The most famous earthquakes of the 21st century. The worst earthquakes of the 21st century

Signs of pregnancy after embryo implantation

On January 12, 2005, a powerful earthquake occurred on the island of Haiti, the magnitude of tremors reached 7. More than 222 thousand people became victims of the disaster. On the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, we decided to recall the most devastating earthquakes of the 21st century.

Afghanistan. 2002 year

In March 2002, two powerful earthquakes swept through northern Afghanistan. The magnitude of tremors exceeded 7. About two thousand people became victims of the disaster, another 20 thousand Afghans were left homeless.

You may have heard that California will one day fall into the ocean. Or maybe you heard the term “earthquake”. Here are 10 common earthquake myths. Myth 1: "Go outside the door when an earthquake hits." A solid image of earthquakes in California - a collapsed house with a frame in the form of a single standing part. This image pushed the door myth as the safest place during an earthquake. Modern homes are built so that doorways are safer than any other part of the house.

You are much safer under the table. Myth 2: "Big earthquakes always happen in the early morning." It is well known that people notice earthquakes that match the pattern and forget those that they don’t find. Earthquakes strike all the time during the day. Several recent devastating earthquakes occurred in the early morning, so people tend to believe that then there will be more and more earthquakes.

The first earthquake in northern Afghanistan after four years of calm was recorded on March 3, 2002, at about 15:00 Moscow time. The magnitude of the tremors was 7.2. Fluctuations in the soil were felt over a wide area - from Tajikistan to India. The epicenter was located on the Afghan-Pakistani border in the Hindu Kush mountains. Then more than 100 people died, dozens more went missing. The victims were assisted by representatives of the World Food Program, who were at that time in Kabul. Helicopters that were previously used to deliver humanitarian supplies were sent to the two most affected villages in the north of Samangan province.

Myth 3: “Earthquake damage can open wide enough to swallow people and buildings.” A popular literary device is a mistake that opens during an earthquake to swallow an uncomfortable character. Discontinuous faults exist only in fiction. During an earthquake, the earth moves by mistake, not from it. If a malfunction can open, there will be no friction. If there were no friction, there would be no earthquakes.

Myth 4: "California will split off from the United States and plunge into the ocean." Those who envy sunny California and its beaches love to believe this myth. Myth 5: “We must have good buildings, because we have good building standards.” What if the buildings were built before the code was adopted? Codes may be updated, but old buildings exist. That is why the modernization of old buildings is a key responsibility of the owner of the building. Just make sure your building is retrofitted, if necessary, can save lives.

After 22 days, on March 25, 2002, disaster struck Afghanistan again. Underground points of magnitude 6.5 to 7 were recorded in the north-east of the country. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 50 kilometers southeast of the city of Kunduz. This time, the elements claimed the lives of about one and a half thousand people, more than four thousand people were injured, and about one and a half thousand buildings were destroyed to the ground. Baghlan province was the most affected. The city of Nakhrin was completely destroyed. The forces of the Russian Emergencies Ministry were involved in the rescue operation. A few days later tremors were felt in Kabul, in Mazar-e-Sharif, as well as in the Pakistani city of Peshawar and Tajikistan.

Myth 6: "Everyone will panic during the big." The idea that people in general always panic and run crazy during and after earthquakes, creating more dangerous situations for themselves and others, is a common belief. Studies show, however, that people tend to protect themselves and help others during and after earthquakes. Most people are not too startled by being “shaken.”

Myth 7: The weather is hot and dry, you know what that means? It is a common belief that earthquakes are more common in some types of weather. Earthquakes, however, begin many kilometers below the region affected by surface weather. People notice earthquakes that match the pattern and ignore those that don't matter. Every region of the world has a story about an earthquake, but the type of weather is mostly similar to the weather when they had the most memorable earthquake.

Iran. 2003 year

December 26, 2003 at 5:26 local time the southeast of Iran was shocked by a deep destructive earthquake. The element completely destroyed the ancient city of Bam. The victims of the earthquake were several tens of thousands of people.

The epicenter of tremors, with a magnitude of 6.7 to 5, was recorded in southeast Iran, several tens of kilometers from the large city of Bam. The country's authorities urgently appealed to the world community for help. More than 60 countries responded to the call, 44 of them sent personnel to help overcome the consequences of the disaster. Russia participated in the rescue operation.

