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Think the ground beneath your feet is safe? Think again! Dive into the 15 most jaw-dropping earthquakes and disasters ever recorded, from Chile to Japan. Discover how these epic events changed cities, countries, and even history itself. Ready to be shocked? Don't forget to subscribe for more wild stories and let us know in the comments which disaster blew your mind! #history #earthquake #disaster #documentary #nature
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Introduction to Earthquakes and Disasters
0:47 - The Spitak Earthquake, Armenia
2:13 - Haiti Earthquake and Its Consequences
3:37 - Earthquakes in Africa, Iran, and Europe
7:38 - Devastating Quakes across the Americas
9:05 - Earthquakes in Asia and Oceania
13:41 - Disasters in Turkey, Mexico, and Japan
18:52 - Top Three Earthquakes: Indian Ocean, Alaska, Chile
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Introduction to Earthquakes and Disasters
0:47 - The Spitak Earthquake, Armenia
2:13 - Haiti Earthquake and Its Consequences
3:37 - Earthquakes in Africa, Iran, and Europe
7:38 - Devastating Quakes across the Americas
9:05 - Earthquakes in Asia and Oceania
13:41 - Disasters in Turkey, Mexico, and Japan
18:52 - Top Three Earthquakes: Indian Ocean, Alaska, Chile
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📚
LearningTranscript
00:00We think we're safe as long as we're underground, but what if the very ground you're standing on suddenly moves?
00:07In just a few seconds, nature can destroy an entire city, collapse thousands of buildings, and change the lives of
00:14hundreds of thousands of people.
00:16Beneath our feet, massive slabs of earth are constantly moving and colliding.
00:22As the force builds up, the tension also rises, and when it is finally released, the result can be a
00:29disaster that is almost impossible to escape.
00:32These are 15 of the most devastating earthquakes and other disasters in history.
00:37But before we start, if you're new to our channel, make sure to subscribe so you'll always be updated with
00:43videos like this.
00:47Number 15, Spitak earthquake.
00:49We'll start in the Caucasus, in Armenia, back when it was still part of the declining Soviet Union.
00:55The city of Spitak was an industrial center, built as a symbol of progress, a promise to change the future
01:03of the Armenians.
01:04But they didn't expect that the city was built on top of a complex system of faults resulting from the
01:11collision of the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
01:14On December 7th, 1988, in the middle of the cold winter in Armenia, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck.
01:23The ground suddenly split open, and the disaster was made even worse by the negligence of the government.
01:29Many buildings from the Soviet era were constructed using cheap materials, so they collapsed within seconds.
01:35Approximately 25,000 people lost their lives, many of them crushed by the collapsed buildings.
01:42Meanwhile, the survivors had to endure temperatures reaching negative 20 degrees Celsius while they had no proper shelter.
01:52The rescue operation by the Soviet Union was very slow and insufficient, so they were forced to ask for help
01:58from Western countries.
01:59Sputak was rebuilt from scratch, but it never fully regained its former state.
02:05This disaster caused severe hardship throughout the Republic of Armenia, and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
02:13Number 14. Haiti Earthquake.
02:16Now let's go to the Caribbean, to the country of Haiti.
02:19Even before, Haiti had already been experiencing severe poverty, widespread deforestation, and long-standing political turmoil.
02:28Its capital, Port-au-Prince, is located near the Enriqueo Fault, a place where the Caribbean plate and the North
02:36American plate grind against each other.
02:38On January 10, 2012, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the area at a depth of approximately 13 kilometers.
02:48Because it was so close to the surface, the shaking was extremely strong.
02:52The country did not have adequate earthquake protocols, nor proper building codes for earthquakes.
02:59There are entire communities made up of cheap houses built with hollow blocks, including roofs and structures made of heavy
03:06concrete.
03:07Because of the intense shaking, many of these collapsed right on top of their residence.
03:13More than 250,000 people died, as many victims were buried under the rubble, and widespread infrastructure was destroyed.
03:23But the problems didn't end there.
03:25A cholera outbreak followed, which further increased the death toll, completely paralyzed the country, and caused long-term effects on
03:34Haiti's economy and government.
03:36Number 13, number 13, El Asnam earthquake.
03:41Let's cross the Atlantic and go to Algeria in North Africa.
03:44Here lies the city of El Asnam, where authorities ignored previous earthquakes and continued constructing buildings without proper regulations.
