On September 1st...
M7.1 - Western Iran, 1962
12,225 killed. One of the world's deadliest earthquakes. Ninety-one villages destroyed and 233 damaged; over 21,000 houses destroyed, nearly all built of poor-quality materials. Slight damage at Tehran. Felt as far away as Tabriz, Esfahan and Yazd. Based on damage to old structures, this was probably the largest earthquake in this immediate area since at least 1630. Surface faulting with small offsets occurred in a 100-km (63-mi) east-west zone of the Ipak Fault. Some landslides and sandblows occurred. Earthquake lights (a red to orange glow) from the Rudak area were observed prior to the quake by various people.
M7.9 - Kanto (Kwanto), Japan (South Coast of Honshu, Japan), 1923
142,800 deaths. One of the world's most destructive earthquakes. Extreme destruction in the Tokyo - Yokohama area from the earthquake and subsequent firestorms, which burned about 381,000 of the more than 694,000 houses that were partially or completely destroyed. Although often known as the Great Tokyo Earthquake (or the Great Tokyo Fire), the damage was apparently most severe at Yokohama. Damage also occurred on the Boso and Izu Peninsulas and on O-shima. Nearly 2 m (6 ft) of permanent uplift was observed on the north shore of Sagami Bay and horizontal displacements of as much as 4.5 m (15 ft) were measured on the Boso Peninsula. A tsunami was generated in Sagami Bay with wave heights as high as 12 m (39 ft) on O-shima and 6 m (20 ft) on the Izu and Boso Peninsulas. Sandblows were noted at Hojo which intermittently shot fountains of water to a height of 3 m (10 ft).
M7.3 - Charleston, South Carolina, 1886
Local time: August 31
The largest historical earthquake in South Carolina. One of the largest earthquakes in the United States. This was the most powerful earthquake in the eastern United States, after the largest Mississippi Embayment earthquakes of 1811-1812. Earth scientists have yet to conclusively identify the geologic fault that caused the earthquake.
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