text: There are, of course, different ways to define "worst". It could be the most property damage, most loss of life, most powerful at its focus (the actual origin of the quake), or most powerful at its epicenter (the place on the Earth directly above the focus).\n\nPrior to recent times, no one had accurate instruments to measure energy released in an earthquake, and no one kept accurate records of damage. The longer ago an earthquake occurred, and the less developed the area where it occurred, the less we know about it. Information regarding after shocks and duration is usually not available.\n\nGood sources for information are:\n\nhttp://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/eqsmosde/html or\nhttp://www.usgs.gov and click on “Earthquake.”\n\nAccording to them (the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center)\n\nMost Destructive Known Earthquakes on Record in the World\n                         (50,000 deaths or more)\n             (Listed in order of greatest number of deaths)\n\n\nDate               Location            Deaths    Mag    Comments\n\nJanuary 23, 1556   China, Shansi       830,000 \n\nOctober 11, 1737   India, Calcutta**   300,000\n\nJuly 27, 1976      China, Tangshan     255,000*  8.0\n\nAugust 9, 1138     Syria, Aleppo       230,000\n\nMay 22, 1927       China, near Xining  200,000   8.3  Large fractures.\n\nDecember 22, 856+  Iran, Damghan       200,000\n\nDecember 16, 1920  China, Gansu        200,000   8.6  Major fractures,\n                                                      landslides.\n\nMarch 23, 893+     Iran, Ardabil       150,000\n\nSeptember 1, 1923  Japan, Kwanto       143,000   8.3  Great Tokyo fire.\n\nOctober 5, 1948    USSR                110,000   7.3\n   (Turkmenistan, Ashgabat)\n\nDecember 28, 1908  Italy, Messina       70,000   7.5  Deaths from \n                                    to 100,000        earthquake and \n                                    (estimated)       tsunami.\n    \nSeptember, 1290    China, Chihli       100,000 \n\nNovember, 1667     Caucasia, Shemakha   80,000\n\nNovember 18, 1727  Iran, Tabriz         77,000\n\nNovember 1, 1755   Portugal, Lisbon     70,000   8.7  Great tsunami.\n\nDecember 25, 1932  China, Gansu         70,000   7.6\n\nMay 31, 1970       Peru                 66,000   7.8  $530,000 damage,\n                                                      great rock slide,\n                                                      floods.\n\n    1268           Asia Minor, Silicia  60,000\n\nJanuary 11, 1693   Italy, Sicily        60,000\n\nMay 30, 1935       Pakistan, Quetta     30,000   7.5  Quetta almost\n                                     to 60,000        completely destroyed.\n\nFebruary 4, 1783   Italy, Calabria      50,000\n\nJune 20, 1990      Iran                 50,000   7.7  Landslides.\n\n* Official casualty figure--estimated death toll as high as 655,000.\n+ Note that these dates are prior to 1000 AD.  No digit is missing.\n** Later research has shown that this was a typhoon, not an earthquake.\n   (Source: The 1737 Calcutta Earthquake and Cyclone Evaluated by \nRoger Bilham, BSSA, Vol. 84, No. 5, October 1994)\nData compiled from several sources.\nUnited States Geological Survey \nNational Earthquake Information Center