Lists of Earthquakes - Largest Earthquakes By Magnitude

Largest Earthquakes By Magnitude

Listed below are all known earthquakes measured or estimated to have a moment magnitude scale or Richter magnitude scale of 8.5 and above.

This list is biased towards recent years due to development and widespread deployment of seismometers. Also, records that were detailed enough to make magnitude estimates (est.) were not generally available before 1900.

Date Location Name Magnitude
01960-05-22May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile 1960 Valdivia earthquake 9.5
01964-03-27March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 1964 Alaska earthquake 9.2
02004-12-26December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake 9.1–9.3
01952-11-04November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, Russia (then USSR) 1952 Kamchatka earthquakes 9.0
02011-03-11March 11, 2011 Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan 2011 Tōhoku earthquake 9.0
01615-09-16September 16, 1615 Arica, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1615 Arica earthquake 8.8 (est.)
01833-11-25November 25, 1833 Sumatra, Indonesia 1833 Sumatra earthquake 8.8–9.2 (est.)
01906-01-31January 31, 1906 Ecuador – Colombia 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake 8.8
02010-02-27February 27, 2010 Maule, Chile 2010 Chile earthquake 8.8
01700-01-26January 26, 1700 Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada 1700 Cascadia earthquake 8.7–9.2 (est.)
01730-07-08July 8, 1730 Valparaiso, Chile 1730 Valparaiso earthquake 8.7 (est.)
01755-11-01November 1, 1755 Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal 1755 Lisbon earthquake 8.7 (est.)
01965-02-04February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, USA 1965 Rat Islands earthquake 8.7
00869-07-09July 9, 869 Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan 869 Sanriku earthquake 8.6 (est.)
01498-09-20September 20, 1498 Pacific Ocean, Nankai Trough, Japan 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake 8.6 (est.)
01707-10-28October 28, 1707 Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan 1707 Hōei earthquake 8.6 (est.)
01950-08-15August 15, 1950 Assam, India – Tibet, China 1950 Assam - Tibet earthquake 8.6
01957-03-09March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake 8.6
01946-04-01April 1, 1946 Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake 8.6
02005-03-28March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 2005 Sumatra earthquake 8.6
02012-04-11April 11, 2012 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia 2012 Aceh earthquake 8.6
01575-12-16December 16, 1575 Valdivia, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1575 Valdivia earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01604-11-24November 24, 1604 Arica, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1604 Arica earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01647-05-13May 13, 1647 Santiago, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1647 Santiago earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01687-10-20October 20, 1687 Lima, Peru (Viceroyalty of Peru) 1687 Peru earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01751-05-24May 24, 1751 Concepción, Chile (Kingdom of Chile) 1751 Concepción earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01822-11-19November 19, 1822 Valparaíso, Chile 1822 Valparaíso earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01835-02-20February 20, 1835 Concepción, Chile 1835 Concepción earthquake 8.5 (est.)
01868-08-13August 13, 1868 Arica, Chile (then Peru) 1868 Arica earthquake 8.5–9.0 (est.)
01877-05-09May 9, 1877 Iquique, Chile (then Peru) 1877 Iquique earthquake 8.5-9.0 (est.)
01922-11-10November 10, 1922 Atacama Region, Chile 1922 Vallenar earthquake 8.5
01923-02-03February 3, 1923 Kamchatka, Russia (USSR) 1923 Kamchatka earthquakes 8.5
01938-02-01February 1, 1938 Banda Sea, Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) 1938 Banda Sea earthquake 8.5
01963-10-13October 13, 1963 Kuril Islands, Russia (USSR) 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake 8.5
02007-09-12September 12, 2007 Sumatra, Indonesia 2007 Sumatra earthquakes 8.5


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