1. Near East / Mediterranean (1.1 million dead) — 20 May 1202

2. Shenshi, China (820,000) — 2 February 1556

3. Calcutta, India (300,000) — 11 October 1737

4. Antioch, Syria (250,000) — 20 May AD 526

5. Tang-shan, China (242,419) — 28 July 1976

6. Nan-shan, China (200,000) — 22 May 1927

7. Yeddo, Japan (190,000) — 30 December 1703

8. Kansu, China (180,000) — 16 December 1920

9. Messina, Italy (160,000) — 28 December 1908

10. Tokyo / Yokohama, Japan (142,807) — 1 September 1923


Six of the 13 most destructive earthquakes happened in China. The deadliest earthquake to hit the planet happened in Shensi in 1556. The 1920 Kansu earthquake measured 8.6 on the Richter scale, and produced the most fatal landslide to date according to the Guinness World Records.

The most powerful earthquake to occur since the 1900s is the 1960 Chilean earthquake with a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale. While most earthquakes only last for a minute or two, the one that shocked Alaska in March 1964 lasted for an estimated five minutes. Fortunately, the death toll only reached more than a hundred, but the commercial damage inflicted by the natural disaster cost some US$450 million.