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Lisbon Earthquake (Portugal)
Magnitude: 8.9-9.0
Death Toll: 30,000-50,000
Interesting Facts:
1. Inspired one of the earliest scientific studies of earthquakes, led by the Marquis of Pombal
2. influenced enlightenment thinkers, prompting debates on religion, science, and the nature of suffering -
Krakatoa Eruption (Java/Sumatra)
VEI: 6
Death toll: 36,000
Interesting Facts:
1. So loud that it was heard over 3,000 miles away in Australia the island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean
2. The eruption released enough ash into the atmosphere to lower global temperatures, causing vivid sunsets around the world for several years. -
Aleutian Earthquake (Alaska)
Magnitude: 8.7
Death toll: no confirmed deaths
Interesting facts:
1. one of the largest earthquakes recorded in the US
2. despite its strength, the quake caused minimal damage/casualties due to the remote, sparsely populated location of the Aleutian islands -
Great Chilean Earthquake (chile)
Magnitude: 9.5
Death toll: 1,000-6,000
Interesting Facts:
1. generated a tsunami that affected coast lines across the pacific, including Hawaii, japan and the Philippines
2. caused the city of Valdivia to sink by several feet, altering the landscape permanently. -
Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska)
Magnitude: 9.
Death toll: 131
Interesting Facts:
1. lasted nearly 4 minutes, causing massive ground shifts and widespread damage across Alaska
2. triggered tsunamis that affected coastal areas as far away as Japan and the Philippines -
Hokkaido Earthquake (Japan)
Magnitude: 6.6
Death toll: 41
Interesting Facts:
1. caused a massive landslide that buried entire houses, particularity in Atsuma
2. Over 5.3 million homes were left without power immediately after the earthquake, making it one of Japan's largest power outages in recent history -
Tohoku Earthquake (Japan)
Magnitude: 9.0
Death toll: 15,000
Interesting Facts:
1. shifted the earth's axis by about 10-25 centimeters and shortened the length of a day by roughly 1.8 microseconds.
2. the tsunami waves generated by the earthquake traveled across the pacific, reaching as far as the US west coast and Chile -
Papua New Guinea Earthquake (Papua New Guinea)
Magnitude: 7.5
Death toll: 125
Interesting Facts:
1.triggered massive landslides that buried entire villages in the highland regions
2. The earthquake's impact was felt as far away as Australia, were it caused minor tremors in parts of the country -
Sumatra Earthquake (Indonesia)
Magnitude: 9.1-9.3
Death toll: 230,000-280,000
Interesting Facts:
1. triggered 1 of the deadliest tsunamis in history, with waves reaching up to 100 feet high in some areas
2. was so powerful it shifted the earth's axis and shortened the length of a day by about 2.5 microseconds -
Samoa Earthquake (Samoan Islands)
Magnitude: 8.1
Death toll: 200
Interesting Facts:
1. Triggered waves as high as 20 feet, striking coastal villages with little warning
2. caused significant damage to infrastructure, including roads and buildings, but Samoa's strong community response helped with recovery efforts -
Chile Earthquake (Chile)
Magnitude: 8.8
Death toll: 525
Interesting Facts:
1. shifted the earth's axis by about 3 inches and shortened the length of a day by 1.25 microseconds
2. triggered a tsunami that affected coastal areas across the Pacific, caused minimal damage due to early warnings -
Sulawesi Earthquake (Indonesia)
Magnitude: 7.5
Death toll: 4,3000
Interesting Facts:
1. Caused a phenomena known as "Liquefaction"
2. struck without warning as the tsunami detection system failed to function