03:54The rapid development of the city happened right in the area where the African Plate and Eurasian Plate experienced strong
04:03movements.
04:04On October 10, 1980, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the area and caused approximately 36 kilometers of surface rupture.
04:14In some areas, the ground rose by up to 6 meters.
04:18Many modern buildings that were constructed without sufficient reinforcement experienced severe structural failure.
04:26Buildings collapsed and hospitals, schools, and entire communities were hit.
04:30Approximately 5,000 people lost their lives, while around 300,000 were left homeless.
04:37To erase the memory of repeated destruction, the government changed the name of the city and called it TLEF.
04:45Eventually, this tragedy also became the reason for Algeria to implement the first strict earthquake regulations in the region.
04:55Number 12, Manjil-Rudbar earthquake.
04:58Let's go to the Middle East, in northwestern Iran.
05:02Near the Caspian Sea lies the mountainous region of Gilan, a place known for its steep and rocky terrain.
05:09Here stand hundreds of villages made up of traditional buildings, built right on the spot where the Arabian Plate and
05:17Eurasian Plate collide.
05:19On June 21, 1990, around midnight, a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the area while people were sound asleep.
05:29With the first tremor alone, the heavy, traditional houses made of mud and adobe collapsed, burying many people.
05:37But the disaster was not over yet.
05:40Because of the steep and unstable terrain, a massive landslide and avalanche occurred, burying entire valleys.
05:49The main roads leading to the communities were also destroyed.
05:52Because of this, many areas were completely isolated for three days, and heavy equipment or aid from outside couldn't get
06:00in during the most critical time for rescue.
06:03The survivors were forced to dig through the rubble with their own hands in an attempt to save their families.
06:11In the end, it is estimated that more than 40,000 people lost their lives because of this disaster.
06:17Number 11, Varancia earthquake.
06:20Now let's go to Eastern Europe, to Romania.
06:23Its capital, Bucharest, is located on a vast and densely populated plain, just a few kilometers from the Carpathian Mountains.
06:30But the city is at risk because of the Varancia seismic zone, a deep area where a huge amount of
06:37energy accumulates underground.
06:40This energy can be transmitted directly toward Bucharest.
06:43On March 4th, 1977, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck from a depth of about 100 kilometers.
06:52Because the origin was deep, the strong seismic waves spread toward the capital.
06:58Buildings constructed before World War II shook.
07:01In just a few seconds, 32 large buildings completely collapsed.
07:06Approximately 1,500 people died, including many well-known personalities and members of Romania's intellectual community.
07:15But the dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, used the chaos as an opportunity.
07:20Under the pretext that buildings with structural risks needed to be demolished,
07:24he ordered the demolition of several historic parts of Bucharest that had survived the earthquake.
07:29Instead of simply reconstructing, he used the disaster to change the face of the city and advance his totalitarian ambitions.
07:38Number 10, Guatemala earthquake.
07:41Now let's go to Central America, to Guatemala.
07:45At that time, the country was facing intense political tension and a huge gap between the rich and the poor.
07:53Many indigenous communities were forced to live in simple houses made of adobe.
07:57And these communities were located right next to the Motagua Fault,
08:02the boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate.
08:06On February 4, 1976, at around 3 in the morning, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake suddenly shook the country.
08:16The ground movement was extremely strong, and there was a surface rupture that extended for about 250 kilometers.
08:23The houses made of mud and adobe collapsed almost immediately, and many people were buried while they were sleeping.
08:30Meanwhile, many modern buildings in wealthier areas remained almost intact.
08:35In total, about 23,000 people lost their lives, while around 1 million people were left homeless.
08:43The situation worsened due to the slow and inefficient distribution of humanitarian aid by the military government,
08:50which caused intense anger and protests from civilians.
08:53The disaster did not only destroy homes, it buried entire communities,
08:58and further intensified the bloody civil war in Guatemala that lasted for almost two decades.
09:05Number 9, Tangshan Earthquake.
09:08Let's go to East Asia, to the coast of China.
09:11At that time, Tangshan was a large city with about 1 million residents,
09:16and its economy was mainly centered on coal mining.
09:20But the precautions taken by the authorities against earthquakes were not enough.
09:24They didn't know that the massive industrial city was built on top of a fault system in the Eurasian plate.
09:32On July 28th, 1986, at around 3 in the morning, a powerful magnitude 7 earthquake struck.
