Dubai: The massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile on Saturday would be among the world's 10 most powerful quakes ever in recorded history, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS).
By comparison, the January 12, 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti was rated at magnitude 7.0 and does not even figure in the top 100 most powerful quakes of all time, according to USGS figures quoted by www.hawaii247.org.
Chile is located in an active seismic zone and has had devastating quakes in the past including the biggest tremor of the 20th century. In May 1960, the country was ravaged in what is now known as Valdivia or Great Chilean Earthquake, which was rated 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale.
The resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, reaching as far as eastern New Zealand and southeast Australia. The estimated death toll from that disaster ranged from over 2,200 to 5,700.
The quake magnitude reading is based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale which is used by US seismologists and measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released. The fifth most powerful quake on the same scale, measuring 9.0, struck Chile in 1868.
Here's a list of the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history, according to data from USGS:
1. May 22, 1960: A magnitude 9.5 earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami killed at least 1,716 people.
2. March 27, 1964: A magnitude 9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and ensuing tsunami killed 128 people.
3. December 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.0 quake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 226,000 people in 12 countries, including 165,700 in Indonesia and 35,400 in Sri Lanka.
4. August 13, 1868: A magnitude 9.0 quake in Arica, Peru (now Chile) generated catastrophic tsunamis that killed more than 25,000 people.
5. January 31, 1906: A magnitude 8.8 quake off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia generated a tsunami that killed at least 500 people.
6. February 27, 2010: A magnitude 8.8 quake rocks central Chile and generates tsunami. Warnings issued across the Pacific belt.
7. November 1, 1755: A magnitude 8.7 quake and ensuing tsunami in Lisbon, Portugal killed an estimated 60,000 people and destroyed much of Lisbon.
8. July 8, 1730: A magnitude 8.7 quake in Valparasio, Chile, killed at least 3,000 people.
9. August 15, 1950: A magnitude 8.6 earthquake in Assam, Tibet, killed at least 780 people.
10. June 15, 1896: A magnitude 8.5 quake Sanriku, Japan, caused a tsunami that killed at least 22,000 people.
With inputs from AP
