To make matters worse, the port of Puerto Saavedra was destroyed in the ensuing tsunami, which caused 61 deaths and $550 million worth of damage in Chile, $75 million damage in
Hawaii, 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan and about $500,000 damage to the west coast of the United States
A day later Volcan Puyehue in Chile's lake district spewed ash 6,000m into the air in an eruption that lasted for several weeks
Prince William Sound, Alaska - 28 March, 1964
The Prince William Sound earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 struck and devastated the Gulf of Alaska causing landslides in Anchorage and raised parts of outlying islands by as much as 11 metres.
Anchorage suffered heavy losses. About 20 blocks of dwelling and commercial buildings were damaged in the downtown area. The schools in Anchorage were almost devastated. The duration of the shock was estimated at 3 minutes which was the most terrible 3 minutes in the history of Anchorage
The resulting tsunami reached heights of 67 metres as it swept into the shallow Valdez inlet and was responsible for most of the 128 deaths and about $311 million worth of damage.
The tsunami was so big that the water displacement was felt as far away as the Louisiana Gulf.
Andreanof Islands earthquake - March 9, 1957
The 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake was a 8.6 magnitude earthquake that caused damage to infrastructure on Adak island and Umnak island. This earthquake destroyed two bridges on Adak island and left a 4.5 meter crack on a road.
The earthquake, apart from causing massive destruction also caused the eruption of long dormant volcano Mount Vsevidof which had stood dormant for 200 years.
Further, this shock generated a 15 meter tsunami that smashed into the coastline at Scotch Cap and an 8 meter tsumani that washed away many buildings and damaged oil lines extensively at Sand Bay.
This tsunami continued to Hawaii, where is destroyed two villages and inflicted about $5 million in property damage on Oahu and Kauai Islands.
Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan - March 11, 2011
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake was a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan that is argued to be the most powerful quake to have ever hit Japan. Cellular and landline phone service suffered major disruptions in affected areas. The north-eastern ports of Hachinohe, Sendai, Ishinomaki and Onahama were destroyed in the quake aftermath
The earthquake which was caused by 5 to 8 meters upthrust on a 180-km wide seabed at 60km offshore from the east coast of Tohoku resulted in a major tsunami which killed thousands and devastated entire towns.
On 3rd April, 2011, the National Police Agency said that around 45,700 buildings were damaged and the loss estimated to run into tens of billions of US dollars
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia - December 26, 2004
The earthquake that struck the northern part of Sumatra is by far the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900 and is considered by many the largest since the 1964 Alaska earthquake that accounted for the deaths of 283,100 people.
The resulting tsunami displaced 1,126,900 in about 10 countries in South Asia and East Africa.The tsunami caused more casualties than any other in recorded history and was recorded nearly world-wide on tide gauges in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3 this is the third largest earthquake recorded in a seismograph
Mexico City - September 20, 1985
On the early morning of September 19, 1985 Mexico City was struck by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake. The result was tragic, 10,000 people died and Mexico city area was completely ruined.
The complete seismic event consisted of four quakes. The event caused between three and four billion USD in damage as 412 buildings collapsed and and another 3,124 were seriously damaged in the city
Cuauhtemoc that includes the historic downtown suffered the most damage. Here, 258 buildings completely crumpled, 143 partially collapsed and about 181 were seriously damaged. Most of the damages occurred in secondary and tertiary hospitals.
Northwestern Iran - June 21, 1990
On June 21, 1990 an earthquake near the Caspian Sea killed more than 50,000 and injured another 135,000 people as the 7.7 magnitude tremor caused utter devastation on surrounding areas. This remains the most devastating earthquake to hit Iran till date.
A 20,000-square-mile area in the provinces of Zanjan and Gilan was absolutely devastated. The region, encompassing both farms and sea resorts were all demolished in a matter of minutes.
Landslides made many roads impassable and many of the people who initially survived under the rubble could not be rescued before their air supply ran out. An estimated 400,000 people were left homeless by the earthquake.
Loma Prieta earthquake - October 17, 1989
Also known as the Quake of 89 the earthquake was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989. The origin was a slip along the San Andreas fault the quake lasted about 10 to 15 seconds and measured 6.9 on the Richter scale.
The quake killed 63 people throughout northern California, injured 3,757 and some 3000-12000 homeless
Highest number of fatalities occurred in the city of Oakland as a result of the failure of the Cypress Street Viaduct where, due to the quake, a double deck portion of the freeway collapsed.
The quake caused an estimated $6 billion in property damage, and became one of the most expensive natural disasters in the history of America
Izmit, Turkey - August 17, 1999
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Turkey on August 17, 1999 lasting for about 37 seconds and killing 17,000 people.
An official Turkish estimate of October 19, 1999, placed the toll at 17,127 killed and 43,959 injured, but many sources suggest the actual figure may have been closer to 45,000 dead and a similar number injured.
Chile/Argentina - November 11, 1922
The 1922 earthquake of 8.5 magnitude that occurred in the Atacama Region of Chile, near the border with Argentina on November 11, 1922 triggered a destructive tsunami causing significant damage to the coast of Chile
Total damages were estimated to be in the range $5-25 million American dollars
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