Myth 8: “Dogs or other animals know when an earthquake will happen.” There is no evidence that any animal behavior in response to an earthquake in the future. Although some changes in animal behavior were observed before the earthquake, such behavior is not consistent or guaranteed. In an earthquake, it is possible that animals can feel at a very early stage before people find out.

Myth 9: "Earthquakes are becoming more frequent." Thanks to technological advances, scientists can measure smaller earthquakes that have not previously been recorded, so there is more information about earthquakes. Earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 0 have actually declined in recent years after they remained fairly consistent throughout the past century.

Already in the first hours after the earthquake, it was clear that the elements spared few people - the number of victims went to tens of thousands. According to official figures, 35 thousand people died, but later the Iranian Minister of Health reported 70 thousand victims. In addition, Bam was almost wiped off the face of the earth - up to 90% of buildings were destroyed, many of which were clay. As a result, the Iranian government decided not to restore the ancient city, but to rebuild a new one in its place.

Myth 10: “We can predict earthquakes.” There is currently no scientific way to determine when an earthquake will occur. Scientists can make statements about earthquake frequencies and earthquakes that may happen in the future, but they cannot calculate when and where earthquakes of certain magnitudes will occur.

The Japanese archipelago is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet. This is the reason for the frequent earthquakes and the presence of many volcanoes and hot springs in Japan. If earthquakes occur lower or close to the ocean, they can cause tidal waves.

Indonesia. 2004 year

December 26, 2004 at 07:58 local time in the Indian Ocean, one of the most devastating earthquakes in modern history. The magnitude of tremors reached 9.3. Following him, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India, Thailand and 14 other countries were covered by the tsunami. The wave destroyed everything in its path. Up to 300 thousand people became victims of the disaster.

In many parts of the country, devastating earthquakes and tidal waves have occurred in the past. After the Kobe earthquake, Japanese authorities decided to improve security and alarm procedures, building systems and detection devices. It is for this reason that most people in Japan do not want to buy a house built earlier. This graph reflects these improvements. Although the magnitude of the 30 largest earthquakes in the 21st century in Japan is between 5 and 4, the number of deaths is incredibly low.

Unfortunately, the recent earthquake caused great damage to the country. With a magnitude of 9, it is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japanese history. Japanese earthquake protection suits. Japanese innovation on earthquake control is also affecting pets. It consists of a kit for the survival of cats and dogs, which includes some basic items that can contain pets until the fire brigade reaches them.


Exactly one year up to an hour after the earthquake in the Iranian Bama, the underground points were felt by the inhabitants of Indonesia. The epicenter of the earthquake this time was in the Indian Ocean, north of the island of the Indonesian island of Simelu, located near the northwestern coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The earthquake, which became the third largest earthquake in the entire history of the observation, provoked waves up to 30 meters high. After 15 minutes they reached the shores of the nearest countries, the tsunami reached the most remote corners of the Indian Ocean after seven hours. Many states were not ready for such a blow by the elements - most of the coastal zones were taken by surprise. People went to the coast to collect fish that suddenly appeared on land, or to admire an unusual natural phenomenon - this was the last thing they saw.

The kit includes a place for water and cookies along with some oils that use aromatherapy to preserve the painful smell of decaying bodies around them in the area after the earthquake. It also has four small shoes to protect your animal's legs.

According to a number of Christian writers and teachers about biblical prophecy, Jesus predicted in Olive the discourse that a sharp increase in the frequency and intensity of earthquakes would occur just before His return to Earth. This coincidence of Jesus' prophecy and recent seismic events is seen by these writers and teachers as a clear demonstration of the proximity of Christ's return.

The element killed hundreds of thousands of people. The exact number of deaths has not yet been established - it ranges from 235 thousand to 300 thousand, tens of thousands were missing, more than a million people were left homeless. Thousands of tourists from all over the world, who decided to celebrate Christmas and New Year holidays in the Indian Ocean, have not returned home.

Hal Lindsay, the world's most famous Bible prophecy teacher and author of 17 books of prophecy, writes in one of his latest books. Earthquakes continue to increase in frequency and intensity, as the Bible predicts in the last days before Christ returns.

Lindsay cites the United States Geological Survey in Boulder, Colorado, 2 but does not provide details about the report. 3 The frequency of Lindsey earthquake numbers is widespread among popular prophecies such as: Chuck Miesler and Jack Van Impe. However, Miesler and Van Impe do not provide any additional information about the source of Lindsay's statistics.

