70
which reports were about 200,000–310,000 victims. Even the smaller number is remarkable as
the magnitude of the earthquake was only 7.0.
Table 3.3 shows that some stronger earthquakes
caused less casualties. Similar “disproportion”
can be observed in the case of the magnitude
9.1–9.3 earthquake at Sumatra island in 2004 that
together with the following tsunami caused
230,000 casualties, while the earthquake in China
in 1976 caused 650,000 deaths despite being
more than one magnitude less strong. Not
included in Table 3.3 but the magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the eastern shores of Japan in
2011 caused 18,000 deaths.
The number of casualties depends on numerous factors other than the energy of the earthquake, like, for example, the number of people
living in the affected settlements, housing density
within the settlements, earthquake resistivity of
buildings, the time of the main quake (daytime or
night), and even the knowledge of the inhabitants
regarding the preferable behaviour during earthquakes. In the case of earthquakes causing tsunami adequate alert procedure and the speed of
evacuation are also very important.
Smaller earthquakes could be triggered by
certain human activities like the pressure from
the water of major reservoirs and changes in this
pressure, collapse of geological layers due to oil
production, underground nuclear explosions, etc.
Within plate earthquakes triggered by human
activities do not reach the size of plate movement
triggered earthquakes thus their destruction is
also much less.
Foulger et al. (2018) studied human-induced
earthquakes in great detail. They cite that more
than 700 human-induced earthquakes were registered worldwide between 1868 and 2016.
Unfortunately, induced seismicity is not easy to
separate from natural earthquakes. One cited
example is a high energy earthquake (with estimated magnitude of 8) in Wenchuan (China) that
Table 3.3 Earthquakes in the world that caused more than 50,000 casualties
Location
Date
Number of casualties
Magnitude
Damghan, Iran
22 Dec 856
200,000
–
Ardabil, Iran
March 893
150,000
–
Aleppo, Syria
9 Aug 1138
230,000
–
Cilicia, Asia Minor
1268
60,000
–
Zhili, Beijing, China
Sept 1290
100,000
–
Shanxi, China
23 Jan 1556
830,000
–
Semaka, Caucasus
Nov 1667
80,000
–
Sicily, Italy
11 Jan 1693
60,000
–
Tokyo, Japan
30 Dec 1703
200,000
–
Tabriz, Iran
18 Nov 1727
77,000
–
Kolkata, India
11 Oct 1737
300,000
–
Lisbon, Portugal
1 Nov 1755
70,000
8.5
Calabria, Italy
4 Feb 1783
50,000
–
Messina, Italy
28 Dec 1908
100,000
7.5
Gansu, China
16 Dec 1920
200,000
–
Tokyo, Japan
1 Sept 1923
143,000
8.2
Xining/Nansan, China
22 May 1927
200,000
8.3
Gansu, China
25 Dec 1932
70,000
–
Quetta, Pakistan
30 May 1935
60,000
–
Peru
31 May 1970
66,000
–
Tangshan, China
27 July 1976
650,000
7.8–8.2
Zanján, Iran
20 June 1990
≈100,000
7.7
Sumatra
26 Dec 2004
230,000
9.1–9.3
Haiti
12 Jan 2010
200,000–310,000
7.0
The numbers of casualties in the case of earthquakes centuries ago are only rough estimates. Source: Karátson (2013)
with additions
3 Internal Material Flows in the Earth and Their Effects on the Society
which reports were about 200,000–310,000 victims. Even the smaller number is remarkable as
the magnitude of the earthquake was only 7.0.
Table 3.3 shows that some stronger earthquakes
caused less casualties. Similar “disproportion”
can be observed in the case of the magnitude
9.1–9.3 earthquake at Sumatra island in 2004 that
together with the following tsunami caused
230,000 casualties, while the earthquake in China
in 1976 caused 650,000 deaths despite being
more than one magnitude less strong. Not
included in Table 3.3 but the magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the eastern shores of Japan in
2011 caused 18,000 deaths.
The number of casualties depends on numerous factors other than the energy of the earthquake, like, for example, the number of people
living in the affected settlements, housing density
within the settlements, earthquake resistivity of
buildings, the time of the main quake (daytime or
night), and even the knowledge of the inhabitants
regarding the preferable behaviour during earthquakes. In the case of earthquakes causing tsunami adequate alert procedure and the speed of
evacuation are also very important.
Smaller earthquakes could be triggered by
certain human activities like the pressure from
the water of major reservoirs and changes in this
pressure, collapse of geological layers due to oil
production, underground nuclear explosions, etc.
Within plate earthquakes triggered by human
activities do not reach the size of plate movement
triggered earthquakes thus their destruction is
also much less.
Foulger et al. (2018) studied human-induced
earthquakes in great detail. They cite that more
than 700 human-induced earthquakes were registered worldwide between 1868 and 2016.
Unfortunately, induced seismicity is not easy to
separate from natural earthquakes. One cited
example is a high energy earthquake (with estimated magnitude of 8) in Wenchuan (China) that
Table 3.3 Earthquakes in the world that caused more than 50,000 casualties
Location
Date
Number of casualties
Magnitude
Damghan, Iran
22 Dec 856
200,000
–
Ardabil, Iran
March 893
150,000
–
Aleppo, Syria
9 Aug 1138
230,000
–
Cilicia, Asia Minor
1268
60,000
–
Zhili, Beijing, China
Sept 1290
100,000
–
Shanxi, China
23 Jan 1556
830,000
–
Semaka, Caucasus
Nov 1667
80,000
–
Sicily, Italy
11 Jan 1693
60,000
–
Tokyo, Japan
30 Dec 1703
200,000
–
Tabriz, Iran
18 Nov 1727
77,000
–
Kolkata, India
11 Oct 1737
300,000
–
Lisbon, Portugal
1 Nov 1755
70,000
8.5
Calabria, Italy
4 Feb 1783
50,000
–
Messina, Italy
28 Dec 1908
100,000
7.5
Gansu, China
16 Dec 1920
200,000
–
Tokyo, Japan
1 Sept 1923
143,000
8.2
Xining/Nansan, China
22 May 1927
200,000
8.3
Gansu, China
25 Dec 1932
70,000
–
Quetta, Pakistan
30 May 1935
60,000
–
Peru
31 May 1970
66,000
–
Tangshan, China
27 July 1976
650,000
7.8–8.2
Zanján, Iran
20 June 1990
≈100,000
7.7
Sumatra
26 Dec 2004
230,000
9.1–9.3
Haiti
12 Jan 2010
200,000–310,000
7.0
The numbers of casualties in the case of earthquakes centuries ago are only rough estimates. Source: Karátson (2013)
with additions
3 Internal Material Flows in the Earth and Their Effects on the Society