Timeline: Recent major earthquakes

Timeline: Recent major earthquakes

 

Chronology of major earthquakes in recent years across continents.

 

The following is a chronology of major earthquakes in recent years:

 

Philippines: October 15, 2013

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Bohol Island at a depth of only 20km. The quake killed 32 people.

 

Pakistan: September 24, 2013

A massive 7.7-strong earthquake struck Balochistan province, killing nearly 900 people. The epicenter was only 20km below ground.

 

Iran: April 9, 2013

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake set off 10km below Bushehr Province, Iran. The quake killed 37 people.

 

Santa Cruz Islands: February 6, 2013

Eighteen people were killed after a whopping 8.0 earthquake hit 29km below the Santa Cruz Islands.

 

Iran: August 11, 2012

At least 180 people are killed, and 1,300 more injured, after twin earthquakes strike northwestern Iran. The two tremors measured 6.4 and 6.3 on the Richter scale, and badly damaged scores of villages near the city of Tabriz.

 

Italy: May 29, 2012

At least 15 people killed in 5.8-magnitude centred on Emilia-Romagna region and felt across northern and central Italy.

 

Italy: May 20, 2012

Seven people killed, dozens injured and historic buildings destroyed by 6.8-magnitude earthquake near northern Italian city of Bologna.

 

Indonesia: April 11, 2012

An 8.7-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Aceh province led to a tsunami alert along the Indian Ocean coastlines.

 

Philippines: February 6, 2012

At least 13 people killed after a 6.7-magnitude quake hit Negros-Cebu region of the Philippines.

 

Turkey: October 23, 2011

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated areas of eastern Turkey and left over 200 dead.

 

Japan: March 11, 2011

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the north-western Pacific Ocean lasting six minutes. That earthquake led to a tsunami along the Pacific coastline of Japan's northern islands. All tolled, over 15,000 people died in the Tohuku earthquake and tsunami, while at least another 26,000 were injured.

 

New Zealand: February 22, 2011

A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand, killing at least 166 people.

 

Turkey: March 8, 2010

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey, centred on the village of Basyurt in Elazig province, about 550km (340 miles) east of Ankara, the country's capital.

 

Chile: February 27, 2010
A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hits central Chile, about 91km north-east of the city of Concepcion and 317km south-west of the capital, Santiago, killing more than 400 people.

 

Haiti: January 12, 2010

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hits the capital Port-au-Prince demolishing buildings across the city, killing more than 200,000.

 

Sumatra, Indonesia: September 30, 2009

Magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits the city of Padang and surrounding areas, killing more than 1,100 people.

 

Samoan islands: September 29, 2009

A magnitude 8 to 8.3 quake hit between the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, triggering a powerful series of tsunamis.

At least 186 people are killed.

 

Andaman and Nicobar islands: August 10, 2009

A magnitude 7.6 quake struck in the Indian Ocean islands. No fatalities were recorded.

 

Japan: August 9, 2009

A magnitude 7.1 quake struck off the south coast of Honshu, Japan's main island.

No fatalities or damage was recorded.

 

New Zealand: July 15, 2009

A 7.6 magnitude quake struck off the coast of New Zealand's south island.

No fatalities or damage was recorded as it struck 150km west of the town of Invercargill.

 

Italy: April 6, 2009

A 6.3 magnitude quake struck the city of L'Aquila, in the mountainous Abruzzo region, east of Rome, killing at least 292 people.

 

Pakistan: October 29, 2008
A 6.8 magnitude quake struck 60km northeast of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, killing at least 160 people.

 

Pakistan: October 8, 2005

At least 73,000 people were killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck about 95km northeast of Islamabad. The quake also rocked Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 1,244 people there.

 

Aceh, Indonesia: December 26, 2004

A massive 9.1 magnitude quake strikes off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggering a series of deadly tsunamis that sweep across the Indian Ocean.

Around 230,000 people are killed, with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand among the worst-hit countries.

 

Iran: December 26, 2003

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the historic city of Bam, 1,000km southeast of Tehran. More than 30,000 were killed.

 

Algeria: May 21, 2003

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Algiers and nearby towns to the east, killing 2,251 and injuring 10,243.

 

India: January 26, 2001

An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck the western state of Gujarat killing at least 19,700 people and causing damage in neighbouring Pakistan. The quake affected 15.9 million people in 7,904 villages.

 

Turkey: August 17, 1999

More than 17,800 people killed by a magnitude 7.4 quake.

 

Afghanistan: May 30, 1998

A magnitude 6.9 quake kills up to 4,000 people in northern Takhar province.

 

Afghanistan: February 4, 1998

At least 4,500 people were killed in Takhar province in a quake of magnitude 6.1.

 

Japan: January 17, 1995

A magnitude 7.2 quake, the country's worst in half a century, rocked Kobe, killing 6,430 people.

 

India: September 30, 1993

A series of quakes killed almost 10,000 people in western and southern India. The first quake was of magnitude 6.4.

 

(Source: Agencies)

 

(Al Jazeera, 16 Wednesday October 2013 The Roman)