Pakistan. 2005 year

On October 8, 2005 at 8:50 local time, a powerful earthquake was recorded in Pakistan. The magnitude of the tremors was 7.6. According to official figures, more than 74 thousand people were killed, including 17 thousand children, and about three million Pakistanis were left without a roof over their heads.


Jeffrey, another Bible prophecy teacher and author of nine best-selling books, could become a source of Lindsay's statistics. Two years before the publication of the statement, Lindsay Jeffrey wrote. When several readers of Shturman’s article came up against him with much more earthquake data than the mysterious quote from the newspaper, he apologized to the press for poor statistics, but then after his apologies confirmed that the earthquakes were actually increasing.

An adequate reason does not explain why the conclusion of the government report should be rejected. 12. In the recent writings of Peter and Paul Lalonde, a different set of earthquake frequency numbers appears. This is an average of 6 per decade. This is an average of 17 per decade. These are just 10 major earthquakes in just six months. This averages up to 600 per decade. 13.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the Pakistani region of Kashmir, 95 kilometers from Islamabad. The center of tremors lay at a depth of 10 kilometers. The earthquake was felt by residents of several countries. The elements caused major destruction in northeastern Pakistan, Afghanistan and northern India. Many villages were destroyed to the ground. To date, the Kashmir earthquake is the worst in South Asia in the last 100 years.

What is the specific source in Canada’s energy, mines and resources that provided these statistics? In light of such documentation, we are concerned about the widespread assertion in the Christian community that earthquakes are rising. Can recent statements be supported by strict documentation? Or has the deployment of more seismographs over the past few decades led to the complete identification and cataloging of earthquakes, thereby improving the perception of magnification?

Does the public have the idea that earthquakes are growing because earthquakes are now suffering from our larger urbanized population and, therefore, are most often reported by the media? We believe that public perceptions and media characteristics propagate a self-contained “urban legend” even among the Christian church. 14 This “legend”, common in Western culture, states that twentieth-century earthquakes will grow. We provide data that directly oppose the urban legend.

Several states have offered assistance in dealing with the consequences of the rampant disaster. International and non-governmental organizations provided assistance in the form of money, food, and medical equipment. Cuba provided special support to Pakistan, sending about a thousand doctors to the disaster area in the first days after the tragedy.

As a result, major earthquakes were monitored globally and continuously for over 100 years. Global earthquake data for a century have been synthesized and available from several sources. These are usually extensive lists giving each earthquake as time, location and magnitude. Before we look at twentieth-century earthquake data for a possible increase in frequency and magnitude, we must be able to evaluate the suitability of catalog data. Data used for frequency analysis requires three important properties.

The exact number of earthquake victims is still unknown. According to authorities in October 2005, 84 thousand people died, but according to unconfirmed information, the elements claimed the lives of up to 200 thousand people.

China. 2008 year

On May 12, 2008, at 2:28 p.m. Beijing time, an earthquake of magnitude 8 occurred in the Chinese province of Sichuan. The disaster killed about 70 thousand people, another 18 thousand were missing.

Data must be accurate, complete and consistent. Accuracy. Earthquake data must satisfy several technical requirements; the most important of which is accuracy. A consortium of seismological institutions has set standards. Typically, a seismogram from an earthquake region is used to evaluate the “authoritative” parameters of earthquakes. In addition, other institutions located farther from the epicenter can evaluate parameters. The application process by member organizations creates an authoritative composite directory. 15 Even with standardization procedures, there are some noteworthy problems.

The epicenter of the earthquake was recorded 75 kilometers from the capital of Sichuan, Chengdu, the center of tremors lay at a depth of 19 kilometers. After the main earthquake, over ten thousand repeated tremors followed. Echoes of the earthquake reached Beijing, which was located at a distance of one and a half thousand kilometers from the epicenter. Also, tremors were felt by residents of India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia.

Japanese and American seismologists usually differ from each other in a block of 2 magnitudes for the strength of the surface waves of a particular earthquake. Newspapers cannot be relied on for accurate data, because they often do not quote authoritative values \u200b\u200bestablished by working relationships between organizations.

Completeness. The catalog of earthquakes should be complete, not to miss any events within certain boundaries of the catalog. A complete dataset must be established by the painstaking process of verifying multiple authority records. Some directories that may assume that they contain complete records do have some notable flaws. For example, many events less than 5 were not located or properly measured during the first decades of the century.

