What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded?
Death tolls from earthquakes do not always follow in lockstep with their magnitude. Rather, they are determined by a mortal equation that factors together not just the violence of the shaking, but the density of the population in the area that is struck. The magnitude 7.0 2010 Haitian earthquake, which left more than 316,000 people dead or missing, is the third deadliest since 1950, yet it does not make the top five list for largest quakes based solely on the Richter scale's reading. Nor does the Kashmir earthquake of 2005, a 7.6 magnitude event that claimed at least 79,000 lives. Still, the five biggest quakes on record did plenty of damage and caused plenty of deaths. Here are their rap sheets.
Kamchatka, Russia
Coming in at number five is the Kamchatka, Russia quake on Nov. 4, 1952 with a magnitude of 9.0. Yesterday's quake was something of an encore for the peninsula. The quake that struck Kamchatka 73 years ago was the first ever recorded that reached a 9.0 magnitude. The epicenter of the shaking was just off Kamchatka's eastern shore, in what's known as the Kuril-Kamchatka trench, one of the five deepest trenches on the planet. An estimated 10,000 people lost their lives in the immediate aftermath of the quake, due mostly to the tsunami that followed the initial shaking. The high seas reached as far as Midway Island and Honolulu Harbor, causing $1 million in damages for Hawaii—equal to $12.1 million today.
Tōhoku, Japan
At number four is the Tōhoku, Japan earthquake on March 11, 2011. With a magnitude of 9.1, this massive quake occurred off the northeast coast of Japan's Honshu Island in the Pacific Ocean's Japan Trench. It is perhaps better-known, though, as the Fukushima earthquake, after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors that were disabled by the tsunami that struck the coast within 30 minutes of the initial shaking.
All three of the power plant's reactors melted down within three days. Plumes of radioactive contamination were released into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from the surrounding communities. It would take months before Fukushima workers could get ahead of the melting cores, adding cool seawater to the reactors at the same time the nuclear fuel rods were losing some of their heat by natural decay. It would not be until that December—nine months after the quake—that the plant would reach what is known as 'cold shutdown,' a stable state with minimal risk of further meltdown.
The death toll from radiation poisoning was low—it was not until 2016 that Japan confirmed the first death of one Fukushima employee from lung cancer linked to his work at the site. But at least 18,000 other people died in the immediate quake and tsunami, including thousands whose remains were forever lost.
The Indian Ocean
The third largest recorded earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.1, was in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, 2004. Christmas had just passed when the ocean floor 150 miles off the coast of Sumatra exploded to life, releasing energy that is estimated to have been the equivalent of 23,000 Hiroshima bombs.
The tsunami that resulted from the shaking roared across the Indian Ocean at a speed of 500 mph, creating 30-ft. waves that crashed ashore throughout the region, most lethally in the city of Banda Aceh, at the northwestern tip of Sumatra. Coastal communities as distant as east Africa were inundated by the waves. At least 230,000 people in 13 countries died, with Sumatra's Aceh Province accounting for 200,000 of the deaths. More than $10 billion in losses were attributed to the tsunami, leading to a worldwide outpouring of charitable giving. Then-President George W. Bush tapped former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to travel to the stricken areas, where they witnessed the devastation and raised funds. U.S. citizens alone pledged more than $1.1 billion, and private individuals around the world gave an estimated $5 billion.
Alaska, United States
In second place was the Alaska 9.2 magnitude quake on March 27, 1964. For four and a half terrifying minutes, the earth and the waters of College Fjord east of Anchorage shook in the largest U.S. earthquake in recorded history. The tremors were felt as far away as the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, and the aftershocks kept coming for three weeks.
The southern coast of Alaska is highly quake-prone, situated at a spot where the Pacific plate slides beneath the North American plate, leading to extreme tectonic instability. During the quake, the North American plate rose by 30 feet. Tsunamis were the cause of most of the deaths linked to the event, claiming more than 70% of the total number of victims. Still, the sparse population kept the death toll relatively low, with 130 people killed. More than $2.3 billion in property losses were sustained—$24 billion in current dollars.
