How does the China earthquake compare to other recent disasters?
The Haiti earthquake measured 7.0, and claimed the lives of over 220,000 people. Why the high death toll? The quake struck near the nation’s densely-populated capital, Port Au Prince. Also, Haiti is a very poor country, with few seismically-safe buildings. With so many people living so close together in buildings that were not built to withstand intense shaking, an earthquake can exact a heavy toll. The recent Mexico earthquake, which struck not far from the United States border, was even more powerful, measuring 7.2. Due in large to the quake being centered in a relatively desolate place, only several people were killed. The Chile earthquake, which struck on February 27, had a magnitude of 8.8. That is almost 100 times stronger than the recent 6.9 China quake (each full point represents a tenfold increase in power). Still, for such a massive quake, a comparatively small number of people were killed. That’s thanks to Chile’s strict building codes and the fact that the quake struck off
Related Questions
- How does this disaster compare other recent disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami and Pakistan earthquake?
- Will the recent terrible earthquake in China have any effect on the Olympics being held in China?
- How do the funds raised via text for Haiti earthquake relief efforts compare to past disasters?