According to official figures, more than 69 thousand people became victims of the rampage, 18 thousand were reported as missing, 370 thousand were injured, five million Chinese were left homeless. The Sichuan earthquake became the second strongest in the modern history of China, in the first place - the Tangshan earthquake, which occurred in 1976 and claimed about 250 thousand lives.

Haiti. 2010 year

January 12, 2010 at 16:53 local time, the island state of Haiti was shocked by a powerful earthquake. The magnitude of tremors reached 7. The element completely destroyed the capital of Port-au-Prince. The death toll exceeded 200 thousand people.


After the first earthquake in Haiti, many tremors were recorded, 15 of them with magnitude more than 5. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 22 kilometers southwest of the capital of the island state, the focus lay at a depth of 13 kilometers. Later, geological services explained that the Haiti earthquake was the result of the movement of the earth's crust in the contact zone of the Caribbean and North American lithospheric plates.

Authorities from 37 countries, including Russia, sent rescuers, doctors and humanitarian aid to Haiti. However, the international rescue operation was hampered by the fact that the airport could not cope with a large number of arriving aircraft, and it also lacked fuel for refueling them. The media claimed that survivors of the earthquake were dying en masse from an acute shortage of clean water, food, medicine and medical care.

According to official figures, the elements claimed the lives of more than 222 thousand people, about 311 thousand more were injured, more than 800 people are reported missing. In Port-au-Prince, the elements destroyed several thousand apartment buildings and almost all hospitals, with about three million people left without a roof over their heads.

Japan. 2011

On March 11, 2011 at 14:46 local time, a powerful earthquake struck the eastern coast of Honshu Island in Japan. The magnitude of tremors reached 9.1. The disaster killed 15870 people, another 2846 are missing.


The epicenter of tremors was located 373 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, the focus lay in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 32 kilometers. After the main shock of magnitude 9.0 a series of aftershocks followed, there were more than 400 of them. The earthquake caused a tsunami that spread throughout the Pacific Ocean, and the wave reached Russia.

According to official figures, the death toll as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in 12 prefectures in Japan is 15870 people, another 2846 people are missing, more than six thousand people were injured. The rampant disaster led to the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The earthquake and tsunami disabled external power supplies and standby diesel generators, which led to the failure of all normal and emergency cooling systems, which in turn caused the reactor core to melt at three power units.

Fukushima-1 was officially closed in December 2013. On the territory of the nuclear power plant to this day, work continues to eliminate the consequences of the accident. According to experts, bringing the facility into a stable state can take up to 40 years.

TASS DOSSIER. On November 12, 2017, a strong earthquake struck the border between Iran and Iraq. One after another, two hits of magnitude 7.2 and 7.3 were recorded, respectively. The main blow came in the provinces of Kermanshah and Ilam in western Iran.

As a result, according to preliminary data, more than 350 people died, over 3 thousand were injured.

The editorial board of TASS-DOSSIER prepared material on the ten largest earthquakes of the 20th and 21st centuries. When compiling the rating, the officially confirmed number of deaths was taken into account.

January 12, 2010   at 21:53 UTC, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 occurred in Haiti. Its hypocenter was at sea, 25 km southwest of the capital, the city of Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 13 km. 316 thousand people died, more than 300 thousand were injured, 1.3 million were left homeless. 97 thousand houses were destroyed, 188 thousand buildings were damaged. The city of Port-au-Prince was almost completely destroyed. Economic damage amounted to $ 7.9 billion.

July 27, 1976   at 19:42 UTC, an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Chinese mining city of Tangshan, Hebei Province, 150 km east of Beijing. According to official figures, 242 thousand 769 people died (the media suggested that the real number of victims could reach 800 thousand). Tangshan turned into ruins, destruction was also recorded in Tianjin and Beijing. In the region, all roads and about 400 km of railroad tracks were damaged, which made it difficult for rescue teams to arrive in the city. Economic damage amounted to $ 2 billion.

December 26, 2004   at 00:58 UTC, an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean. According to scientists, its magnitude ranged from 9.1 to 9.3. The hypocenter was located 160 km west of the island of Sumatra, at a depth of 30 km. There was a shift of tectonic plates over 1200 km, the tsunami formed up to 10 meters high reached the shores of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India and the east coast of Africa. As a result, according to various estimates, from 225 to 300 thousand people in 14 countries died, about 2.2 million were injured. The earthquake and tsunami caused numerous damage, Thailand's economic damage is estimated at $ 5 billion, India - $ 1.6 billion, Maldives - $ 1.3 billion, Indonesia - $ 4.5 billion, Sumatra islands - $ 675 million.

