Earthquake History

An earthquake occurs when the stress on the edge of a tectonic plate is released in waves of energy that travel through the earth's crust. This causes the shaking felt during an earthquake. Earthquakes have undoubtedly been occurring since the beginning of time, causing the deaths of untold millions throughout history and earthquakes are still responsible for thousands of deaths every year, all around the world.

As early as 1177 B.C., earthquakes were recorded in China. Some seismologists also believe that an earthquake in 2150 B.C. was responsible for the destruction of the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Ancient historians recorded many earthquakes, most of which were far more destructive than the earthquakes of modern history. For instance, in 1201 A.D. an earthquake in northern Egypt and Syria caused the deaths of an estimated 1.1 million people. The deadliest earthquake in modern recorded history occurred in Shaanxi, China in 1512, and took the lives of an estimated 830,000 people.

Since its early history, earthquakes have affected the US. In 1812, the New Madrid earthquake destroyed half the town of New Madrid, Missouri and was the second largest earthquake ever recorded in the continental United States. On April 18, 1906 an earthquake rocked the heart of San Francisco, California and aftershocks were felt as far away as Oregon and Nevada. The quake caused major damage to the city and is known as one of the worst natural disasters in US history. In all, the United States has seen 5,000 recorded deaths as the result of earthquakes. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was the deadliest, taking an estimated 3,000 lives.

North America has witnessed some of Mother Nature's strongest earthquakes. Fortunately those powerful quakes have most often hit uninhabited regions of the continent. The most powerful North American earthquake occurred in 1964 at Prince William Sound in Alaska; the quake measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, and is the second most powerful earthquake on record. Fortunately, the earthquake affected a mostly uninhabited area, limiting the damage and causing only 125 deaths. In stark contrast the most powerful earthquake on record, registering a 9.5 on the Richter scale which struck the Pacific coast of Peru four years prior, is estimated to have killed nearly 6,000 people and caused millions of dollars in damage. The quake also caused a tsunami that traveled over 6,000 miles eventually devastating the city of Hilo, Hawaii. However, compared to the millions who have been killed by earthquakes in Europe, Asia and South America, the United States has been comparatively fortunate. In China over the last 1,000 years, earthquakes have killed more than 1.5 million people.

More recently, earthquakes in east and southeastern Asia have dominated the world stage. Earthquakes in Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and India have caused nearly 400,000 deaths since 1990. The most dramatic instance of this was seen in Sumatra, Indonesia. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, triggered a tsunami that slammed into the Sumatra region of Indonesia killing at least 110,000 people. The tsunami also struck India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somali, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Kenya. The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami has never been confirmed, some reports have placed it as high as 230,000.

The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina did much to divert attention from the earthquake of late 2004, yet the threat of earthquakes has not disappeared. There have already been eight earthquakes registering over 6.0 on the Richter scale in 2006, and there were 37 quakes of 6.0 or greater magnitude in 2005. As recent years have shown, earthquakes will never cease to be a danger to countries around the world, and will continually be a part of our history.