Biobío, Chile
The largest earthquake ever recorded was in Biobío, Chile on May 22, 1960. At 3:11 p.m. local time, about 100 miles off the coast of Chile, the quake began, when the Nazca plate subducted under the South American plate, releasing energy equivalent to 2.67 gigatons—or billion tons—of TNT. The temblor topped out at a whopping magnitude of 9.5. The ocean convulsed in tsunamis that rose 80 ft. high along the Chilean coast. Nearly 15 hours later, 35-ft. waves reached the Hawaiian islands, and seven hours after that, 18-ft. waves hit the Japanese Island of Honshu.
Despite the global reach of the event, it was Chile that was hit fastest and hardest. In the city of Valdivia, 40% of the buildings were destroyed and the port was swamped and ruined. Nearby Puerto Montt and Concepción were also devastated. The number of deaths was never accurately calculated, with estimates running from 1,000 to 6,000. An additional 3,000 people were injured. And the Earth was not done with the people of Chile. Two days after the quake, the nearby Cordón Caulle volcano erupted, an event widely attributed to the instability caused by the 9.5 magnitude shaking.
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Time Magazine
a day ago
- Time Magazine
What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded?
From the moment it began, the massive earthquake that rocked Russia's Kamchatka peninsula at 8:25 a.m local time on July 30 entered a sort of seismic rogues' gallery, vaulting to a spot near the top of the leader board of the largest known quakes in recorded history. With a magnitude of 8.8, it is tied for sixth place with the great Chilean quake of 2010, and the Colombia-Ecuador temblor of 1906. Death tolls from earthquakes do not always follow in lockstep with their magnitude. Rather, they are determined by a mortal equation that factors together not just the violence of the shaking, but the density of the population in the area that is struck. The magnitude 7.0 2010 Haitian earthquake, which left more than 316,000 people dead or missing, is the third deadliest since 1950, yet it does not make the top five list for largest quakes based solely on the Richter scale's reading. Nor does the Kashmir earthquake of 2005, a 7.6 magnitude event that claimed at least 79,000 lives. Still, the five biggest quakes on record did plenty of damage and caused plenty of deaths. Here are their rap sheets. Kamchatka, Russia Coming in at number five is the Kamchatka, Russia quake on Nov. 4, 1952 with a magnitude of 9.0. Yesterday's quake was something of an encore for the peninsula. The quake that struck Kamchatka 73 years ago was the first ever recorded that reached a 9.0 magnitude. The epicenter of the shaking was just off Kamchatka's eastern shore, in what's known as the Kuril-Kamchatka trench, one of the five deepest trenches on the planet. An estimated 10,000 people lost their lives in the immediate aftermath of the quake, due mostly to the tsunami that followed the initial shaking. The high seas reached as far as Midway Island and Honolulu Harbor, causing $1 million in damages for Hawaii—equal to $12.1 million today. Tōhoku, Japan At number four is the Tōhoku, Japan earthquake on March 11, 2011. With a magnitude of 9.1, this massive quake occurred off the northeast coast of Japan's Honshu Island in the Pacific Ocean's Japan Trench. It is perhaps better-known, though, as the Fukushima earthquake, after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors that were disabled by the tsunami that struck the coast within 30 minutes of the initial shaking. All three of the power plant's reactors melted down within three days. Plumes of radioactive contamination were released into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from the surrounding communities. It would take months before Fukushima workers could get ahead of the melting cores, adding cool seawater to the reactors at the same time the nuclear fuel rods were losing some of their heat by natural decay. It would not be until that December—nine months after the quake—that the plant would reach what is known as 'cold shutdown,' a stable state with minimal risk of further meltdown. The death toll from radiation poisoning was low—it was not until 2016 that Japan confirmed the first death of one Fukushima employee from lung cancer linked to his work at the site. But at least 18,000 other people died in the immediate quake and tsunami, including thousands whose remains were forever lost. The Indian Ocean The third largest recorded earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.1, was in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, 2004. Christmas had just passed when the ocean floor 150 miles off the coast of Sumatra exploded to life, releasing energy that is estimated to have been the equivalent of 23,000 Hiroshima bombs. The tsunami that resulted from the shaking roared across the Indian Ocean at a speed of 500 mph, creating 30-ft. waves that crashed ashore throughout the region, most lethally in the city of Banda Aceh, at the northwestern tip of Sumatra. Coastal communities as distant as east Africa were inundated by the waves. At least 230,000 people in 13 countries died, with Sumatra's Aceh Province accounting for 200,000 of the deaths. More than $10 billion in losses were attributed to the tsunami, leading to a worldwide outpouring of charitable giving. Then-President George W. Bush tapped former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to travel to the stricken areas, where they witnessed the devastation and raised funds. U.S. citizens alone pledged more than $1.1 billion, and private individuals around the world gave an estimated $5 billion. Alaska, United States In second place was the Alaska 9.2 magnitude quake on March 27, 1964. For four and a half terrifying minutes, the earth and the waters of College Fjord east of Anchorage shook in the largest U.S. earthquake in recorded history. The tremors were felt as far away as the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, and the aftershocks kept coming for three weeks. The southern coast of Alaska is highly quake-prone, situated at a spot where the Pacific plate slides beneath the North American plate, leading to extreme tectonic instability. During the quake, the North American plate rose by 30 feet. Tsunamis were the cause of most of the deaths linked to the event, claiming more than 70% of the total number of victims. Still, the sparse population kept the death toll relatively low, with 130 people killed. More than $2.3 billion in property losses were sustained—$24 billion in current dollars. Biobío, Chile The largest earthquake ever recorded was in Biobío, Chile on May 22, 1960. At 3:11 p.m. local time, about 100 miles off the coast of Chile, the quake began, when the Nazca plate subducted under the South American plate, releasing energy equivalent to 2.67 gigatons—or billion tons—of TNT. The temblor topped out at a whopping magnitude of 9.5. The ocean convulsed in tsunamis that rose 80 ft. high along the Chilean coast. Nearly 15 hours later, 35-ft. waves reached the Hawaiian islands, and seven hours after that, 18-ft. waves hit the Japanese Island of Honshu. Despite the global reach of the event, it was Chile that was hit fastest and hardest. In the city of Valdivia, 40% of the buildings were destroyed and the port was swamped and ruined. Nearby Puerto Montt and Concepción were also devastated. The number of deaths was never accurately calculated, with estimates running from 1,000 to 6,000. An additional 3,000 people were injured. And the Earth was not done with the people of Chile. Two days after the quake, the nearby Cordón Caulle volcano erupted, an event widely attributed to the instability caused by the 9.5 magnitude shaking.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Washington Post
After taking back land in Colombia, Indigenous prepare their youth to safeguard it
CALOTO, Colombia — Indigenous Nasa children are gently splashed with water using a leafy branch — a ritual meant to protect them and symbolically 'open the path' — before setting off with wooden signs they had painted with messages like 'We were born to protect the environment' and 'Peace, please.' Wearing protective gloves, the children nail their signs to trees lining a dirt road still used at times by armed groups for drug trafficking, as they collect trash from land their families reclaimed from vast industrial sugarcane plantations in Colombia's conflict-scarred southwest.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Associated Press
After taking back land in Colombia, Indigenous prepare their youth to safeguard it
CALOTO, Colombia (AP) — Indigenous Nasa children are gently splashed with water using a leafy branch — a ritual meant to protect them and symbolically 'open the path' — before setting off with wooden signs they had painted with messages like 'We were born to protect the environment' and 'Peace, please.' Wearing protective gloves, the children nail their signs to trees lining a dirt road still used at times by armed groups for drug trafficking, as they collect trash from land their families reclaimed from vast industrial sugarcane plantations in Colombia's conflict-scarred southwest. This is no ordinary schoolyard activity. It's a quiet act of defiance — and a hands-on lesson in protecting land and culture. Just beyond the reclaimed land of the Indigenous López Adentro reserve, near the town of Caloto, a spray-painted warning on a wall orders drivers to keep their windows rolled down or risk being shot. It's to allow armed groups to see inside. Roadside banners declare support for dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the leftist guerrilla group that signed a peace agreement with the government almost a decade ago. Violence in Cauca — and many other regions — has intensified since the 2016 peace deal, as criminal groups and FARC breakaway factions fight for territory and control over lucrative drug trafficking routes once held by the demobilized rebels. The children's 'semillero' — a weekend school where Indigenous youth are nurtured like seeds — prepares the next generation to protect their ancestral land. More than a classroom, it's a space for learning resistance, environmental care and cultural pride. Their work echoes a broader community effort to restore damaged territory and preserve identity in a region still marked by conflict. Daniela Secue, a 26-year-old coordinator and leader of the semillero, said such training is essential as young people face so many challenges in their homeland. 'Without alternatives, some end up drawn to armed groups. But here, we teach them to protect the land through respect and care — not conflict,' Secue said. 'We want them to learn our history and know they have a role in defending our territory. This is their inheritance.' Reclaiming ancestral land In 2019, dozens of Nasa families forcibly reclaimed nearly 350 hectares (about 865 acres) of land in northern Cauca that had been planted with sugarcane for years. The industrial monoculture had exhausted the soil and polluted water supplies with agrochemicals. The families' removal of sugarcane marked a turning point — transforming degraded fields into plots for corn, rice, cassava, beans and plantains, alongside areas for forest regeneration and small-scale livestock raising. The children wrapped up their sign-posting near an old finca, a rural estate once owned by a powerful sugarcane landlord. Faded FARC graffiti still marks the outer walls, a remnant of years of armed conflict. But today, a flag bearing the red and green of the Nasa people flies near it. The building, now crumbling and abandoned, is a dilapidated testament to the violence this land has endured. Children play on old sandbags left behind by the military during a recent occupation meant to repress the community's efforts to reclaim the territory. The families' 2019 takeover of the territory saw them arriving with machetes and cutting down the vast sugarcane crops, which are used to produce sugar, ethanol and panela — a traditional unrefined cane sugar often sold in solid blocks and widely consumed across Colombia. Colombia has taken steps to empower Indigenous groups. But land takeovers like the one in López Adentro have sparked controversy, with critics — especially from agribusiness and government sectors — arguing that such occupations violate property rights and risk fueling further conflict. While Indigenous communities describe the actions as a legitimate reclamation of ancestral land, the national government has warned that land reform must follow legal channels and condemned unauthorized occupations. Ecological changes after sugarcane Members of the Indigenous guard say birds and other wildlife have returned to the area that was once only sugarcane. Yet the struggle is far from over. The community has endured forced evictions, military occupation, and threats from paramilitary groups. One resident, Carmelina Camayo, 49, remembers when the soldiers occupied the old finca for three years. Though the military withdrew in 2024, the threat of eviction looms once more, with the landowner preparing new legal action. 'We didn't survive all this to give up now,' Camayo said. 'We have to continue resisting.' The semillero's work embodies that resistance. Secue said it's not only about healing the land but reclaiming identity. Many former semillero members have grown to become leaders within the Indigenous Guard, protecting both people and territory. 'In a region where youth are vulnerable to violence and recruitment, we offer a different path — one of responsibility, belonging and connection to our ancestors,' Secue said. For families like Secue's and Camayo's, hope rests on the next generation. 'We recover land so our children can eat from it and live on it,' Camayo says. 'Even when we are gone, they will know what they belong to.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
