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The Challenge of Natural HazardsIntroduction

The Earthquake That Should Have Killed Thousands

Part of Tectonic Hazards — GCSE Geography

This introduction covers The Earthquake That Should Have Killed Thousands within Tectonic Hazards for GCSE Geography. Revise Tectonic Hazards in The Challenge of Natural Hazards for GCSE Geography with 14 exam-style questions and 24 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 12 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 1 of 12

Practice

14 questions

Recall

24 flashcards

🌋 The Earthquake That Should Have Killed Thousands

On 27 February 2010, the ground shook for nearly three minutes along the Chilean coast. At magnitude 8.8, it was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in human history — releasing roughly 500 times more energy than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The sea pulled back from the shore, then surged back as a tsunami. Half a million homes were damaged or destroyed. Yet fewer than 600 people died.

Five years later, on 25 April 2015, a much weaker earthquake — magnitude 7.8 — struck Nepal. Buildings collapsed across the Kathmandu Valley. Ancient temples that had stood for five centuries crumbled in seconds. Around 9,000 people were killed and 2.8 million were made homeless. In the remote mountain villages, rescue teams could not reach survivors for three days.

Chile's earthquake was 32 times more powerful. Nepal's killed 16 times more people. Why the difference? The answer is not geology — it is wealth, governance, and the choices societies make before disaster strikes.

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Tectonic Hazards. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

How Tectonic Hazards FormChile 2010: When Preparation Saves LivesNepal 2015: When Vulnerability Turns Hazard into Disaster

Practice Questions for Tectonic Hazards

At which type of plate margin do two plates move towards each other, causing one to be forced beneath the other?

  • A. Constructive margin
  • B. Conservative margin
  • C. Destructive margin
  • D. Transform margin
1 markfoundation

Explain why the 2010 Chile earthquake caused far fewer deaths than the 2015 Nepal earthquake, even though Chile's earthquake was more powerful.

3 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

What is a plate margin?
The boundary where two tectonic plates meet.
How does an earthquake happen?
Pressure builds up along a fault and is suddenly released, sending out shock waves.

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