Largest earthquakes by magnitude[edit]

A pie chart comparing the seismic moment release of the three largest earthquakes for the hundred year period from 1906
to 2005 with that for all earthquakes of magnitudes <6, 6 to 7, 7 to 8 and >8 for the same period

Earthquakes of magnitude 8.0 and greater since 1900. The apparent 3D volumes of the bubbles are linearly proportional to
their respective fatalities.[1]

Listed below are all known earthquakes measured or estimated to have a magnitude of 8.5 or above on
themoment magnitude or Richter scales.
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.[2]

Date

May 22, 1960

December 26,
2004

Location

Valdivia, Chile

Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia

Name

1960 Valdivia
earthquake

2004 Indian Ocean

earthquake

Magnitud
e

9.5

9.3

March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA

1964 Alaska earthquake 9.2

March 11, 2011 Pacific Ocean, Thoku region, Japan

2011 Thoku earthquake 9.0[3][4][5]

November 4,

1952 Kamchatka

1952

July 9, 869

Kamchatka, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Pacific Ocean, Thoku region, Japan

earthquakes

869 Sanriku earthquake

9.0[6]

8.9 (est.)

Date

December 2,
1611

Location

Pacific Ocean, Hokkaido, Japan

Name

Magnitud
e

1611 Sanriku earthquake 8.9 (est.)

April 2, 1762

Chittagong, Bangladesh (then Kingdom of Mrauk U) 1762 Arakan earthquake 8.8 (est.)

November 25,

Sumatra, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East

1833 Sumatra

1833

Indies)

earthquake

January 31,
1906

February 27,

Ecuador Colombia

1906 Ecuador-Colombia
earthquake

Bio-Bio, Chile

2010 Chile earthquake

January 26,

Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada (then part of

1700 Cascadia

1700

the British Empire)

earthquake

Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan

1707 Hei earthquake

2010

October 28,
1707

July 8, 1730

November 1,
1755

February 4,
1965

Valparaiso, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)

Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal

Rat Islands, Alaska, USA

1730 Valparaiso
earthquake

8.8 (est.)

8.8

8.8

8.7 (est.)[7]

8.7 (est.)

8.7 (est.)[8]

1755 Lisbon earthquake 8.7 (est.)[9]

1965 Rat Islands

earthquake

8.7

Date

October 28,
1746

Location

Lima, Peru (then part of the Spanish Empire)

March 28, 1787 Oaxaca, Mexico (then part of the Spanish Empire)

April 1, 1946

August 15,
1950

March 9, 1957

Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

Assam, India Tibet, China

Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA

March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia

April 11, 2012

December 16,
1575

November 24,
1604

May 13, 1647

Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia

Valdivia, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)

Arica, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)

Santiago, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)

Name

1746 Lima-Callao
earthquake

Magnitud
e

8.6 (est.)

1787 Mexico earthquake 8.6 (est.)

1946 Aleutian Islands

earthquake

1950 AssamTibet
earthquake

1957 Andreanof Islands

earthquake

2005 Sumatra
earthquake

2012 Aceh earthquake

1575 Valdivia
earthquake

1604 Arica earthquake

1647 Santiago
earthquake

8.6

8.6

8.6

8.6

8.6

8.5 (est.)

8.5 (est.)

8.5 (est.)

Date

May 24, 1751

November 19,
1822

February 20,
1835

February 16,
1861

August 13,
1868

May 9, 1877

November 10,
1922

Location

Name

Concepcin, Chile (then part of the Spanish

1751 Concepcin

Empire)

earthquake

Valparaso, Chile

Concepcin, Chile

Sumatra, Indonesia

1822 Valparaso
earthquake

1835 Concepcin
earthquake

1861 Sumatra
earthquake

8.5 (est.)

8.5

1877 Iquique earthquake 8.5 (est.)

Atacama Region, Chile

1922 Vallenar
earthquake

1938

Indies)

earthquake

2007

8.5 (est.)

Iquique, Chile (then Peru)

1938 Banda Sea

September 12,

8.5 (est.)

1868 Arica earthquake

Banda Sea, Indonesia (then part of theDutch East

1963

Arica, Chile (then Peru)

February 1,

October 13,

Magnitud

Kuril Islands, Russia (USSR)

Sumatra, Indonesia

1963 Kuril Islands

earthquake

2007 Sumatra
earthquakes

8.5 (est.)[10]

8.5[11]

8.5

8.5[12]

8.5

Date

October 20,
1687

October 17,
1737

Location

Name

Lima, Peru (then part of the Spanish Empire)

1737 Kamchatka

Kamchatka, Russia

earthquakes

August 3, 1361 Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan

June 15, 1896

1687 Peru earthquake

Pacific Ocean, Thoku region, Japan

Magnitud
e

8.5 (est.)

8.5 (est.)

1361 Shhei earthquake 8.5(est.)

1896 Sanriku
earthquake

8.5(est.)

Largest earthquakes by Country[edit]

This list is a work in progress. Information is likely to be changed.

Please note, multiple countries could have the same earthquake listed, such as the 1906 EcuadorColombia earthquake being listed for both Ecuador and Colombia.
Country

Magnitude

Date

More Information

Argentina

8.0

27 October 1894

Australia

7.2

29 April 1941

Bangladesh

8.8

2 April 1762

1762 Arakan earthquake

Canada

8.7

26 January 1700

1700 Cascadia earthquake

1894 San Juan earthquake

Country

Magnitude

Date

More Information

Chile

9.5

22 May 1960

1960 Valdivia earthquake

China

8.6

15 August 1950

1950 AssamTibet earthquake

Colombia

8.8

31 January 1906

1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake

Cuba

7.6

11 June 1766

Dominican Republic

8.1

4 August 1946

1946 Dominican Republic earthquake

Ecuador

8.8

31 January 1906

1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake

Germany

6.1

18 February 1756

Greece

8.5+

21 July 325

365 Crete earthquake

Haiti

8.1

7 May 1842

1842 Cap-Haitien earthquake

Iceland

6.6

17 June 2000

2000 Iceland earthquakes

Indonesia

9.3

26 December 2004

2004 Boxing Day earthquake

Italy

7.4

11 January 1693

1693 Sicily earthquake

Country

Magnitude

Date

More Information

Japan

9.0

11 March 2011

Mexico

8.6

28 March 1787

New Zealand

8.3

23 January 1855

1855 Wairarapa earthquake

Peru

8.6

28 October 1746

1746 Lima-Callao earthquake

Portugal

8.5

1 November 1755

1755 Lisbon earthquake

Russia

9.0

4 November 1952

1952 Kamchatka earthquake

Samoa

8.5

26 June 1917

1917 Samoa earthquake

South Africa

6.3

29 September 1969

Spain

7.0

21 March 1954

6.5

18 October 1356

1356 Basel earthquake

Turkey

7.8

27 December 1939

1939 Erzincan earthquake

United Kingdom

5.9

6 April 1580

1580 Dover Straits earthquake

United States

9.2

27 March 1964

1964 Alaska earthquake

Switzerland

2011 Thoku earthquake