December 16, 1920 at 12:06 UTC in the Chinese province of Gansu, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred. The epicenter was in Haiyuan County. Oscillations of the earth's crust led to destruction on an area of \u200b\u200b67.5 thousand square meters. km, affecting seven provinces and regions. The earthquake was accompanied by numerous landslides and landslides, which buried entire villages under themselves. Numerous cracks formed on the surface, the largest length reaching 200 km. Several rivers have changed the course. According to various estimates, the total number of earthquake victims amounted to 200-240 thousand people, about 20 thousand people died from the cold, having lost their shelter.

September 1, 1923   at 2:58 UTC in Japan, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred, called the "Great Kanto Earthquake." The hypocenter was located 90 km southwest of Tokyo in the sea near the island of Oshima. Many settlements, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, underwent enormous destruction. Fires started in the cities, only in Tokyo about 40 thousand people suffocated from smoke on one of the squares. A 12-meter tsunami formed in Sagami Bay that devastated coastal settlements.

In total, about 143 thousand people died, 542 thousand disappeared, more than 694 thousand dwellings were destroyed or burned down. Material losses were estimated at $ 4.5 billion, which at that time amounted to two annual budgets of the country and five times higher than Japan's expenses in the Russo-Japanese war. The Kanto Great Earthquake is the most devastating in the history of Japan.

October 5, 1948   at 20:12 UTC in Ashgabat (Turkmen SSR) an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred. As a result, 90-98% of all buildings were destroyed, and the cities of Batir and Bezmein were also severely destroyed. In Soviet times, the exact number of victims was not indicated; in 2010, the President of Turkmenistan stated that the earthquake claimed the lives of 176 thousand residents of the republic, including 89% of Ashgabat residents. Since 1995, October 6 in Turkmenistan is celebrated as Memorial Day.

May 12, 2008 at 6:28 UTC, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred in Sichuan, China. The epicenter was located in Wenchuan County, 80 km northwest of the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Shocks were felt in Beijing (1,500 km from the epicenter) and Shanghai (1,700 km). The earthquake was also felt in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Russia. 87.6 thousand people became victims of natural disaster, more than 370 thousand were injured. 15 million people were evacuated, more than 5 million were left homeless. In total, more than 45.5 million people in 10 provinces were affected. 5.36 million buildings were completely destroyed, more than 21 million were damaged. Total economic damage is estimated at $ 86 billion.

October 8, 2005   at 3:50 UTC, an earthquake occurred in South Asia - in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. Magnitude was 7.6. The epicenter was 105 km northeast of the capital of Pakistan. 86 thousand people died in Pakistan, more than 69 thousand people were injured. Destroyed more than 32 thousand buildings. In India, 1.3 thousand people became victims, 6.2 thousand were injured. More than 4 million people lost their homes. The Pakistani government estimated the damage at $ 5-12 billion. The earthquake was the most devastating in South Asia in the last 100 years. As a result, a fault 100 km long was formed along which almost all structures were destroyed. Shocks were also felt in China, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

December 28, 1908   at 4:20 UTC in the city of Messina on the island of Sicily (Italy), an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 occurred. The epicenter was located in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula. Tremors caused a tsunami 6-12 meters high. As a result, the cities of Messina, Reggio Calabria and Palm were destroyed and about 20 more settlements. Killed 72 thousand people (40% of the population of Messina and 25% of the inhabitants of Reggio Calabria). This earthquake is considered the strongest in the history of Europe. The crews of the Russian ships Tsesarevich, Slava, Admiral Makarov and Bogatyr, which at that time were in the port of Augusta in Sicily, took part in the analysis of the rubble and assistance to the population.

May 31, 1970 at 20:23 UTC near Peru, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred. The hypocenter was located in the Peruvian-Chilean deep-sea trench in the Pacific Ocean, 25 km east of Chimbote, a large Peruvian fishing port. From the tremors from Mount Huascaran (altitude 6768 m) a glacier broke out, which caused a giant landslide of stones, ice and mud about 1.5 km long and more than 750 m wide. It fell at a speed of more than 200 km / h on the cities of Yungai, Karaz and Ranrairka, destroying dozens of villages along the way. As a result of the earthquake and landslide, about 70 thousand people died and went missing, more than 157 thousand were injured, 800 thousand were left homeless. The damage amounted to about $ 260 million.

Related Publications