• Slide 1 of 13: Tokyo is often struck by earthquakes though many are so small they’re barely noticeable. The potential for the city to be struck by a big one are so strong because it sits on the western edge of the notorious Ring of Fire, a boundary where huge slabs of the Earth’s crust meet and continuously keep moving apart, colliding or just sliding next to each other
  • Slide 2 of 13: While Osaka also sits on the Ring of Fire and is subject to tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and typhoons, all of them would just amplify any natural disaster that struck the region.
  • Slide 3 of 13: As if the fact that Jakarta sits on the Ring of Fire in not enough, a little less than half the city is also below sea level. This means that the soft soil underneath will liquefy if a large enough earthquake strikes. The country also is at an increased risk because of its weak infrastructure.
  • Slide 4 of 13: While Manila is at risk because of its position in the Ring of Fire, the city is also at risk of typhoons, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions in the aftermath of any major seismic activity. The soft soil increases the chances of the ground going liquid and the city’s current infrastructure is not capable of dealing with a large scale disaster
  • Slide 5 of 13: On the eastern edge of the Ring of Fire lies the San Andreas Fault that runs is one of the most active faults in the entire Pacific. San Francisco is close to the Cascadia Subduction Zone where the North American Plate slides against the Pacific Plate and the city is also not outfitted to face bigger temblors.
  • Slide 6 of 13: Another victim of the Ring of Fire, the San Andreas Fault and the San Jacinto Fault - two of Southern California’s most active faults - pass really close to Los Angeles, increasing the risk of earthquakes substantially. The San Andreas has produced some of the larger earthquakes, but the damage would be significantly less as construction standards make it compulsory for buildings to be retrofitted.
  • Slide 7 of 13: Apart from being the most populous region of Iran, Tehran also lies near three major fault lines and is built on newer sediment that’s not very stable during an earthquake. When the city was developing, earthquake readiness was also not a focus of their construction practices, leading to poor construction standards. The government, in fact, tried to incentivize people to relocate from the city in 2010 to reduce risks.
  • Slide 8 of 13: The city is located on the boundaries of the highly active Eurasian and African tectonic plates, called the North Anatolian Fault. The area has been quiet for a while but researchers have said the next large earthquake will likely strike five miles west of the city.
  • Slide 9 of 13: The entire Himalayan country sits on the boundary between two massive tectonic plates that collide and produce earthquakes. Incidentally, it was the same collisions millions of years ago that led to the formation of the Himalayas.
  • Slide 10 of 13: The capital of one of the most populated countries lies in the same seismic zone as Kathmandu in Nepal. Delhi sits on top of several active fault lines – Mahendragarh Fault, Moradabad Fault, Delhi-Haridwar Ridge Zone, Sohna Fault and Rajasthan Boundary Fault – along with changing soil texture from hard to soft. The damage would be further exaggerated by the high0density of population and the poor construction standards in the city.
  • Slide 11 of 13: Islamabad is highly susceptible to earthquakes and aftershocks originating from the Hindu Kush region. The area is roughly where the India plate goes under the Eurasia plate. The high-density of the city and unplanned construction also make for a dangerous combination in the event of a quake.
  • Slide 12 of 13: Quito is the only capital city in the world located on the slopes of an active volcano and on the boundary where the Nazca plate moves under the South America plate. So in the event of an earthquake, there’s a high risk of impending volcanic activity too.
  • Slide 13 of 13: Lima’s earthquakes are caused by the same faults that raised the Andes mountain range and the largest earthquake on record: the 1960 9.5 magnitude quake in southern Chile. Similar to Quito, Lima too lies close to where the Nazca plate goes under the South America plate. Most buildings built before 1970 are not earthquake resistant, but the country has considerably improved its construction standards since.
Slide 1 of 13: Tokyo is often struck by earthquakes though many are so small they’re barely noticeable. The potential for the city to be struck by a big one are so strong because it sits on the western edge of the notorious Ring of Fire, a boundary where huge slabs of the Earth’s crust meet and continuously keep moving apart, colliding or just sliding next to each other
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1/13 SLIDES © Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is often struck by earthquakes, though many are so small they’re barely noticeable. The potential for the city to be struck by a big one is so strong because it sits on the western edge of the notorious Ring of Fire, a boundary where huge slabs of the Earth’s crust meet and continuously keep moving apart, colliding or just sliding next to each other. 
2/13 SLIDES © Jiji Press/Getty Images

