Mount Huascaran, Peru: 1970
View of Mount Huascaran, Peru, the site of the deadliest avalanche in recorded history. In 1970 a 7.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Peru triggered a massive avalanche that killed more than 20,000.
In 1970, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chimbote, Peru set off the deadliest avalanche in recorded history. Seismic waves jarred free a mass of glacial ice and rock that cascaded down the 21,860-foot north peak of Nevados Huascaran on Mount Huascaran, Peru.
Moving at an estimated speed of 250 mph, the mass quickly descended the face of the mountain wiping the villages of Yungay and Ranrahirca off the map, killing more than 20,000.