The Worst Earthquakes in History

Drake Bird Power
Ranker 19,184 views 72 items

From the most recent earthquakes to those of the past, this list of the worst earthquakes in history has them all. With death tolls reaching tragic proportions, these are not only the worst earthquakes environmentally, sadly, they're also the deadliest.

The deadliest earthquake on record hit the Chinese province of Shaanxi back in 1556. The 8.0-magnitude tremor killed an estimated 830,000 people, 60% of the population, and wiped out a 520-mile wide area. Just like the worst earthquakes of the 20th century, this quake occurred with no warning and was followed by a series of aftershocks that served as a chilling reminder of the tragic nature of the disaster.

Unfortunately, this quake was not the first or the last to strike in the area or claim thousands of lives. Over three million people have been killed from earthquakes throughout the years and many more from the resulting tsunamis that followed.

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1

1556 Shaanxi Earthquake

“ 820,000-830,000 dead on January 23, 1556 „
2

1976 Tangshan earthquake

“ 242,419–779,000 dead on July 28, 1976 „
3

526 Antioch earthquake

“ 250,000 dead on May 21, 525 „
4

1920 Haiyuan earthquake

“ 235,502 dead on December 16, 1920 „
5

2004 Indonesian earthquake

“ 230,210+ dead on December 26, 2004 „
6

1138 Aleppo earthquake

“ 230,000 dead on October 11, 1138 „
7

2010 Haiti earthquake

“ 222,570 dead on January 12, 2010 „
8

856 Damghan earthquake

“ 200,000 dead on December 22, 856 „
9

893 Ardabil earthquake

“ 150,000 dead on March 22, 893 „
10

1923 Great Kanto earthquake

“ 142,000 dead on September 1, 1923 „
11

1730 Hokkaido earthquake

“ 137,000 dead on December 30, 1730 „
12

1908 Messina earthquake

“ 123,000 dead on December 28, 1908 „
13

1948 Ashgabat earthquake

“ 110,000 dead on October 5, 1948 „
14

1290 Chihli earthquake

“ 100,000 dead on September 27, 1290 „
15

1755 Lisbon earthquake

“ 100,000 dead on November 1, 1755 „
16

1667 Shamakhi earthquake

“ 100,000 dead in November 1667 „
17

2005 Kashmir earthquake

“ 79,000 dead on October 8, 2005 „
18

1727 Tabriz earthquake

“ 77,000 dead on November 18, 1727 „
19

1970 Ancash earthquake

“ 75,000 dead on May 31, 1970 „
20

1932 Changma earthquake

“ 70,000 dead on December 25, 1932 „
21

2008 Sichuan earthquake

“ 68,712 dead on May 12, 2008 „
22

1268 Cilicia earthquake

“ 60,000 dead in 1268 „
23

1693 Sicily earthquake

“ 60,000 dead on January 11, 1693 „
24

1935 Balochistan earthquake

“ 60,000 dead on May 31, 1935 „
25

1783 Calabrian earthquakes

“ 50,000 dead in 1783 „

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Mapplethor
The Worst Earthquakes in History at 1/19/2013 8:30 AM

i knew there was a place for worst earthquakes .
Ludivina Seliga
The Worst Earthquakes in History at 7/10/2012 1:30 AM

worst earthquakes in history win