WEarthquakes in 2008 resulted in about 88,011 fatalities. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake was the deadliest with 87,587 fatalities, and also the largest at 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale. Other significant earthquakes struck Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, Japan, Colombia, and other parts of China.
WThe 2008 Chino Hills earthquake occurred at 11:42:15 am PDT on July 29 in Southern California. The epicenter of the magnitude 5.5 earthquake was in Chino Hills, c. 28 miles (45 km) east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Though no lives were lost, eight people were injured, and it caused considerable damage in numerous structures throughout the area and caused some amusement park facilities to shut down their rides. The earthquake led to increased discussion regarding the possibility of a stronger earthquake in the future.
WThe 2008 Sichuan earthquake, also known as the Great Sichuan earthquake or Wenchuan earthquake, occurred at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 Ms, the earthquake's epicenter was located 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km (12 mi). The earthquake ruptured the fault for over 240 km (150 mi), with surface displacements of several meters. The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries and as far away as both Beijing and Shanghai—1,500 and 1,700 km away, respectively—where office buildings swayed with the tremor. Strong aftershocks, some exceeding 6 Ms, continued to hit the area up to several months after the main shock, causing further casualties and damage. The earthquake also caused the largest number of geohazards ever recorded, including about 200,000 landslides and more than 800 quake lakes distributed over an area of 110,000 km2 (42,000 sq mi).
WThe 2008 Skåne County earthquake occurred at 06.20am CET on 16 December and affected the southern part of Sweden and eastern parts of Denmark. The epicenter was 5 km southwest of Sjöbo and 60 km east of Malmö. The earthquake was considered "moderately strong" with a moment magnitude calculated at 4.2–4.3. Strong shaking was reported widely in Sweden from Skåne to Östergötland, in Denmark, and in northern Poland. The Skåne region is known for extremely low seismic activity, with only three small earthquakes detected between 1970 and 2008, and only 14 earthquakes since 1375. Roadways in Sweden and Denmark were reported with cracks but investigations did not determine if any were caused by the earthquake.
WThe 2008 Sulawesi earthquake struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 16 November at 17:02:31 UTC. A 7.3 Mw earthquake, it was followed by seven aftershocks higher than 5.0 Mw . Tsunami warnings were issued for the region, but later cancelled. Four people were killed in the quake and 59 injured.
WThe 2008 Qeshm earthquake occurred on 10 September in the Hormozgān Province of southern Iran, 850 kilometres (528 mi) south of Tehran. Its epicenter was near the port city of Bandar Abbas, where an earthquake two years prior had caused damage. The earthquake measured 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale and 6 on the surface wave scale, killing seven people and injuring up to 45. Causing both catastrophic and minor damage, the earthquake devastated up to 200 villages throughout southern Iran, but left the port city of Bandar Abbas almost unscathed. Citizens reportedly panicked when the earthquake hit, emptying into the parks of the city and other open areas.
WThe 2008 Chechnya earthquake occurred October 11 at 09:06:10 UTC in Chechnya, Russia, with a Mwc magnitude of 5.8. At least 13 people from the districts of Gudermes, Shalinsky and Kurchaloyevsky were killed. The mainshock and a series of aftershocks were felt throughout the North Caucasus, and even in Armenia and Georgia. About 116 people were injured.
WThe 2008 Damxung earthquake hit Damxung County, Xizang (Tibet), west of Lhasa, in the People's Republic of China around 16:30 China Standard Time on October 6. The Chinese state media reported that the earthquake caused 10 deaths as of October 7. Three aftershocks above magnitude 5 followed.
WThe 2008 Dodecanese earthquake occurred near Kattavia on the island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on 15 July. The quake struck at 06:26 a.m. local time (UTC+3) and one woman was killed when she slipped and fell as she tried to flee her home. However, the earthquake did not cause any major damage. The earthquake was felt across the entire eastern Mediterranean, as far west as Libya, and inland as far as Damascus.
WThe 2008 El Calvario earthquake occurred in central Colombia on 24 May and measured 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale. The earthquake occurred at 2:20:43 p.m. at the epicenter. The depth was 35 km; it was superficial according to an Ingeominas report. The epicenter was located 35 km from Villavicencio and 50 km from Bogotá. There were 11 confirmed fatalities and 4,181 injured, mostly in the towns of Puente Quetame, Fosca, Fomeque and Guayabetal in Cundinamarca, and in El Calvario, Meta.
WThe 2008 Market Rasen earthquake occurred at 00:56:47.8s GMT on 27 February 2008. According to the British Geological Survey the earthquake registered a reading of 5.2 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Market Rasen and 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Grimsby.
