The Deadliest Day In Human H istory Killed Over 8 Lakh People – And It Wasn’t Because Of Any War – News18
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Shaanxi province, once considered the ‘cradle of Chinese civilisation,’ was struck by a powerful earthquake on the morning of January 23, 1556.
Following the quake, there was civil unrest, sickness, and starvation.
Humans have wreaked havoc on one another in various ways, including through the spread of fatal diseases, pollution and nuclear weapons. Many people believe that the deadliest day in human history was caused by a natural calamity, although this is difficult to confirm. Shaanxi province, once considered the ‘cradle of Chinese civilisation,’ was struck by a powerful earthquake on the morning of January 23, 1556.
Although the earthquake lasted only a few seconds, it is estimated that 1 lakh people were killed directly, while an additional 8.30 lakh died as a result of the landslides, sinkholes, fires, migration, and famine that followed. The overall death toll from major catastrophes such as World War I and World War II, along with pandemics, famines, and floods, is, of course, far higher.
However, when considering a single day of destruction, the Shaanxi earthquake — also known as the Jiajing earthquake, as it occurred during the reign of the Ming dynasty’s Jiajing Emperor — is generally regarded as the deadliest known event. It is also recognised as the deadliest earthquake in history.
The magnitude of the event is believed to have been between 8.0 and 8.3. Although numerous stronger earthquakes have occurred before and after, the surrounding cities of Huaxian, Weinan and Huayin suffered disproportionately severe damage due to the geology and urban design of the region at the time.
What caused the earthquake to be so deadly?
The Wei River Valley, which crosses the Loess Plateau in north-central China, is a geologically unusual location for the epicentre. The plateau is composed of loess, a silt-like sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust eroded from the desert, and it lies beneath the Gobi Desert.
Deadly landslides are increasingly common in the plateau. However, many homes at the time were constructed directly into the soft loess cliffs, creating yaodongs, or man-made caves.
When the earthquake struck in the early hours, many of those yaodongs collapsed, trapping the inhabitants and triggering landslides that swept across the plateau. Not only did the yaodongs inflict significant damage when they fell, but many of the buildings in the towns were made of heavy stone at the time.
Why did the earthquake occur?
The region is characterised by three main fault lines: the Piedmont fault, the Weihe fault, and the North Huashan fault. According to a geological study conducted in 1998, the North Huashan fault was a major contributor to the 1556 earthquake “because its scale and displacements are the largest in the study area.”
History.com claims that the Shaanxi earthquake actually sparked an investigation into the causes of earthquakes and strategies to mitigate future damage from natural disasters. As a result, stone buildings were replaced with softer, more earthquake-resistant materials like wood and bamboo.
The idea that the deadliest day might not have been caused by humans, but rather by rumblings deep beneath the Earth’s surface, is somewhat humbling, especially as humanity speeds ever closer to new ecological and man-made disasters.
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