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The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake () or Jiajing earthquake () was a catastrophic earthquake and is also the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people.〔 It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, during the Ming Dynasty. More than 97 counties in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Anhui were affected.〔(Science Museums of China ) Museum of Earthquakes, Ruins of Hua County Earthquake (1556)〕 An area was destroyed, and in some counties as much as 60% of the population was killed.〔(Earthquake page of Dr. George P. C. )〕 Most of the population in the area at the time lived in yaodongs, artificial caves in loess cliffs, many of which collapsed with catastrophic loss of life. ==Geography== The Shaanxi earthquake's epicenter was in the Wei River Valley in Shaanxi Province, near the cities of Huaxian, Weinan and Huayin. In Huaxian, every single building and home was demolished, killing more than half the residents of the city, with a death toll estimated in the hundreds of thousands. The situation in Weinan and Huayin was similar. In certain areas, deep crevices opened in the earth. Destruction and death were everywhere, affecting places as far as from the epicenter. The earthquake also triggered landslides, which contributed to the massive death toll.〔(History.com ), History Channel's Record of the earthquake.〕 The rupture occurred during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, in the Chinese historical record, this earthquake is often referred to as the Jiajing Great Earthquake. Modern estimates, based on geological data, give the earthquake a magnitude of approximately 8 on the moment magnitude scale or XI on the Mercalli scale, though more recent discoveries have shown that it was 7.9.〔 While it was the deadliest earthquake and the third deadliest natural disaster in history, there have been earthquakes with considerably higher magnitudes. Following the earthquake, aftershocks continued several times a month for half a year.〔(Kepu.ac.cn ), China virtual museums quake〕 In the annals of China it was described in this manner: The earthquake damaged many of the Forest of Stone steles badly. Of the 114 Kaicheng Stone Classics, 40 were broken in the earthquake.〔(【引用サイトリンク】archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040816224854/http://www.silkroadguide.com/xian/xian7.htm )〕 The scholar Qin Keda lived through the earthquake and recorded details. One conclusion he drew was that "at the very beginning of an earthquake, people indoors should not go out immediately. Just crouch down and wait. Even if the nest has collapsed, some eggs may remain intact."〔(Kisti.re.kr ), China virtual museums quake〕 This may indicate that many people were killed trying to flee while some who stayed put may have survived. The shaking reduced the height of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an from 45 meters to 43.4 meters. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1556 Shaanxi earthquake」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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