MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti) – A magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit the coast of northern Chile on Wednesday night.
Magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes are almost imperceptible or weak while magnitude 7 earthquakes and over potentially cause serious damage over larger areas, depending on their depth. The most disastrous earthquakes in historic times have been of slightly over a magnitude of 9. Major earthquakes can trigger tsunamis, landslides, avalanches, floods, volcanic activity and even rupture the ground. Quakes often create tsunamis, chains of fast moving waves in the ocean that can devastate communities thousands of kilometers away.
2014
A 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit off Chile's Pacific coast on April 1. The epicenter of the earthquake was approximately 95 kilometers (59 miles) north west of Iquique. A tsunami of 2.11 m (6.9 ft) hit the Chilean city. Similar sized waves hit Peru’s coast also. Five people were confirmed dead following the incident. President Michelle Bachelet declared Pisagua, Arica and other parts of northern Chile hit by the offshore quake to be disaster zones.
On January 26 and February 3 two earthquakes, one with magnitude 5.8 and the other one with magnitude 5.7, hit the Greek island of Kefalonia. More than 700 buildings were damaged. The greek newspaper "Ta Nea," citing results of scientific researches, reported that the city of Liksuri shifted by 20 centimeters as a result of the quakes.
2013
A powerful earthquake shook in Bohol, the central Philippines on October 15. The magnitude of the earthquake at the epicenter was recorded at 7.2, at a depth of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles). It was the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in 23 years as 222 were reported dead.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake took place in southwestern Pakistan on September 24, with an epicentre 66 kilometres (41 mi) north-northeast of Awaran in the province of Balochistan. At least 825 people were killed, and hundreds more were injured. On September 28 another earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude hit Pakistan at a depth of 14.8 km, killing at least 22 people.
On 22 July 2013, a series of earthquakes occurred in Dingxi in the northwest China. They caused at least 95 deaths, and more than 1000 people were injured.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the province of Aceh on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on July 2. The quake killed at least 35 people and injured 276 others. Approximately 4,300 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The Lushan earthquake occurred on April 20 in the southwest China. The magnitude of the earthquake was placed at 7.0. The quake resulted in 196 people dead, 24 missing and at least 11,826 injured.
On April 9 a 6.3 magnitude struck the Iranian province of Bushehr, not far from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. At least 37 people were killed, and an estimated 850 people were injured, and two villages were levelled.
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Solomon islands on February 20 causing local evacuations and a tsunami of 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and killing at least 9 people.
