With the help of the US Geological Survey (United States Geological Survey, for its acronym in English) and Carlos González, technician of the Seismic Network of the IGN (National Geographic Institute), we have collected information on the earthquakes that last and degrees of magnitude have been registered, -ordered from highest to lowest intensity-, and, therefore, those that have damaged the most surface ratio.
1. Valdivia, Chile (1960)
This earthquake took place on May 22, 1960 in the Chilean city of Valdivia , and is considered the most terrifying to date, and is that, in addition to its endless 10 minutes of duration and the balance of damage caused, it was perceived throughout the southern cone of America . With 9.5 degrees of magnitude on the Ritcher scale , the highest figure recorded by humans using seismographs, it left at least 1,655 dead, 3,000 injured, and more than 2,000,000 homeless. In addition, the tsunami that occurred after the earthquake caused serious damage in Hawaii, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan and the United States.
2. Alaska (1964)
Of magnitude 9.2 and 4.5 minutes in duration, the earthquake considered the most powerful in North American history struck Alaska on March 27, 1964. If it is known for something as the ‘Great Alaska Earthquake’ it is, about all, due to the size of the surface of the earth’s crust that was deformed, that USGS experts estimate 200,000 square kilometers. Coupled with the tsunami that followed, this natural catastrophe killed at least 131 people.
3. Sumatra (2004)
This underwater earthquake struck the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004, and had its epicenter off the coast of Ao Nang (Indonesia), affecting almost all of South and Southeast Asia. The Asian tsunami , known as this on its continent and in the international media, was 9.1 degrees on the Richter scale and lasted between 8 and 10 minutes, approximately. Most striking were the numerous devastating tsunamis it unleashed, which killed more than 200,000 people.
4. Japan (2011)
On March 11, 2011, eastern Japan was the victim of the country’s largest 9.0-magnitude earthquake since the 19th century. NASA, with the help of satellite images, found that the earthquake could have displaced Japan by more than two meters. This earthquake of approximately 6 minutes caused tidal waves of up to 40.5 meters high. 15,893 people died, 172 were injured and there were 8,405 disappeared, according to official sources in the country.
5. Kamchatka (1952)
Of magnitude 9.0, the earthquake that took place on November 4, 1952 reached Kamchatka, Siberia, and the Kuril Islands, causing devastating tidal waves that reached Hawaii, Japan, Alaska, Chile and New Zealand. Although no human lives were lost, the material damage was estimated at between $ 800,000 and $ 1,000,000. The waves swept away boats, caused the collision between houses, destroyed docks, moved the pavement of roads, etc.
6. Maule Region, Chile (2010)
It happened on February 27, 2010. The Chileans felt the terrible earthquake for almost 4 minutes in the cities of Curanipe and Cobquecura and its surroundings, although it was also felt in a large part of the Southern Cone, such as Buenos Aires and Sao Pablo. According to estimates by the US Geological Survey, it had a magnitude of 8.8 degrees and left 525 fatalities and 25 missing.
7. Ecuador (1906)
The magnitude of this catastrophe has been recalculated several times since it occurred on January 31, 1906, more than 100 years ago. Currently, it is set at 8.8 degrees. The Ecuadorian coast and part of the Colombian coast were the main affected, but it was felt along the entire coast of Central America and also in San Francisco and western Japan . The scientific community calculated that it could have lasted for approximately 30 minutes.
8. Rat Islands, Alaska (1965)
According to data from the US Geological Survey, this earthquake measuring 8.7 degrees on the Richter scale generated a tsunami 10.7 meters high on the island of Shemya, which caused numerous cracks in the asphalt and other serious damage. . Several islands near Shemya were also victims of this horrific event that occurred on February 4, 1965.
9. Indonesia (2005)
Also called the Nias earthquake, the March 28, 2005 earthquake with an epicenter off the west coast of North Sumatra, 8.6 magnitude and two minutes long, caused an estimated 1,300 deaths. It was also strongly felt along the west coast of Thailand and Malaysia , and in Kuala Lumpur. It had been three months since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, but luckily the tsunami this time was ‘relatively small’.
10. Tibet (1950)
On August 15, 1950, the Assam Earthquake , also known as the Medog earthquake, killed at least 1,500 people. Considered the 10th largest earthquake of the 20th century, it had a magnitude of 8.6 and destroyed about 70 villages, mainly due to landslides.
It must be borne in mind, however, that the consequences of earthquakes that occur in places with more resources with earthquake-resistant houses are not comparable to those that occur in poor countries , regardless of their magnitude. An illustrative example is the death toll (256) left in 1931 by the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck New Zealand, along with the 8,832 fatalities recorded after the earthquake in Nepal (April 2015), of magnitude 7.8, almost a century later.
