation.
The Top Ten Worst Earthquakes Ever Seen In History are listed below!
10 Worst Earthquakes Recorded in History
1. Valdivia Earthquake (1960)– 9.5
The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in history was the Valdivia Earthquake, often known as the Great Chilean Earthquake. The earthquake struck on May 22 in the late afternoon at 19:11 GMT, or 15:11 local time, around 100 miles (160 km) parallel to the Chilean city of Valdivia.
The earthquake, which lasted for almost 10 minutes, sent a massive tsunami with waves as high as 25 meters (82 feet). The tsunami devastated Hilo, Hawaii, as it sped across the Pacific Ocean after battering the Chilean coast.
Nearly as far away as Japan and the Philippines, at a distance of 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles), the waves reached heights of 10.7 meters (35 feet). Although the exact death toll of the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake is unknown, it has been estimated that between 1,000 and 6,000 people perished as a result of both the earthquake and the tsunami.
2. Great Alaska Earthquake (1964)– 9.2
The Prince William Sound region of Alaska saw the Great Alaska earthquake, sometimes referred to as the Good Friday earthquake, on March 27, 1964, at 5:36 PM local time (3:36 UTC).
This is one of the most intense earthquakes ever recorded in the United States, which lasted for about 4.5 minutes. The Chenega settlement was destroyed by a tsunami that was 8.2 meters long and 27 feet high. Of the 68 residents, 23 perished in the disaster.
Outrunning the wave, the Survivors made their way to higher ground. The collapse of the Port Valdez municipal harbor and docks as a result of the earthquake’s large underwater landslide claimed the lives of 30 persons.
There may have been 139 fatalities overall, with 15 of those coming from the earthquake itself, 106 from the ensuing tsunami in Alaska, 5 from the tsunami in Oregon, and 13 from the tsunami in California. 3,000 persons were injured altogether.
3. Sumatra Earthquake (2004)– 9.1
The 2004 Sumatra Earthquake, also known as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, occurred on December 26 at 00:58:53 UTC and was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent memory.
The Indonesian island of Sumatra’s western shore served as the earthquake’s epicenter. The Sumatra Earthquake, which occurred at a distance of 1500 km, has the longest documented fault length.
Up to a quarter of a million people may have perished as a result of the tsunami, which had waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high.
Additionally, the faulting that occurred during this earthquake lasted for the longest time yet seen—between 8.3 and 10 minutes. The planet trembled up to 1 centimeter as a result of the Sumatra earthquake (0.4 inches).
The earthquake’s total energy output was 9,600 gigatons of TNT, or 4.01022 joules (4.01029 ergs), which is 550 million times more energy than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.