WThe 2008 Iceland earthquake was a doublet earthquake that struck on May 29 at 15:46 UTC in southwestern Iceland. The recorded magnitudes of the two main quakes were 5.9 Mw and 5.8 Mw , respectively, giving a composite magnitude of 6.1 Mw . There were no human fatalities, but 30 injuries were reported and a number of sheep were killed. The epicenter of the earthquake was between the towns of Hveragerði and Selfoss, about 45 kilometers (28 mi) east-southeast of the capital, Reykjavík. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Iceland since the summer of 2000.
WThe 2008 Illinois earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in the Midwest state of Illinois. This moderate strike-slip shock measured 5.2 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. It occurred at 04:36:59 local time on April 18 near West Salem and Mount Carmel, Illinois, within the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. Earthquakes in this part of the country are often felt at great distances.
WOn June 14, the 2008 Iwate earthquake struck the Tōhoku region of northeastern Honshū in Japan. Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) officially named this earthquake the Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku earthquake in 2008 .
WThe 2008 Kyrgyzstan earthquake struck on October 5 at 21:52 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.6, killing 75 people, including 41 children, and injuring 150 people, including 93 children. The center of the earthquake was near the town of Nura, which was destroyed in the quake. The shock destroyed donzens of buildings in the area and destroyed the nearby village of Kura. Minor damage also occurred in nearby Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The quake was felt throughout Central Asia. A magnitude 5.7 aftershock in Xinjiang and a magnitude 5.1 aftershock in Kyrgyzstan followed the earthquake. Two more aftershocks above magnitude 5 in Kyrgyzstan and one in Xinjiang struck on October 13, UTC time. Victims were transported in military helicopters to hospitals in Osh.
WThe 2008 Lake Kivu earthquake shook several countries in Africa's Great Lakes region at 07:34:12 (GMT) on February 3. It measured 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale. The epicentre was 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Bukavu at Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
WThe 2007–2008 Nazko earthquakes were a series of small volcanic earthquakes measuring less than 4.0 on the Richter magnitude scale. They took place in the sparsely populated Nazko area of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada starting on October 9, 2007 and ending on June 12, 2008. They occurred just west of Nazko Cone, a small tree-covered cinder cone that last erupted about 7,200 years ago.
WThe 2008 Peloponnese earthquake killed two people, injured more than 220 and left at least 2,000 people homeless in north western Peloponnese, Greece, on June 8. The earthquake hit the area at 1525 EET, with a moment magnitude of 6.5, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute. It was strongly felt as far away as in Athens and in parts of southern Italy. The US Geological Survey reported that the quake had a magnitude of 6.4. The epicenter of the tremor was located about 15 miles (32 km) southwest of the Greek port city of Patras, at a depth of 16 km. Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos dispatched rescue and recovery teams, the Red Cross and units of the army in order to assess the damage and the needs of survivors in the earthquake affected areas.
WThe 2008 Ziarat earthquakes hit the Pakistani province of Balochistan on October 29 with a moment magnitude of 6.4. The US Geological Survey reported that the first earthquake occurred 60 km (37 mi) north of Quetta and 185 km (115 mi) southeast of the Afghanistan city of Kandahar at 04:09 local time at a depth of 15 km (9.3 mi), at 30.653°N, 67.323°E. It was followed by another shallower magnitude 6.4 earthquake at a depth of 14 km (8.7 mi) approximately 12 hours after the initial shock, at 30.546°N, 67.447°E. 215 people were confirmed dead. More than 200 were injured, and 120,000 were homeless. The New York Times reported that Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, director general of Pakistan Meteorological Department, stated the quake epicenter was 70 miles (110 km) north of Quetta, and about 600 km (370 mi) southwest of Islamabad.
WThe 2008 Panzhihua earthquake struck southern Sichuan province, China on August 30 at 16:30:50.5 China Standard Time with a surface wave magnitude of 6.1. It is also cited as the Renhe-Huili earthquake, especially in SCEA reports and early CEA reports. It was not an aftershock of the Sichuan earthquake that occurred several months prior. With more than 400 aftershocks, it caused over 40 deaths, the collapse of 10,000 homes and damage to other infrastructure in the area. The maximum intensity was VIII liedu.
WThe 2008 Yingjiang earthquakes were a series of major earthquakes ranging from surface wave magnitude (Ms) 4.1 to 5.9 that struck Yingjiang County, Yunnan province, China between August 19 and September 3. It caused 5 deaths, 21 serious injuries, and RMB 2.7 billion in direct economic damage. USGS put the magnitude of the strongest one to Mw 6.0.