1556: Shaanxi, China 明代陜西大地震

    The deadliest quake of all time might be one of the least talked about, considering it occurred nearly 450 years ago.The 1556 quake claimed the lives of some 830,000 people. Why the massive death toll? Blame the quake's strength （8.0 on the Richter scale, or more than 30 times more powerful than the recent quake in Haiti） as well as timing and location. The pre-modern structures were utterly unable to withstand a quake of such force, and massive landslides contributed to the casualties.

    歷史上最可怕的地震也許是最少被談及的一場地震，因為它發(fā)生在450年之前。這場地震導致83萬人死亡。為何死亡人數如此巨大？原因在于震級（里氏8.0級，比剛發(fā)生的海地地震強30倍）,還有時間和地點。古代的房屋建筑完全不能抵擋這樣的大地震，大面積的山體滑坡也導致不少人遇難。

    1976: Tangshan, China 唐山大地震

    China has the misfortune to have had the second deadliest earthquake on record, the 1976 Great Tangshan Earthquake, which struck in the country's northeast. It'd be more accurate to call this a binary quake: an aftershock that struck 16 hours after the initial temblor measured an identical 7.8 on the Richter scale and was equally destructive.

    繼陜西地震之后，中國又發(fā)生了第二大強度的地震，1976年唐山大地震，確切來說是兩次大地震：地震后16小時，里氏7.8級的余震又造成了巨大損失。

    2004: Indian Ocean Tsunami 印尼海嘯

    On Dec. 26, 2004 a 9.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the bottom of the Indian Ocean, releasing energy equivalent to that of 23,000 atomic bombs. The largest earthquake in 40 years, the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake （so named because the epicenter was near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra） launched a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, sending a series of waves as high as 50 feet crashing onto the shores of 11 countries. Some people were swept out to sea while others drowned in their homes, unable to escape. According to the U.S. Geological survey, the official death toll was 227,898.

    2004年10月26日，印度洋海地爆發(fā)9.2級地震，其能量相當于兩萬三千顆原子彈爆炸。這次的蘇門答臘 -安達曼地震是40年來最大的一次（如此命名是因為震中在蘇門答臘島西海岸附近）,引發(fā)了印度洋海嘯，高達50英尺的海浪襲擊了11個國家的海岸。一些人被卷入海中，其他人由于無法逃脫，淹死在家中。美國地質勘探局統(tǒng)計顯示，死亡人數為227,898.

    1920: Haiyuan, China 寧夏海原地震

    The Dec. 16, 1920 Haiyuan earthquake - which registered a 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale - caused rivers to change course and sent landslides pouring down mountains. Destruction stretched across seven Chinese provinces. Sujiahe, a town in in Xiji County, was completely buried under a landslide. An estimated 200,000 people died in the disaster, which was felt as far away as Norway.

    1920年十月十六日寧夏海原發(fā)生的里氏7.8級大地震使得河流改道，并導致山體滑坡。七省同時受災。西吉縣蘇家河鎮(zhèn)在一次滑坡中整體被埋。二十萬人死于此次地震，并且震感遠至挪威。

    1923: Kanto, Japan 關東大地震

    Shortly before noon on September 1, 1923, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale sent shockwaves through the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. The violent tremors left few buildings habitable and prompted a tsunami that surged up to 40 ft. （12 m.） high. But the damage continued for days: by the time the fires stemming from the quake were contained, 90% of Yokohama's buildings were reportedly damaged or in ruins, and some two-fifths of Tokyo's had been destroyed - leaving half its population homeless. Nearly 143,000 people died.

    1923年九月一日，中午之前，一場里氏7.9級的地震橫掃了東京-橫濱地區(qū)。地震過后幾乎沒有建筑保持完好，并引發(fā)了海浪高達40英尺（12米）的海嘯。災難持續(xù)了很多天：地震引起的大火受到控制后，橫濱90%的建筑都毀了，東京有五分之二的部分成為廢墟，一半的人無家可歸。143,000人死于這場地震。

    1948: Turkmenistan 土庫曼斯坦大地震

    In a matter of minutes, an October earthquake measuring 7.3 turned the city of Ashgabat into a pile of rubble. A thousand Soviet doctors, nurses and other medical personnel flooded in from Moscow and other cities to aid sufferers in what is now Turkmenistan. Despite their efforts, 110,000 people perished.

    1948年十月，一場里氏7.3級的地震在幾分鐘內摧毀了阿什哈巴德。一千名蘇聯(lián)醫(yī)生、護士和醫(yī)護人員從莫斯科和其他城市出發(fā)，前往今天土庫曼斯坦所在的地方救助傷員。雖然他們付出了很大努力，還是有十一萬人身亡。

    2008: Sichuan Province, China 5.12大地震

    The 7.9-magnitude disaster struck the mountainous Sichuan Province in western China, destroying millions of buildings and causing an estimated $86 billion worth of damage. Nearly 10,000 children died in schools - trapped under rubble when the buildings collapsed.

    四川發(fā)生的這場7.9級大地震中有上百萬房屋倒塌，造成約860億美元的損失。幾乎有一萬個孩子死在倒塌的教學樓中。

    2005: Kashmir, Pakistan 克什米爾大地震

    Kashmir, the site of a prolonged and violent border dispute between India and Pakistan, is beleaguered enough; a massive earthquake on Oct. 8, 2005 only added to the province's woes. Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, the quake killed 79,000 and left millions more homeless.

    印度和巴基斯坦之間長期因邊境問題而沖突不斷，克什米爾因此多年不得安寧，05年十月八日的地震更加深了這里的災難。里氏7.6級的這場地震造成79,000人喪生，幾百萬人無家可歸。

    1908: Messina, Italy 墨西拿大地震

    By today's standards, the earthquake that struck beneath the Messina Strait - which separates the regions of Sicily and Calabria - on December 28, 1908, was a magnitude 7.5. A subsequent tsunami sent waves as much as 40 feet high crashing into the Italian coast. More than 80,000 people were killed and dozens of towns destroyed.

    分隔西西里和克拉布利亞的墨西拿海灣下爆發(fā)的這場7.5級大地震引發(fā)了海浪高達40英尺的海嘯。超過八萬人在此次地震中喪生，許多城鎮(zhèn)被毀。

    1970: Chimbote, Peru 秘魯大地震

    The Great Peruvian Earthquake hit the coastal town of Chimbote, Peru on May 31, 1970 - measuring a 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the quake was 15 miles away from the city, in the Pacific Ocean, yet the disaster claimed the lives of some 70,000 people and left more than 800,000 homeless. Landslides, with debris traveling at speeds of up to 200 mph down the sides of the Nevado Huascaran mountain, destroyed whole villages. Tremors could be felt in Lima - some 400 miles away.

    1970年五月三十一日，秘魯沿海城市欽博特發(fā)生了里氏7.9級的大地震。震中在太平洋中，距離欽博特15 英里。地震造成七萬人喪生，超過八十萬人無家可歸。夾帶著瓦礫的泥石流坡以每小時200米的速度滑下瓦斯蘭卡山，摧毀山下全鎮(zhèn)。400英里以外的秘魯首都利馬都有震感。