{"id":87072,"date":"2015-05-12T20:30:01","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T18:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=87072"},"modified":"2015-05-20T08:44:26","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T06:44:26","slug":"the-biggest-deadliest-earthquakes-in-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/trending\/87072\/the-biggest-deadliest-earthquakes-in-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The biggest, deadliest earthquakes in history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nepal has been hit by a second devastating earthquake on Tuesday after an initial 7.8 magnitude quake killed over 8,000 people two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

The second quake registered a surface wave magnitude of 7.3 that left at least 16 people killed and almost 1,000 injured, according to reports.<\/p>\n

The quake struck near the base camp for Mt Everest and was measured at a shallow depth of about 18km.<\/p>\n

A series of aftershocks, including a 6.3 magnitude tremor, hit in the same area, the US Geological Survey reported.<\/p>\n

Biggest earthquakes in the 21st century<\/h3>\n
\n

Measuring magnitude<\/h3>\n

Earthquakes are measured by magnitude, which in seismology is either measured on a local magnitude scale or surface wave scale – both attributed to seismologists Charles Francis Richter and Beno Gutenberg.<\/p>\n

Magnitude is determined from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded by seismographs.\u00a0The scales are base 10, meaning every whole number increase on the scale reflects a ten-fold increase in magnitude.<\/p>\n

Effectively this means that a magnitude 6 earthquake is ten\u00a0times bigger\u00a0than a magnitude 5 – and 100\u00a0times bigger\u00a0than a magnitude 4.<\/p>\n

Energy released, thus the strength of an earthquake, is measured on base 32.<\/p>\n

A more detailed breakdown of the differences can be found on the USGS website<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Nepalese earthquake marks the most destructive seismic activity since the 9.0 magnitude off the east coast of Japan in 2011, which left 18,200 people dead, and almost 3,000 missing.<\/p>\n

Before that, however, the past 15 years have seen some truly harrowing and destructive earthquakes hit some of the poorest nations in the world.<\/p>\n

On Boxing Day 2004 (26 December), a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Indian Ocean, causing a tsunami which hit many countries in South East Asia.<\/p>\n

The earthquake, combined with the tsunami, has been described as the world’s deadliest natural disaster since 1976 – with the tsunami in particular the most damaging in recorded history.<\/p>\n

The death toll was put at over 184,000 casualties, though estimations put the total closer to 230,000, with a further 45,000 missing, presumed dead.<\/p>\n

The most destructive earthquake, based on the quake alone, happened in 2010 in Haiti, where a magnitude 7.0 quake epicentered near the town of L\u00e9og\u00e2ne, ulimately leading to as many as 160,000 deaths.<\/p>\n

Poor levels of healthcare in a shattered country after the quakes lead to further pain as Haiti suffered a cholera outbreak in the years that followed. This resulted in 10,000 additional deaths.<\/p>\n

\"Shifting<\/a>

Shifting plates along fault lines cause earthquakes<\/p><\/div>\n

5 biggest earthquakes since 2000<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Earthquake<\/strong><\/td>\nRegion<\/strong><\/td>\nYear<\/strong><\/td>\nDeaths<\/strong><\/td>\nMagnitude<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Ocean Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2004<\/td>\n280 000<\/td>\n9.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tohoku Earthquake<\/td>\nJapan<\/td>\n2011<\/td>\n18 200<\/td>\n9.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chile Earthquake<\/td>\nChile<\/td>\n2010<\/td>\n550<\/td>\n8.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Ocean Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n8.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sumatra Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2007<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n8.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

10 deadliest earthquakes since 2000<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Earthquake<\/strong><\/td>\nRegion<\/strong><\/td>\nYear<\/strong><\/td>\nMagnitude<\/strong><\/td>\nEst. Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Ocean Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2004<\/td>\n9.1<\/td>\n280 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Haiti Earthquake<\/td>\nHaiti<\/td>\n2010<\/td>\n7.0<\/td>\n160 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kashmir Earthquake<\/td>\nPakistan<\/td>\n2005<\/td>\n7.6<\/td>\n100 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sichuan Earthquake<\/td>\nChina<\/td>\n2008<\/td>\n7.9<\/td>\n87 500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bam Earthquake<\/td>\nIran<\/td>\n2003<\/td>\n6.6<\/td>\n27 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gujurat Earthquake<\/td>\nIndia<\/td>\n2001<\/td>\n7.7<\/td>\n20 100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tohoku Earthquake<\/td>\nJapan<\/td>\n2011<\/td>\n9.0<\/td>\n18 200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nepal Earthquake<\/td>\nNepal<\/td>\n2015<\/td>\n7.8<\/td>\n8 100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Java Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2006<\/td>\n6.3<\/td>\n5 800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yushu Earthquake<\/td>\nAlgeria<\/td>\n2010<\/td>\n6.9<\/td>\n2 700<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

