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The top 10 earth quakes of all time. You might just be surprised. We think Wellington and Napier were the prime locations for earthquakes but China seems to top the list. Mother nature has proved she will do what she likes where she likes and when she likes. We can pay guys in walk socks with pony tails and glasses to try and predict these things for us but all we can really do is have a plan and be prepared.

In 1931, New Zealand’s deadliest earthquake devastated the cities of Napier and Hastings. At least 256 people died in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake 161 in Napier, 93 in Hastings, and 2 in Wairoa. Many thousands more required medical treatment. Since then building structures and building codes have improved but sometimes there is nothing that can save you. It would be nice if every building had a large sign on it stating the level of earthquake it can withstand.

christchurch earthquake 4.38am 4 Sept 2010

Richter scale

An earthquake is measured by its size, known as its magnitude.

A Californian seismologist (earthquake researcher), Charles Richter, developed his scale as a way of comparing one earthquake with another.

The Richter scale calculates the size of an earthquake by the amount of movement of the ground at the epicentre, using the height of the biggest shockwave and the time between the waves. These measurements are taken by a seismograph. However the actual force of an earthquake can also be affected by the depth of the earthquake.

Another way of measuring an earthquake is the Modified Mercalli scale, which measures the intensity of the earthquake, or the actual effect on people, buildings and the ground itself.

CCTV from Noel Lemmings. Pretty sure its not meant to move?

Anywho here is the top 10 as decided by time magazine.

1556: Shaanxi, China

The deadliest quake of all time might be one of the least talked about, considering it occurred nearly 450 years ago. Centered in China’s central Shaanxi province, the 1556 quake claimed the lives of some 830,000 people. Why the massive death toll? Blame the quake’s strength (8.0 on the Richter scale, or more than 30 times more powerful than the recent quake in Haiti) as well as timing and location. The pre-modern structures were utterly unable to withstand a quake of such force, and massive landslides contributed to the casualties. All told, an area some 500 miles wide was wiped out.

1976: Tangshan, China

China has the misfortune to have had the second deadliest earthquake on record, the 1976 Great Tangshan Earthquake, which struck in the country’s northeast. It’d be more accurate to call this a binary quake: an aftershock that struck 16 hours after the initial temblor measured an identical 7.8 on the Richter scale and was equally destructive. Death estimates are hard to pin down — initial reports placed the toll at nearly 700,000, but those have since been revised down to some 250,000. Compounding the massive casualty count was the decision by the Chinese government to accept no international aid in the aftermath of the quakes.

2004: Indian Ocenan

On Dec. 26, 2004 a 9.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the bottom of the Indian Ocean, releasing energy equivalent to that of 23,000 atomic bombs. The largest earthquake in 40 years, the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (so named because the epicenter was near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra) launched a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, sending a series of waves as high as 50 feet crashing onto the shores of 11 countries. Some people were swept out to sea while others drowned in their homes, unable to escape. According to the U.S. Geological survey, the official death toll was 227,898.

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