A big earthquake has a significant impact on the affected area. The destruction is severe and many lives are gone. The biggest earthquake is recorded purposely to study mapping, risks, and emergency efforts to prevent further damage. What are those earthquakes that ever happened?
The List of The Biggest Earthquake in The World
Valdivia Earthquake in Chile (1960)
This is the big earthquake that happened in the world and still unbeatable. The scale is 9.5 Richter. What made this disaster worse was the duration because it lasted for about 10 minutes. More than five thousand people died and missing because of this.
Chile has a unique landscape where it is mostly covered by mountains and hills. So, this earthquake caused other incidents, such as landslides and tsunamis in different areas. The Valdivia earthquake is still the scariest because the impact itself spread widely to other regions in the Pacific.
Great Alaska Earthquake in The US (1964)
In US history, the biggest earthquake that ever happened was in Big Alaska. The magnitude is about 9.2 Richter. The casualties were 139 deaths because of the tsunami following the event. It caused great economic damage in the US. The main cause of this earthquake is a tectonic fault.
The damage caused by this earthquake was massive. Most houses and buildings collapsed because the ground shaking was powerful. In Anchorage, one of the most affected areas is the landslides. The tsunami also occurred in Kodiak and Seward, Alaska.
Aceh Earthquake in Indonesia and Indian Ocean (2004)
This is one of the biggest earthquakes after 2000 where the epicenter was in Aceh, Indonesia. This is the most devastating event that happened on Sunday morning, December 26. The magnitude is 8.9 Richter and the it lasted for 10 minutes. It was also generated in fourteen other countries.
More than 230,000 people died and were lost in different countries, such as Thailand, Somalia, India, and Sri Lanka. The earthquake caused a high tsunami and reached the African continent. The biggest damage occurred in Aceh where people were located far from the coastal area since the area was wiped out.
Tohoku Earthquake in Japan (2011)
Japan has had many earthquake events and they have the best mitigation plan in the world. However, the earthquake in Tohoku in 2011 caused more than 20,000 deaths. The impact of this earthquake was so huge that almost 500,000 people were located in Tohoku. It was 9.1 Richter.
The worst part of this earthquake is the tsunami. Thousands of people were missing because of the 1.2-meter height of the tsunami wave that arrived in the coastal area. Because of this disaster, thousand buildings in Tohoku were ruined. The assistance for the aftermath involved 163 countries.
Kamchatka Earthquake in Russia (1952)
This earthquake did not cause a lot of casualties because the area had a low population at that time. However, Russia noted that it was the biggest one ever. The magnitude is 9.0 and the epicenter was at the southeastern coast of Kamchatka. Yet, the shaking was powerful and intense.
Since the cause of the earthquake itself was seafloor displacement, there was a 15-meter tsunami that arrived at the Kamchatka coastline. The impact was felt in Hawaii as well, especially in the Hilo area. Most villages and beaches in Kamchatka and Hilo were severely damaged.
Maule Earthquake in Chile (2010)
Another big earthquake in Chile was in Maule. It was at dawn in 2010 that most people were sleeping. The magnitude was 8.8 Richter for about 3 minutes. More than 500 deaths recorded.
It triggered a tsunami after the quake and arrived in different regions, such as Japan and California. Infrastructure in this area was so damaged that almost one million people lost their houses due to the tsunami and earthquake.
Nias Earthquake in Indonesia (2005)
Not long after the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, Nias which is near Aceh had its biggest earthquake. The magnitude was 8.6 Richter. The shake was so powerful that the land areas subsided. More than 1000 people died because of collapsed buildings.
Another biggest earthquake may happen in the future. To avoid the loss and minimize the damage, local authorities should invest in an integrated system where an SMS broadcaster device is part of it. It sends warnings to many people in specific areas to increase their safety level during critical times.
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