A number of earthquake events that have occurred recently, remind us of some of the largest earthquakes in the world. Not to panic, but we do have to be alert and responsive to natural disasters.
An earthquake is an event that causes the Earth to vibrate due to a sudden release of energy within the Earth, which is marked by the breaking of rock layers in the Earth's crust.
The accumulation of energy that causes earthquakes results from the movement of tectonic plates. The energy produced is emitted in all directions in the form of earthquake waves so that its effects can be felt to the surface of the Earth.
Summarized from various sources, here are some of the largest earthquakes in the world in order of magnitude scale.
1. Valdivia, Chile (9.5 magnitude - 22 May 1960)
The earthquake in Valdivia, Chile on May 22, 1960 killed 1,655 people, injured 3,000 and displaced 2 million.
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Losses from this disaster reached USD550 million, and the resulting tsunami affected Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines.
Two days after the first quake, the nearby Puyehue volcano erupted, spewing volcanic ash as high as 6 km into the atmosphere for several weeks.
2. Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA (9.2 magnitude - March 28, 1964)
Prince William Sound is a sound (a larger and deeper part of the inland waters of bays and fjords) off the Gulf of Alaska, United States.
Compared to the Chile earthquake, the damage in the Alaska earthquake was not that great. But still, this disaster took its toll. The tsunami caused by the earthquake claimed 128 lives and reached Hawaii, causing a total loss of up to $311 million.
The most severe damage occurred in the city of Anchorage, 120 km from the epicenter. The shaking reportedly lasted for 3 minutes.
3. Aceh, Indonesia (9.1 magnitude - 26 December 2004)
It's been 17 years, but the Aceh earthquake and tsunami are always remembered by the Indonesian people because they left a deep sorrow. The damage and loss of life caused by the Aceh earthquake and tsunami was severe.
The tsunami waves that occurred on the coast of Aceh at that time were estimated to reach a height of 30 meters with speeds reaching 100 meters per second or about 360 kilometers per hour.
A total of 15 countries were affected by the tsunami, namely Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar, Maldives, Malaysia, Tanzania, Seychelles, Bangladesh, South Africa, Yemen, Kenya and Madagascar. Indonesia is the worst affected country besides Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
The epicenter was 250 km southeast of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, at a depth of 30 km. A total of 227,900 people died, 1.7 million people were displaced in 14 South Asian and East African countries. Because of this incident, the then President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, designated three days as a period of mourning.
4. Tohoku, Japan (9.1 magnitude - March 11, 2011)
Japan is a country that is quite vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. One of the most powerful earthquakes that has ever occurred in Japan was the Tohoku earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9.1.
The earthquake caused tsunami waves as high as 10 meters, 15,000 people died, and 450,000 people lost their homes. Not only that, this earthquake also triggered the nuclear reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to explode. Massive radiation occurs around the nuclear power plant area and endangers human life.
5. Severo-Kurilsk, Kamchatka (9.0 magnitude - November 1952)
The 1952 Severo-Kurilsk Earthquake rocked the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Measuring 9.0 magnitude, this earthquake triggered a large tsunami that hit the city of Severo-Kurilsk on November 5, 1952 at 5 am.
As a result, many settlements were destroyed and the city of Severo-Kurilsk itself was devastated by the main earthquake. The tsunami itself consists of three waves with a height of about 15-18 m.
After the earthquake, most of the residents of Severo-Kurilsk fled to the hills and many survived the first tsunami wave. However, many later returned to the city and died in the second wave. The third wave was recorded not as big as the first and second. The tsunami at that time reached New Zealand, Chile, to Peru.
It is estimated that from a population of about 6,000 people, as many as 2,336 died. Survivors were evacuated to Russia, and the Severo-Kurilsk settlement was built elsewhere. The Kamchatka earthquake was recorded as the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Europe, especially Russia.