One Earthquake Killed 830,000 People: The 9 Deadliest Earthquakes in History

Earthquakes have the potential to be some of the most catastrophic events. Caused by a shift in tectonic plates, earthquakes often result in the destruction of buildings, highways, bridges, and more. While there is certainly no way to know about every earthquake that has ever happened, some have proven to be more fatal than others. Here's a look at nine of the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history.

Earthquakes are the result of sudden movement that takes place along fault lines. This movement results in the release of stored-up energy which produces seismic waves that cause the Earth to move. It's not clear how many fault lines there are in the world, but there are at least 1,000 in the United States. Some of these fault lines move and the results are minimal. It's not uncommon for the ground to calmly shake for a few seconds. While that technically counts as an earthquake, it doesn't register at a magnitude that matters.

It's also not clear how many earthquakes have happened in world history. Since some parts of the world lack access to reporting and seismic measuring equipment, we don't even know with precision how many significant earthquakes happen each year. Moreover, while there are some historical accounts of earthquakes that took place in the 1500s and earlier, many events before modern record-keeping went undocumented entirely.

With that in mind, here's a look at the nine deadliest earthquakes in recorded history.

Shaanxi, China: 1556