In the Italian journal Il Piccolo, of October 8, 1978, Geo Malagoli observed:

“Our generation lives in a dangerous period of high seismic activity, as statistics show. In fact, during a period of 1,059 years (from 856 to 1914) reliable sources list only 24 major earthquakes causing 1,973,000 deaths. However, [in] recent disasters, we find that 1,600,000 persons have died in only 63 years, as a result of 43 earthquakes which occurred from 1915 to 1978.

[Chart on page 7]

Chart II

Some Major Earthquakes Between 1914 and 1982

(Incomplete list)

YEAR LOCATION DEATHS

1915 Avezzano, Italy 29,970

1920 Kansu, China 200,000

1923 Kanto, Japan 142,800

1932 Kansu, China 70,000

1934 Bihar-Nepal, India 10,700

1935 Quetta, Pakistan 60,000

1939 Chillan, Chile 30,000

1939 Erzincan, Turkey 30,000

1950 Assam, India 20,000

1960 Agadir, Morocco 12,000

1962 Northwestern Iran 12,230

1968 Northeastern Iran 11,500

1970 Northern Peru 66,700

1972 Managua, Nicaragua 10,000

1976 Guatemala City, Guatemala 23,000

1976 Tangshan, China 800,000

1978 Northeastern Iran 25,000

Other major earthquakes were recorded in some 33 places

[Chart on page 7]

Chart III

Earthquake Deaths

(Estimation based on 1,122 years)

Up to 1914​—1,800 a year

Since 1914​—25,300 a year