Earthquake History - University of Missouri–St：密苏里堪萨斯大学地震历史- ST. Louis.pptx

? One of the most devastating earthquakes in history occurred on 23 January 1556 in the Shaanxi province, China, killing more than 830,000 people (see 1556 Shaanxi earthquake ). Most of the population in the area at the time lived in yaodongs , artificial caves in loess cliffs, many of which collapsed during the catastrophe with great loss of life. The 1976 Tangshan earthquake, with death toll estimated to be between 240,000 to 655,000, is believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll . ? The largest earthquake that has been measured on a seismograph reached magnitude, occurring on 22 May 1960 . Its epicenter was near Ca ? ete , Chile. The energy released was approximately twice that of the next most powerful earthquake, the Good Friday Earthquake, which was centered in Prince William Sound, Alaska . The ten largest recorded earthquakes have all been megathrust earthquakes; however, of these ten, only the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake is simultaneously one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. ? Earthquakes that caused the greatest loss of life, while powerful, were deadly because of their proximity to either heavily populated areas or the ocean, where earthquakes often create tsunamis that can munities thousands of miles away. Regions most at risk for great loss of life include those where earthquakes are relatively rare but powerful, and poor regions with lax, unenforced, or nonexistent seismic building codes. 1908: Italy (Messina). Richter scale: , Deaths: 25,926, Cost: ($m) 116 1923: Japan (Tokyo-Yokohama). Richter scale: , Deaths: 142,800, Cost ($m): 2,800 1936: Pakistan (Quetta). Richter scale: , Deaths: 35,000, Cost ($m): 25 1939: Chile (Concepcion). Richter scale: , Deaths: 28,000, Cost ($m): 100 1939: Turkey ( Erzincan ). Richter scale: , Deaths: 36,740, Cost ($m): 20 1960: o (Agadir). Richter scale: , Deaths: 12,000, Cost ($m): 120 1970: Peru (Chimbote). Ri