0 on the Richter scale. They formed new lakes, changed the course of the Mississippi River, and could be felt at least a little in a 50,000 square mile area. In contract, the San Francisco 1906 earthquake could be felt moderately in a 60,000 square mile area, even though it was a smaller quake. Kobe earthquake - Occurred in 1995 and measured 7.3 on the Richter scale. Nearly 6,500 people died in the quake. It caused ten trillion yen in damage, which was 2.5% of Japan's GDP at the time, making it the worst earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923. It is the costliest earthquake in recorded history.

Mexico City quake...

Nearly 500 buildings were destroyed, and 100,000 homes were lost. It also collapsed most of the area hospitals, leaving little health care for victims of the quake. This quake is probably the most devastating of all those on the North American continent discussed here.
Shensi, China earthquake - Occurred in 1556, the worst killing an estimate 830,000 people, which was about 60% of the entire nation's population. It destroyed a 520-square mile area,…