Earthquakes can be utterly terrifying and extremely destructive, levelling towns and cities and sometimes sparking floods, landslides and tsunamis that cause even more damage and death. Some regions are disproportionately affected, such as countries along the so-called Ring of Fire – a path around the Pacific Ocean that encompasses Chile, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and more.

These are some of the most destructive earthquakes from recent times, including from this year...