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A magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook Nepal's capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, the worst quake in the Himalayan nation in over 80 years.
The world's strongest earthquakes since 1900:
May 22, 1960: A magnitude-9.5 earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami kill at least 1,716 people.
March 28, 1964: A magnitude-9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, kills 131 people, including 128 from a tsunami.
Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude-9.1 quake in Indonesia triggers an Indian Ocean tsunami, killing 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
March 11, 2011: A magnitude-9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan triggers a tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people.
Nov. 4, 1952: A magnitude-9.0 quake in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East causes damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.
Feb. 27, 2010: A magnitude-8.8 quake shakes Chile, generating a tsunami and killing 524 people.
Jan. 31, 1906: A magnitude-8.8 quake off the coast of Ecuador generates a tsunami that kills at least 500 people.
Feb. 4, 1965: A magnitude-8.7 quake strikes Alaska's Rat Islands, causing an 11-meter (35-foot) -high tsunami.
March 28, 2005: A magnitude-8.6 quake in northern Sumatra in Indonesia kills about 1,300 people.
Aug. 15, 1950: A magnitude-8.6 earthquake in Tibet kills at least 780 people.
April 11, 2012: A magnitude-8.6 quake off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia triggers tsunami warnings in more than two dozen nations.
March 9, 1957: A magnitude-8.6 quake strikes the Andreanof Islands in Alaska triggers a 16-meter (52-foot) -high tsunami.
Sept. 12, 2007: A magnitude-8.5 quake near Sumatra in Indonesia kills at least 25 people.
Feb. 1, 1938: A magnitude-8.5 quake in Banda Sea, Indonesia, generates a small tsunami.
Feb. 3, 1923: A magnitude-8.5 quake in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East triggers a tsunami.
Nov. 11, 1922: A magnitude-8.5 quake along the Chile-Argentina border triggers a tsunami that causes damage along Chile's coast.
Oct. 13, 1963: A magnitude-8.5 quake in the Kuril Islands triggers a tsunami.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Comment: Here is a list of major earthquakes during the last 30 days.
- 6.6 49km E of Lamjung, Nepal2015-04-25 06:45:21 UTC14.6 km deep
- 7.8 34km ESE of Lamjung, Nepal2015-04-25 06:11:26 UTC15.0 km deep
- 6.2 182km WSW of Bella Bella, Canada2015-04-24 13:56:16 UTC10.0 km deep
- 6.3 158km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands2015-04-22 22:57:15 UTC72.0 km deep
- 6.4 66km SE of Su'ao, Taiwan2015-04-20 01:42:58 UTC29.0 km deep
- 6.5 183km SSW of Sigave, Wallis and Futuna2015-04-17 15:52:51 UTC10.0 km deep
- 3.3 1km WSW of View Park-Windsor Hills, California2015-04-13 04:17:41 UTC11.7 km deep
- 6.3 105km NE of Hihifo, Tonga2015-04-07 00:46:21 UTC30.0 km deep
- 3.6 1km NNW of San Ramon, California2015-04-02 07:06:03 UTC10.0 km deep
- 6.5 99km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga2015-03-30 08:48:26 UTC15.5 km deep
- 6.4 109km NE of Hihifo, Tonga2015-03-30 08:18:00 UTC11.5 km deep
- 7.5 53km SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea2015-03-29 23:48:31 UTC41.0 km deep
© bcclimate.com
© Unknown
I used the USGS earthquake database and tried to re-create that chart above on magnitude 7.5 or greater earthquakes from bcclimate.com and the data doesn't match. I tried raw data, a five-year average to match his "5 Year Intervals," I tried 10 year averages, etc., nothing resembles his chart. He has the data right for the past 25 years or so, but underestimates earlier periods. Curiously, from a financial point of view, the data during the 1930's comes the closest to matching our current period, though our two most recent decades do have the greatest number of occurrences and on a remarkably sustained basis.
The SOTT.NET editorial comment about the big rise in earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 or greater during the last 11 years is spot on! This makes a lot of sense since large tsunamis have risen strongly in a similar way in the 21st century compared with the 20th and these 8.5 or greater earthquakes are the ones that create these killer tsunamis.
Thanks.