One of the strongest earthquakes ever happened in Alaska in the 1960s. (Image: Education Images/Universal Images Group Editorial)
The five largest earthquakes ever recorded have caused huge amounts of damage with many lives lost. Earthquakes are measured on a Richter Scale, with 10 being the most severe. Today’s huge magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the eastern coast of Russia has triggered horrifying tsunami fears as far as Hawaii with locals being evacuated. It now ranks in the top 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded.
Hawaii has already been hit by huge waves as a mass evacuation takes place. Meanwhile, there has been an evacuation at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, which was hit by a tsunami in 2011 that killed 18,000 people. There have also been tsunami warnings in New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, while tsunami waves were recorded in the early hours of this morning in San Francisco. The earthquake happened off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and caused major flooding in this part of the country.
Here are the five biggest earthquakes ever recorded:
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Helicopter view of the place where Severo-Kurilsk was located before the 1952 tsunami. (Image: Wiki Commons)
5. Kamchatka, Russia (1952)
Similar to today’s major earthquake, the fifth most powerful earthquake happened in Kamchatka, Russia.
It struck in November 1952 and measured at a staggering 9.0 magnitude. It led to the destruction of many settlements along the coastline here, as well as more than 2,300 casualties.
Additionally, it triggered a tsunami with massive 15 metre-high waves, which also hit the Hawaiian islands.
Japan’s 2011 earthquake caused widespread damage across the country. (Image: Stringer/AFP)
4. Tohoku, Japan (March 2011)
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 struck Tohoku in Japan and led to widespread panic about the Fukushima nuclear plant.
It happened 45 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula and lasted for six minutes. The resulting tsunami waves reached as tall as 40 meters.
The death toll was huge, with close to 20,000 lives lost as a result of the disaster.
Meanwhile, there were more than 6,000 people injured, while over 1,000 aftershocks were experienced in Japan.
The devastated district of Banda Aceh in Aceh province located on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
3. Sumatra, Indonesia
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was a huge disaster that claimed more than 227,000 lives with a magnitude estimated to be between 9.1 and 9.3.
It’s epicentre was off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia and the ensuing tsunami waves hit 14 surrounding countries, including Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.
It remains the most powerful tsunami ever recorded in the region and is considered the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century. The tsunami waves reached as far as Somalia to the west and Papua New Guinea to the east.
The Four Seasons Apartments in Anchorage was a six-story lift-slab reinforced concrete building. (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
2. Alaska, USA (1964)
1964 saw the strongest earthquake ever recorded to hit the United States. With a magnitude of 9.2, the earthquake struck on March 27, 1964, and claimed 139 lives.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 78 miles east of Anchorage, but tsunami waves reached over 20 countries, including Peru, Papua New Guinea, Japan, and Mexico.
Fifteen people died as a direct result of the earthquake, while 124 died from the subsequent tsunamis in Alaska, Oregon, and California. Severe damage to buildings and infrastructure occurred in the city of Anchorage.
The 1960 earthquake in Chile was the strongest ever recorded. (Image: Bettmann Archive)
1. Valdivia, Chile (1960)
The strongest earthquake ever recorded was in Valdivia, Chile, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale. The damage caused was massive and is believed to have caused between 1,000 and 6,000 deaths, with varying estimates.
Dubbed the Great Chilean earthquake, it lasted 10 minutes with the epicentre being Lumaco, approximately 350 miles south of Santiago.
Tsunamis hit much of the coast of Chile with catastrophic waves reaching as far as Hawaii. Waves also hit Japan.
In Chile, many landslides were recorded in rural areas, so the casualties were mainly caused by the earthquake itself and the subsequent tsunamis.
