What are the strongest earthquakes ever recorded?
The quake, considered one of the strongest in history, also triggered tsunami warnings in Latin America, as well as in Pacific islands as far south as New Zealand.
Experts warn that the danger could last for more than 24 hours.
The strongest earthquakes ever recorded
The earthquake in Russia's Far East ranks among the top ten most powerful earthquakes in modern history. With a magnitude of 8.8, it is tied as the sixth strongest ever recorded and the biggest since the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011.
Here is a look at where it sits amid the strongest on record, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
A magnitude 8.6 earthquake occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra. Although it caused little damage, it increased pressure on the fault line that triggered the devastating 2004 tsunami.
At least 780 people were killed when an 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck the region. Dozens of villages were destroyed, one of them swept away by a river. Landslides blocked the Subansiri River, and when the water was released, it generated a deadly seven-metre wave.
A magnitude 8.7 earthquake in this area triggered a tsunami with waves of up to 11 metres. There was minor damage, including cracks in buildings and runways.
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused around 1,500 deaths. Its effects were felt along the Central American coast and as far away as San Francisco and Japan.
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.8 shook central Chile, including the capital Santiago.
It lasted a minute and a half, generated a tsunami and left more than 500 dead.
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, which was also affected this time. Although no fatalities were reported, it triggered a tsunami that reached as far as Hawaii with waves up to nine metres high.
A magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that directly impacted the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The disaster caused more than 18,000 deaths, in addition to a severe nuclear accident with meltdowns at three reactors.
A magnitude 9.1 earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami, struck Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Africa. An estimated 230,000 people died, more than 167,000 in Indonesia alone, where entire communities disappeared.
Twenty years on from the earthquake last December, experts said that it was a "wake-up call" for understanding the dangers of these events.
With a magnitude of 9.2, this earthquake shook Prince William Sound for nearly five minutes. More than 130 people were killed by the earthquake and the tsunami that followed. There were landslides and giant waves that caused massive flooding. Thousands of aftershocks were recorded in the following weeks.
A magnitude 9.5 earthquake, known as the great Valdivia earthquake, devastated south-central Chile.
It is the largest in recorded history and caused more than 1,600 deaths, most from the tsunami that followed. Thousands were injured.
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One by one, tsunami warnings were lifted throughout the day on Wednesday, July 30, in most of the many countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. These alarm systems were triggered after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake recorded at 11:24 pm GMT on July 30 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the Kamchatka region of Russia's Far East. This earthquake, the most powerful to hit the region in 73 years, sharply heightened fears that some 15 countries could be overwhelmed by tsunamis, including one of the five archipelagos of French Polynesia, the Marquesas Islands. These islands spent anxious hours fearing the worst during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Waves of 2.5 meters were initially forecast, then 4 meters. In the end, those that reached the large northern island of Nuku Hiva and, to a lesser extent, Ua Huka to the east and Hiva Oa to the south, were 1.5 meters high. Only three islands out of the 118 that make up French Polynesia, including the atolls, were affected by the alert; the others experienced only very modest waves. Smartphone notifications Anny Pietri, the French government's representative in the archipelago, expressed relief that there were neither casualties nor damage after hours of communication with the crisis center set up at the High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia in Papeete, on the island of Tahiti, 1,500 kilometers from Nuku Hiva.
Euronews
a day ago
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Massive 8.8 earthquake in eastern Russia triggers tsunami warnings
One of the strongest earthquakes on record struck Russia's Far East early Wednesday, causing tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and warnings to be issued in Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands. Damage was reported and evacuations were issued in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, the quake's epicentre. A tsunami of up to 4 metres was reported in parts of the region, the regional minister for emergency situation Sergei Lebedev said. The quake caused damage to buildings and cars swayed in the streets in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which also had power outages and mobile phone service failures. Russian news agencies quoting the regional Health Ministry said several people sought medical help in Kamchatka after the earthquake, but no serious injuries were reported. People were advised to move to higher ground around much of the Pacific coast. They were warned that the potential danger posed by a tsunami could last over a day. Most places where tsunami waves have already hit have reported no significant damage so far. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, according to US and Japanese seismologists. However, the US Geological Survey later updated its measurement to 8.8 magnitude and said it occurred at a depth of 20.7km. Tsunami felt across the Pacific The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned that waves of 1 to 3 metres above the tidal level may occur in some coastal areas of Hawaii, Chile, Japan and the Solomon Islands. In some coastal areas of Russia and Ecuador, waves of more than 3 metres may occur. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific coast of Japan and stated that waves of up to 3 metres could reach the coast of northern Japan. "Urgent action must be taken to ensure the safety of life and property," the warning said. It was stated that the first waves were expected around 7 pm local time on Tuesday. The Alaska-based National Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for parts of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, while parts of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, were also under caution. Tsunami warning coordinator Dave Snider with the National Tsunami Warning Centre in Alaska said the impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day. 'A tsunami is not just one wave,' he said. 'It's a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour - as fast as a jet airplane - in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.' 'In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they're going to be moving back and forth for quite a while,' which is why some communities may feel effects longer, he said. Among the world's strongest recorded quakes Wednesday's earthquake is one of the world's strongest since a 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan sent a massive tsunami which set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measures around the world. Japanese nuclear power plants have reported no abnormalities following the earthquake off of Russia. Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said around 4,000 workers were taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure safety. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the Kamchatka Peninsula since 1952, when a 9.0 quake caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1 metre waves in Hawaii. In early July, five strong earthquakes occurred near Kamchatka, the strongest had a 7.4-magnitude. The largest earthquake was 20 kilometres deep and occurred 144 kilometres east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.
LeMonde
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Tsunami evacuations ordered in South America after 8.8 earthquake, but worst risk appears to pass for US
A Peru's traffic police officer sets up a roadblock during a tsunami warning in La Punta, Callao province, Peru on July 30, 2025. CONNIE FRANCE / AFP Fears of a devastating tsunami faded Wednesday, July 30, for the US and Japan after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off a sparsely populated Russian peninsula, but new alerts along South America's Pacific coast forced evacuations and closed beaches. Warnings in the first hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake sent residents fleeing to rooftops in Japan and forced tourists out of beachfront hotels in Hawaii, snarling island traffic. In Russia, several people were hurt while rushing out of buildings, including a hospital patient who jumped from a window. Millions of people were told to move away from the shore or seek high ground because they were potentially in the path of the tsunami waves, which struck seaside areas of Japan, Hawaii and the US West Coast but did not appear to cause any major damage. The dire warnings following the massive quake early Wednesday off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula evoked memories of catastrophic damage caused by tsunamis over the last quarter-century. In Japan, people flocked to evacuation centers, hilltop parks and rooftops in towns on the Pacific coast with fresh memories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster. 'Ring of Fire' Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with traffic at a standstill even far from the sea. US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the worst was over. Later Wednesday, tsunami advisories for the coasts of Oregon and Washington state were canceled but remained for Hawaii and parts of Alaska and California, where authorities warned sightseers to stay away from beaches. The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. 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