The earthquake was a magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale. It struck at 8:46 pm local time on January 12, 2010. The epicenter was located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The quake was shallow, with a depth of only about 10 kilometers (6 miles).
The first recorded earthquake in history occurred in China in 1833 BC. Since then, there have been many major earthquakes that have caused death and destruction around the world. Some of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history include the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 230,000 people; the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which killed over 316,000 people; and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 15,000 people.