The deadliest earthquake ever recorded occurred in 1556 in Shaanxi, China, with an estimated death toll of 830,000 people.<\/p>\n

The death toll has been questioned, mostly due to the lack of accurate measurement for the time, however due to the massive damage caused by the magnitude 8.0 quake – a 840 kilometre wide area was destroyed – the estimates are considered to be in range.<\/p>\n

Another disastrous earthquake struck China in 1920, and again in 1976, which lead to the deaths of almost a million people, combined.<\/p>\n

Historical data on earthquakes before the 20th century is often regarded as inaccurate and is subsequently based on estimates from studies into the long-term effects of seismic activity and other historical accounts.<\/p>\n

Some of the largest and deadliest earthquakes occurred in regions where seismic activity is most concentrated – specifically in East Asia, a region where multiple tectonic plates meet, and regions of the middle east that sit on the cross-points of two or more plates.<\/p>\n

\"World<\/a>

World tectonic plates map<\/p><\/div>\n

10 biggest earthquakes in history<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Earthquake<\/strong><\/td>\nRegion<\/strong><\/td>\nYear<\/strong><\/td>\nDeaths<\/strong><\/td>\nMagnitude<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chile\u00a0Earthquake<\/td>\nChile<\/td>\n1960<\/td>\n1 700<\/td>\n9.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Great Alaskan Earthquake<\/td>\nAlaska<\/td>\n1964<\/td>\n131<\/td>\n9.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Ocean Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2004<\/td>\n280 000<\/td>\n9.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tohoku Earthquake<\/td>\nJapan<\/td>\n2011<\/td>\n18 200<\/td>\n9.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kamchatka Earthquake<\/td>\nRussia<\/td>\n1952<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n9.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

10 deadliest earthquakes in history<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Earthquake<\/strong><\/td>\nRegion<\/strong><\/td>\nYear<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nMagnitude<\/strong><\/td>\nEst. Deaths<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shaanxi Earthquake<\/td>\nChina<\/td>\n1556<\/td>\n8.3*<\/td>\n830 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tangshan Earthquake<\/td>\nChina<\/td>\n1976<\/td>\n7.8<\/td>\n655 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Ocean Earthquake<\/td>\nIndonesia<\/td>\n2004<\/td>\n9.1<\/td>\n280 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Haiyuan Earthquake<\/td>\nChina<\/td>\n1920<\/td>\n7.8<\/td>\n270 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Antioch Earthquake<\/td>\nTurkey<\/td>\n526<\/td>\n7.0*<\/td>\n265 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Antioch Earthquake<\/td>\nTurkey<\/td>\n115<\/td>\n7.5*<\/td>\n260 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aleppo Earthquake<\/td>\nSyria<\/td>\n1138<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n230 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hongdong Earthquake<\/td>\nChina<\/td>\n1303<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n200 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Damghan Earthquake<\/td>\nIran<\/td>\n856<\/td>\n7.9*<\/td>\n200 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tabriz Earthquake<\/td>\nIran<\/td>\n1780<\/td>\n–<\/td>\n200 000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

* estimated<\/em><\/small><\/small><\/p>\n

South Africa is not known to be a high quake risk region.<\/p>\n

However, in August 2014, Johannesburg was hit by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake – the second biggest after a 6.3 magnitude quake that hit Tulbagh in the Western Cape in 1969.<\/p>\n

Professor Andrzej Kijko of the University of Pretoria natural hazard centre, quoted in a TimesLive report after the most recent Joburg quakes, pegged the country’s seismic activity on the mining sector.<\/p>\n

Kijko said that 95% of South Africa’s earthquakes were caused by mining, especially around the areas of Klerksdorp, Welkom and Carletonville.<\/p>\n

“Mining in South Africa is leading to enormous stress factors being created. If there is a natural fault weakness 6km underground the stresses caused by mining can easily activate it.”<\/p>\n

“In South Africa one can easily expect earthquakes of such magnitude to occur every five to seven years,” he said.<\/p>\n

More on the world<\/h3>\n

Joburg hit by 5.3 magnitude earthquake<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

World\u2019s largest \u201csupervolcano\u201d is even bigger than previously thought<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The earth is heating up \u2013 and there\u2019s no denying it<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

After Earth, will space be our new home?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nepal has been hit by a second devastating earthquake in the span of two weeks, leading to the 8th biggest seismic catastrophe in the 21st century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":87076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8546,26,9836],"class_list":["post-87072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-earthquake","tag-headline","tag-nepal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87072"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87094,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87072\/revisions\/87094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}