10 Largest earthquakes ever recorded

Yesterday, an astonishing 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, near the Kamchatka Peninsula. That is HUGE! In fact, it is the strongest earthquake to happen on Earth since 2011! In fact, seismographs here in Kentucky even caught the shaking (that we cannot feel), almost 5,000 miles away!!

This poses the question, what are the biggest earthquakes ever measured by humans? The USGS has the list, so let's dive into them.

#10. MAGNITUDE 8.6 (2012). Sumatra, Indonesia - Located off the coast of northern Sumatra, this quake produced heavy shaking, but only a handful of fatalities, mostly caused by heart attacks.

#9. MAGNITUDE 8.6 (1950). Arunachal Pradesh, India - Referred to as the Assam-Tibet earthquake, this quake produced intense shaking, triggered sandblows, ground cracks, and large landslides across the region. All told, 780 people died.

#8. MAGNITUDE 8.7 (1965). Alaska, USA - Located near the Rat Islands of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, this earthquake generated a tsunami that was reportedly 35 feet high.

#7. MAGNITUDE 8.8 (1906). Esmeraldas, Ecuador - Referred to as the Ecuador-Colombia earthquake, this quake produced a strong tsunami that killed 1,500 and reached as far north as San Francisco.

#6. MAGNITUDE 8.8 (2010). Biobío, Chile - Occurring offshore near the city of Quirihue, this intense earthquake killed 523 people and destroyed more than 370,000 homes.

MAGNITUDE 8.8 (2025). Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia - This is the one from yesterday. If it holds official at 8.8, it will be tied for the 6th largest earthquake in history.

#5. MAGNITUDE 9.0 (1952). Kamchatka Krai, Russia - The world's first recorded magnitude 9 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that struck Hawaii, causing over $1 million in damages.

#4. MAGNITUDE 9.1 (2011). Tōhoku, Japan - Named the Great Tōhoku earthquake, this quake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,000 people and displaced 130,000 more.

#3. MAGNITUDE 9.1 (2004). Sumatra, Indonesia -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.

#2. MAGNITUDE 9.2 (1964). Alaska, USA - Often referred to 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.

Regional seismicity of Alaska. The 1964 M9.2 epicenter is shown as a gold star. The white circles are earthquakes 0-70km deep; lighter gray circles are earthquakes 70-300km deep; and the darkest circles are earthquakes >300km deep. Source: USGS

#1. MAGNITUDE 9.5 (1960). Biobío, Chile - Commonly referred to as the Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake, the largest earthquake ever killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless.