Russia's 8.8 Earthquake Is One of the Strongest Ever Recorded
Russia's earthquake was estimated at magnitude 8.8, among the strongest since scientists began monitoring
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On July 30, 2025, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia, sending a tsunami toward that country's coast and high waves across the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Hawaii and California. The world has witnessed several very large earthquakes in the past couple years, including a 7.7 in Myanmar in March 2025 and a 7.4 on Taiwan's east coast in April 2024. The Richter scale is logarithmic, meaning the seismic waves in an 8.0 quake are 10 times greater in amplitude than those in a 7.0 quake, with roughly 32 times more power. The 7.0 waves, in turn, are 10 times greater and 32 times more powerful than a 6.0 quake.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.5, struck Chile's southern coast in 1960. Here is a list of the most powerful earthquakes on record, from the U.S. Geological Survey, which also published the descriptions shown below. Russia's latest quake will likely be added after scientists have a chance to analyze and verify data recorded by seismographs worldwide.
9.5 Biobío, Chile, 1960. Commonly referred to as the Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake, the largest earthquake ever, killed 1,655 people and left two million homeless.
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9.2 Alaska, 1964. Known as the Great Alaska earthquake, the Prince William Sound earthquake, or the Good Friday earthquake, this quake and ensuing tsunami killed 130 people and caused $2.3 billion in damage.
9.1 Sumatra, Indonesia, 2004. The Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake triggered massive tsunamis and killed more than 280,000 people while displacing 1.1 million across South Asia and East Africa.
9.1 Tōhoku, Japan, 2001. The Great Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,000 people and displaced 130,000 more.
9.0 Kamchatka Krai, Russia, 1952. The world's first recorded magnitude 9 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that struck Hawaii, causing over $1 million in damages.
8.8 Biobío, Chile, 2010. Occurring offshore near the city of Quirihue, this intense earthquake killed 523 people and destroyed more than 370,000 homes.
8.8 Esmeraldas, Ecuador, 1906. The so-called Ecuador-Colombia earthquake produced a strong tsunami that killed 1,500 and reached as far north as San Francisco.
8.7 Alaska, USA, 1965. Located near the Rat Islands of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, this quake generated a tsunami that was reportedly 35 feet high.
8.6 Arunachal Pradesh, India, 1960. The Assam-Tibet earthquake produced intense shaking, triggered sandblows, ground cracks and large landslides across the region. All told, 780 people died.
8.6 Sumatra, Indonesia, 2012. Located off the coast of northern Sumatra, this quake produced heavy shaking, but only a handful of fatalities, mostly caused by heart attacks.
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