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Fractured Road, Japan
Photograph by Karen Kasmauski
A crane and several construction vehicles lay toppled on a fractured road in Kobe, Japan, after a 7.2-magnitude temblor shook the quake-prone country. The Great Hanshin Earthquake Disaster of 1995 was one of the worst in Japan’s history, killing 6,433 people and causing more than $100 billion in damages.
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Collapsed Bridge, Guatemala
Photograph by Robert W. Madden
A 1976 earthquake near Guatemala City shattered this bridge in Agua Caliente, cutting off the city’s main supply route to the Atlantic. The 7.5-magnitude quake killed more than 23,000 people and left thousands more injured and homeless.
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Twisted Railroad, Japan
Photograph from Pacific Press Service/Alamy
A steel-fortified railroad lies twisted like a toy after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Kobe, Japan, in 1995. The earthquake was the biggest to hit Japan in 47 years and shook the city for 20 seconds.
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San Andreas Fault, California
Photograph by Phil Degginger/Alamy
The San Andreas Fault scars Southern California’s Carrizo Plain like a battle wound. The 800-mile (1,300-kilometer) fault runs through western and southern California, dividing the Pacific and North American plates.
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Earthquake in Marina District, San Francisco
Photograph by Michael K. Nichols
Workers position support beams to steady tilting homes in San Francisco's Marina District after a disastrous earthquake hit the city in 1989. The 7.1-magnitude earthquake buckled highways and bridges, crushed cars, and toppled homes and buildings throughout the city.
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