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What was the most damaging earthquake in history?

The most damaging earthquake in recorded history took place in Tangshan, China. At 4 a.m. on July 28, 1976, a tremor lasting less than a minute destroyed 89 percent of homes and 78 percent of industrial buildings. The quake registered 8.2 on the Richter scale (This scale, which measures the magnitude of an earthquake, has graded steps beginning with 1 and ending with 10; each step is about 60 times greater than the preceding step.). Although Chinese officials reported 255,000 deaths, international observers estimate the true total to be 750,000, that is 75 percent of the entire population of Tangshan.

Further Information: Dixon, Dougal. Natural Disasters. New York: Reader's Digest Books, 1997, pp. 34–51; Earthquakes. [Online] Available

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