09:39A 9.5 earthquake suddenly shook the city.
09:43Most of the buildings did not have enough reinforcement.
09:45In just 15 seconds, approximately 85% of the buildings collapsed.
09:53Meanwhile, the mines were full of workers on the night shift when the tunnels collapsed.
09:59Thousands of miners were suddenly buried under tons of rocks and soil.
10:03According to the official count, 242,000 lives were lost, while more than a million people were affected.
10:12But according to some international experts, the real number may be several times higher.
10:18Because of the government's ideological stance, the Maoist regime rejected aid from other countries.
10:25The survivors were forced to dig through the rubble with their own hands to retrieve bodies and search for their
10:32families.
10:32And because of the state's intense information suppression, it became difficult to know the true extent of the tragedy.
10:40In the end, the Tungshan earthquake was recognized as one of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th century.
10:47Number 8. Kashmir earthquake.
10:50Now let's go to South Asia, to the mountainous region of Kashmir.
10:54At that time, this place was one of the biggest flashpoints for military tension and diplomatic conflict between Pakistan and
11:03India.
11:03And right beneath this disputed territory lies the area where the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate collide.
11:10On October 8, 2005, just a few minutes before 9 in the morning, a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook
11:20the slopes of the Himalayas.
11:22The ground shook so violently that the mountains became unstable and triggered numerous landslides.
11:28Entire villages were literally wiped off the map.
11:31Millions of tons of rocks and soil buried the roads, cutting off the victims and survivors from any medical help.
11:40And because it was winter in the mountains, thousands of survivors had to endure the extreme cold and snow without
11:47adequate shelter.
11:49The destruction was so widespread that Pakistan and India were forced to temporarily ease their tensions and open some sections
11:57of their border.
11:57These were sections of their militarized border open to allow humanitarian aid to enter.
12:02Despite this, the impact was still enormous.
12:05Around 86,000 people lost their lives, while no less than 3 million people were affected.
12:13Number 7. Hawke's Bay Earthquake
12:16Let's cross over to Oceana and go to the North Island of New Zealand.
12:20At that time, the prosperous city of Napier had an economy centered on maritime trade.
12:26Most of the residents worked in brick buildings scattered throughout the city center.
12:31The area is in an active tectonic zone near the boundary of the Pacific, Kermadeck, and Australian plates.
12:38On February 3, 1931, just a few minutes before 11 in the morning, a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck
12:48Hawke's Bay.
12:49The shaking was so intense that the ground rose by more than 2 meters in just a few seconds.
12:55Buildings collapsed onto the streets, but the disaster didn't end there.
13:00Just a few minutes later, the broken gas pipes caused massive fires.
13:06The flames spread quickly and burned the ruins of the city.
13:10In total, 256 people lost their lives.
13:14Because of the intense movement of the earth, an entire lagoon dried up,
13:18and thousands of hectares of new land became available for settlement.
13:22Napier was completely rebuilt, and instead of just restoring the old design of the city,
13:28they used the more modern, art deco architectural style,
13:32along with more flexible and earthquake-resistant materials.
13:36That tragedy is why Napier has the distinctive look it still has today.
13:41Number 6. Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
13:44Let's go back to the Middle East, at the border of Turkey and Syria.
13:48At that time, millions of refugees from the war were living in the area,
13:53most of them in buildings that were hastily constructed and lacked proper support.
13:58These communities were built on top of the East Anatolian Fault,
14:02a place where the Arabian Plate and the Anatolian Plate directly collide.
14:07On February 6, 2023, at around 4 in the morning,
14:12a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the region.
14:16Just a few hours later, it was followed by another strong tremor that reached magnitude 7.5.
14:24The consecutive earthquakes caused massive destruction.
14:28Thousands of homes collapsed, from the shelters of refugees to modern buildings in large cities.
14:35In many places, the concrete was literally shattered into pieces,
14:39leaving the steel reinforcements exposed.
14:42And the long-standing problem with construction and engineering standards resurfaced.
14:47The so-called construction amnesties became even more controversial.
14:52A system where the government forgives certain illegal constructions
14:56in exchange for the payment of fines.
14:59Because of this, thousands of buildings can be reached.
15:05And when the earthquake struck, many of these buildings became traps for their own residents.
15:12In total, more than 50,000 people died, while millions more lost their homes.
