THE WORLD’S LARGEST EARTHQUAKES IN 2003

Abstract

Every year the Earth is shaken by several hundred thousand earthquakes with magnitudes over 2.0 (Dolgoff, 1998), mostly originating at the geotectonic plate boundaries. Two welldefined seismic belts, the circum-Pacific and the Mediterranean-Himalayan belts, are subject to the most frequent earthquake shocks. The latter also includes the region of Slovenia. Most earthquakes are weak and do not cause any material damage and do not claim human lives but, in addition to these, there are several earthquakes which cause extreme destruction and even death. There were 85 earthquakes in 2003 that reached a magnitude of 6.5 or more, caused minor or major material damage, or claimed human lives. 42 of these earthquakes are mentioned. The most devastating earthquake in 2003 happened on 26 December in southeastern Iran; approximately 41,000 people were killed. An earthquake that occurred on 21 May in northern Algeria claimed 2,266 human lives. The 25 September earthquake near Hokkaido Island, Japan ranks first in terms of released energy with a magnitude of 8.3. The deepest earthquake happened on 26 May near Mindanao, Philippines with its hypocentre 566 km below the surface. Another very deep earthquake (558 km below the surface) occurred on 20 June in Amazonas, Brasilia. In 2003, earthquakes claimed more than 43,819 human lives.