Osaka, Japan

Osaka also sits on the Ring of Fire and is also subject to tsunamis and typhoons – catastrophes that have a tendency to amplify one another. Any natural disaster in the region would potentially affect close to 14 million people.
3/13 SLIDES © STR/Getty Images

Jakarta, Indonesia

Not only does Jakarta sit on the Ring of Fire, a little less than half the city is also below sea level. This means the soft soil underneath can potentially liquefy if a large enough earthquake strikes. The country is also at an increased risk because of its weak infrastructure.
4/13 SLIDES © Ted Aljibe/Getty Images

Manila, Philippines

Earthquakes as strong as a magnitude 6 are common in this region because of Manila's position in the Ring of Fire. The city is also at risk of tsunamis in the aftermath of any major seismic activity. The soft soil could give way during a strong quake and the city’s current infrastructure is not capable of dealing with a large scale disaster.
5/13 SLIDES © David Weintraub/Getty Images

San Francisco, Calif.

California sits on the San Andreas fault line and a recent World Geological Survey found that the region is more than 99 percent likely to be hit by a strong earthquake in the next 30 years. San Francisco is also close to the Cascadia Subduction Zone, where the North American Plate slides against the Pacific Plate. The city is highly developed and new construction must meet strict building codes, but many older homes are not retrofitted to face large seismic activities.
6/13 SLIDES © David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

Los Angeles, Calif.

The San Andreas Fault and the San Jacinto Fault – two of Southern California’s most active faults – pass close to Los Angeles, increasing the risk of earthquakes substantially. The two fault lines could rupture together and potentially produce a magnitude 7.5 or greater earthquake. The San Andreas fault has produced some of the larger earthquakes, but the damage would be significantly less as construction standards make it compulsory for buildings to be retrofitted.
7/13 SLIDES © Majid/Getty Images

Tehran, Iran

Apart from being the most populous region in Iran, Tehran also lies near three major fault lines and is built on relatively new sediment that could prove to be unstable during an earthquake. When the city was developing, earthquake readiness was also not a focus of their construction practices, leading to poor construction standards. The government actually tried to give monetary incentives to people to relocate from the city in 2010 to reduce risks.
8/13 SLIDES © Pierre Verdy/Getty Images

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is no stranger to earthquakes as it is located on the boundaries of the highly active Eurasian and African tectonic plates, known as the North Anatolian Fault. The area has been quiet for a while but researchers have said the next large earthquake could likely strike five miles west of the city, affecting close to 10 million people.
9/13 SLIDES © Niranjan Shrestha/AP Images

Kathmandu, Nepal

The entire Himalayan country sits on the boundary between two massive tectonic plates – the Indo-Australian Plate and the Asian Plate – that collide and produce earthquakes. In fact, the same collisions millions of years ago led to the formation of the Himalayas. Haphazard building construction has put thousands of lives at risk, as was seen in April 2015.
10/13 SLIDES © Virendra Singh Gosain/Getty Images

Delhi, India

The capital of the second most populous country in the world lies in the same seismic zone as Kathmandu in Nepal. Delhi sits on top of several active fault lines – the Mahendragarh Fault, Moradabad Fault, Delhi-Haridwar Ridge Zone, Sohna Fault and Rajasthan Boundary Fault – along with changing soil texture from hard to soft. The damage would be further exaggerated by the high-density population and poor construction standards in the city.
11/13 SLIDES © Jewel Samad/Getty Images

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad is highly susceptible to earthquakes and aftershocks originating from the Hindu Kush region. The area is roughly situated where the India plate goes under the Eurasia plate. The high-density of the city and lax construction standards also make for a dangerous combination in the event of a quake.
12/13 SLIDES © John Coletti/Getty Images

Quito, Ecuador

Quito is the only major city in the world located on the slopes of an active volcano and it also lies on the boundary where the Nazca Plate moves under the South America plate. With nearly two million people living in Quito, a magnitude 6 earthquake would be catastrophic for much of the population.
13/13 SLIDES © STR/Getty Images

Lima, Peru

Lima’s earthquakes are caused by the same faults that raised the Andes mountain range. These fault lines are also responsible for  the largest earthquake on record: the 9.5 magnitude quake in southern Chile in 1960. Similar to Quito, Lima, it lies close to where the Nazca plate goes under the South America plate. Most buildings built before 1970 are not earthquake resistant, but the country has considerably improved its construction standards since.
13/13 SLIDES