15:19Number 5. Earthquake in Mexico
15:21Let's go to North America, to the coast of Michoacan.
15:25This is a geologically active area, but the biggest impact of the earthquake was felt in Mexico City.
15:32The city was built on a former lake, so the ground underneath is very soft.
15:37During a strong earthquake, this soft ground can behave like gel,
15:42amplifying the shaking of buildings.
15:45And the entire area is at risk, because of the subduction zone,
15:49where the Cocos Plate is sliding beneath the North American Plate.
15:52In September 1985, around 7 in the morning,
15:56a powerful magnitude 8.0 earthquake, originating from Michoacan, shook Mexico.
16:04Because of the effect of the soft soil in the Valley of Mexico,
16:07the shaking in the capital became even stronger.
16:10Many buildings in the center of Mexico City collapsed.
16:13And exactly 32 years later, in 2017,
16:17another magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico City.
16:21Again, on September 19.
16:24The earthquake on September 19, 1985,
16:28claimed an estimated 10,000 lives,
16:30and left around 250,000 victims.
16:33Because of the slow response of the government,
16:36ordinary citizens were forced to help in searching for
16:39and rescuing survivors trapped under the rubble.
16:43But from this tragedy,
16:44a more organized and active civil society movement was formed in Mexico.
16:49And as part of the changes implemented after the disaster,
16:52the city established one of the world's first earthquake early warning systems.
16:57A tragedy that not only claimed thousands of lives,
17:01but also completely changed the way Mexico prepares for earthquakes.
17:06Number 4. Japan Earthquake.
17:09Let's go back to East Asia,
17:10to the Pacific coast of Japan.
17:13Japan is one of the best prepared countries
17:15and has some of the most advanced earthquake systems.
17:17It has buildings designed to withstand strong tremors,
17:21hydraulic shock absorbers,
17:23and large coastal defenses.
17:25All of this technology was built to deal with
17:28one of the most dangerous seismic zones in the world,
17:32the subduction zone where the Pacific Plate and Okoats Plate move.
17:36On March 11, 2011,
17:39just a few minutes before 3 p.m.,
17:41a powerful, magnitude 9.1 earthquake shook the Tohoku coast.
17:47The intense shaking lasted for almost six minutes.
17:51Japanese engineering played a huge role.
17:53Many buildings withstood the shaking,
17:56which possibly saved countless lives.
17:59But there is one thing that buildings cannot stop,
18:02the ocean.
18:03After the earthquake,
18:05a massive tsunami hit the coast.
18:07In some places,
18:09the waves reached about 40 meters high,
18:12surpassing seawalls and coastal defenses.
18:15Nearly 20,000 people lost their lives,
18:18while hundreds of thousands were left homeless.
18:21But one of the most severe effects happened
18:23at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
18:27Water entered the plant's cooling systems,
18:30causing the reactors to break down,
18:32and radioactive materials to leak.
18:35There was a massive evacuation and radiation contamination,
18:39and Japan's nuclear power industry was greatly affected.
18:43This disaster showed that no matter how advanced a country is,
18:47there are forces of nature that cannot be fully controlled.
18:51Number three,
18:52earthquake in the Indian Ocean.
18:54Let's go to Southeast Asia,
18:56to the ocean near Sumatra.
18:57At that time,
18:59many countries surrounding the Indian Ocean
19:01had almost no early warning systems
19:04or proper plans for rapid coastal evacuation.
19:07The large communities,
19:09tourist destinations,
19:10and fishing villages in the region
19:11are situated around a massive subduction zone.
19:15Here,
19:16the Indian-Australian plate
19:17is subducting beneath the overlying plates.
19:21On December 26, 2004,
19:24at around 8 in the morning,
19:26a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake
19:29suddenly shook beneath the ocean.
19:32The rupture zone reached approximately 1,500 kilometers
19:36and lasted for almost 10 minutes.
19:39The movement under the sea was so strong
19:42that the seabed rose
19:44and billions of tons of water were pushed.
19:46And after that,
19:48the tsunami came.
19:49Huge waves hit the coastlines of 14 countries.
19:53Entire communities were swallowed by the water.
19:56Around 277,000 people lost their lives,
20:00while almost 2 million people were affected.
20:03This disaster showed how great
20:05the lack of communication
20:07and preparedness was among the countries.
