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 |
Read more about this topic: Lists Of Earthquakes
Famous quotes containing the words largest, earthquakes and/or magnitude:
“We saw many straggling white pines, commonly unsound trees, which had therefore been skipped by the choppers; these were the largest trees we saw; and we occasionally passed a small wood in which this was the prevailing tree; but I did not notice nearly so many of these trees as I can see in a single walk in Concord.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”
—Bible: New Testament, Matthew 24:7,8.
“Sometimes you’re overwhelmed when a thing comes, and you do not realize the magnitude of the affair at that moment. When you get away from it, you wonder, did it really happen to you.”
—Marian Anderson (1902–1993)