Earthquakes - Extreme Events: A Physical Reconstruction and Risk Assessment - page 145

Table 6.2 Large historical earthquakes as
measured by magnitudes

Magnitude Location Year

9.4 Alaska 1964

9.3 Banda Aceh 2004

9.2 Chile 1960

9.0 Lisbon, Portugal 1755

8.9 Sumba, Indonesia 1977

8.3--8.9 Chile 1960

8.7 West Sumatra (Niasisland) 2005

8.6 Andes, Columbia 1960

8.6 North Assam, India 1950

8.6 Alaska 1964

8.5 Kansu, China 1920

8.5 Japanese Trench 1933

8.4 Valparaiso, Chile 1906

8.4 Tienshan, China 1911

8.25 San Francisco, USA 1906

8.2 Tokyo, Japan 1923

wave through the crust of the Earth, objects can be tossed in the air and trees
physically uplifted from the ground (Bryant, 2005).

High-magnitude historical earthquakes

Many large earthquakes have occurred in historical time (see Table 6.2).
These have all exceeded 8 on the Richter scale and have often caused great
hardship and considerable loss of life. One of the largest ever earthquakes
experienced in modern times was the AD 1755 Lisbon earthquake. This event
caused massive destruction in Portugal and also resulted in another earthquake
550 km away in Morocco. Ninety percent of buildings in Lisbon were destroyed or
severely damaged and almost 70 000 lives lost. Structures as far as 600 km away
suffered damage when tsunamis struck the coasts of Portugal, North Africa, the
British Isles, the Netherlands and even the West Indies (Abbott, 1999).
The loss of human lives and damage to buildings is not always a reflection
of the magnitude of an earthquake. Human impacts are often more a function
of community vulnerability, such as the ability of buildings to withstand the
earthquake waves. The saying ' earthquakes do not kill people, buildings do 'waswell
exemplified by the December 2003 Iranian earthquake where the human death