Most Destructive Known Earthquakes on Record in the World
Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths
source: Earthquake Hazards Program USGS-
URL: http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/eqsmosde.html
Last modification: Thursday, 06-JAN-2005 12:33
Listed in order of greatest number of deaths
Date |
Location |
Deaths |
Magnitude |
Comments |
January 23, 1556 |
China, Shansi |
830,000 |
~8 |
|
July 27, 1976 |
China, Tangshan |
255,000 (official) |
7.5 |
Estimated death toll as high as
655,000. |
August 9, 1138 |
Syria, Aleppo |
230,000 |
|
|
May 22, 1927 |
China, near Xining |
200,000 |
7.9 |
Large fractures. |
December 22, 856+ |
Iran, Damghan |
200,000 |
|
|
December 16, 1920 |
China, Gansu |
200,000 |
8.6 |
Major fractures,
landslides. |
March 23, 893+ |
Iran, Ardabil |
150,000 |
|
|
September 1, 1923 |
Japan, Kanto (Kwanto) |
143,000 |
7.9 |
Great Tokyo fire. |
December 26, 2004 |
Sumatra |
135,236 |
9.0 |
Deaths from earthquake and
tsunami. |
October 5, 1948 |
USSR (Turkmenistan,
Ashgabat) |
110,000 |
7.3 |
|
December 28, 1908 |
Italy, Messina |
70,000 to 100,000
(estimated) |
7.2 |
Deaths from earthquake and
tsunami. |
September, 1290 |
China, Chihli |
100,000 |
|
|
November, 1667 |
Caucasia, Shemakha |
80,000 |
|
|
November 18, 1727 |
Iran, Tabriz |
77,000 |
|
|
November 1, 1755 |
Portugal, Lisbon |
70,000 |
8.7 |
Great tsunami. |
December 25, 1932 |
China, Gansu |
70,000 |
7.6 |
|
May 31, 1970 |
Peru |
66,000 |
7.9 |
$530,000 damage, great rock
slide, floods. |
1268 |
Asia Minor, Silicia |
60,000 |
|
|
January 11, 1693 |
Italy, Sicily |
60,000 |
|
|
May 30, 1935 |
Pakistan, Quetta |
30,000 to 60,000 |
7.5 |
Quetta almost completely
destroyed. |
February 4, 1783 |
Italy, Calabria |
50,000 |
|
|
June 20, 1990 |
Iran |
50,000 |
7.7 |
Landslides. |
+ Note that these dates are prior to 1000 AD. No digit is
missing.
NOTE: Some sources list an earthquake that killed 300,00 people
in Calcutta, India, on October 11, 1737. Recent studies indicate
that these casualties were most likely due to a cyclone, not an
earthquake. (Source: The 1737 Calcutta Earthquake and Cyclone
Evaluated by Roger Bilham, BSSA, Vol. 84, No. 5, 1650-1657, October
1994)
Data compiled from several sources.
|