20:10Some seismologists detected the massive earthquake
20:12on their monitoring systems,
20:14but there was no adequate way
20:16to immediately alert the communities in its path.
20:19This tragedy became a major reason
20:21to strengthen the Indian Ocean tsunami warning system
20:24and improve international emergency protocols.
20:29Number two,
20:29earthquake in Alaska.
20:31Let's go to the farthest part
20:32of North America
20:33in Alaska.
20:35At that time,
20:36there were only a few communities
20:37in the vast territory.
20:39Many coastal settlements
20:40were isolated from each other,
20:42while Anchorage was still a growing city,
20:44with some areas built on soft
20:47and unstable ground.
20:48And the entire region sits right on top
20:51of a massive subduction zone,
20:53where the Pacific Plate
20:54is sliding underneath the North American Plate.
20:58On Good Friday,
20:59March 27, 1964,
21:01at around 5.30 in the afternoon,
21:04the ground suddenly shook
21:05as a massive magnitude 9.2 earthquake struck.
21:09It was one of the strongest earthquakes
21:11ever recorded in history.
21:13For almost five minutes,
21:15the shaking did not stop.
21:17In Anchorage,
21:18soil liquefaction occurred,
21:20where the soft ground lost its stability
21:23and almost acted like a liquid.
21:25The ground gave way beneath residential areas,
21:28and entire sections of the community collapsed.
21:32But it wasn't just the ground that moved.
21:34The earthquake also triggered massive tsunamis
21:37that struck the coastal ports of Alaska.
21:40The waves even traveled across the Pacific Ocean
21:43and reached as far as some communities in California.
21:46Because there were still few people in the area,
21:49and the distances between communities were large,
21:52the number of casualties was lower
21:54compared to the extent of the destruction.
21:56Approximately 131 people lost their lives.
22:00But the physical impact on the land was enormous.
22:03Because of tectonic deformation,
22:06some forests were completely submerged underwater,
22:09while certain parts of the coastline
22:11rose by as much as 12 meters
22:13from their previous height.
22:15The movement of the land was so great
22:18that it completely changed the shape
22:21of some parts of the North American coastline.
22:23And even today,
22:24the traces of that earthquake
22:25can still be seen in the very shape of Alaska.
22:29Number one, the Valdivia earthquake.
22:31We end here in South America,
22:33on the coast of Chile.
22:34Chile is a country that is always facing
22:37the threat of powerful earthquakes.
22:39As a result,
22:40it is among the most advanced Latin American countries
22:42in earthquake preparedness.
22:44A large part of its infrastructure and communities
22:46are built near the Peru-Chile Trench,
22:49a massive subduction zone
22:52where the Nazca Plate is sliding
22:54beneath the South American Plate.
22:56In May 1960,
22:58around three in the afternoon,
23:00the city of Valdivia was shaken
23:02by a powerful magnitude 9.5 earthquake.
23:06This is the strongest earthquake
23:08ever recorded by modern instruments in history.
23:11The rupture zone was vast,
23:13stretching to about 1,000 kilometers,
23:16and the intense shaking lasted for almost 10 minutes.
23:20The energy it released was immense,
23:24estimated to be equivalent to the energy
23:26from thousands of nuclear bombs.
23:29The force of the earthquake changed the flow of rivers,
23:33caused mountains to collapse,
23:34and made the ground sink in some areas.
23:38Entire communities were almost swallowed by landslides.
23:42But again, the earthquake was not the only problem.
23:46The tsunami came.
23:48In some parts of Chile,
23:49the waves reached a height of about 25 meters.
23:53The tsunami crossed the entire Pacific Ocean
23:56and also hit Hawaii and Japan,
23:59where it caused further destruction and loss of life.
24:02Despite the immense strength of the earthquake,
24:05the number of casualties was lower
24:07compared to the scale of the disaster.
24:09Because southern Chile had a smaller population,
24:13and many of the communities had sturdier houses
24:15and a higher level of preparedness.
24:18However, it is estimated that 2,000 people lost their lives
24:22while approximately 2 million people were left homeless.
24:25There were also vast areas of Chilean territory
24:28that sank or were permanently altered
24:30due to the movement of the earth.
24:32This tragedy became a major reason for Chile
24:35to tighten its building and structural engineering codes.
24:40And the lessons from the Valdivia earthquake
24:42also influenced how other countries prepare for strong earthquakes.
24:55The
24:56the
24:56of
24:56the
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