List of Largest Earthquakes in the World

Earthquakes are a nightmare for the people on Earth because they have a great influence on the Earth’s surface, and occasionally earthquakes occur beneath the ocean, causing gigantic waves widely known as ‘Tsunamis,’ which devastate coastlines. Earthquake consequences commonly include shaking and ground rupture, landslides and avalanches, fires, soil liquefaction, tsunamis, floods, and human impacts, to name a few. On 23 January 1556, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history struck Shaanxi Province in China, killing around 830,000 people. The Shaanxi earthquake is thought to be the worst earthquake in history.

Earthquakes in the Indian Ocean (in 2004) and Haiti (in 2010) are the major quakes of the decade. Earthquakes cause the most casualties, although massive earthquakes are lethal owing to their closeness to densely inhabited regions (Urban Areas). Earthquakes are infrequent but severe natural disasters that cause significant loss of life in urban areas. Earthquakes frequently cause flooding and tsunamis, which may destroy islands and coasts. We have divided the largest earthquakes into two categories based on magnitude and mortality.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

The Following list of the Largest earthquakes in the World by Magnitude.

Rank
Name of Earthquake
Date
Magnitude
Location
11960 Valdivia earthquake 22-May-19609.5Valdivia, Chile
21964 Alaska earthquake 27-Mar-19649.2Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
32004 Indian Ocean earthquake 26-Dec-20049.1–9.3Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia
41952 Kamchatka earthquakes 4-Nov-19529.0Kamchatka, Russia
52011 Tōhoku earthquake 11-Mar-20119Pacific Ocean, Tohoku region, Japan
61615 Arica earthquake September 16, 16158.8 (est.)Arica, Chile, Spain
71833 Sumatra earthquake November 25, 18338.8–9.2 (est.)Sumatra, Indonesia
81906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake 31-Jan-20068.8Ecuador, Colombia
92010 Chile earthquake 27-Feb-20108.8Maule, Chile
101700 Cascadia earthquake January 26, 17008.7–9.2 (est.)Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada
111730 Valparaiso earthquake July 8, 17308.7 (est.)Valparaiso, Chile
121755 Lisbon earthquake November 1, 17558.7 (est.)Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal
131965 Rat Islands earthquake 4-Feb-19658.7Rat Islands, Alaska, USA
14869 Sanriku earthquake July 9, 8698.6 (est.)Pacific Ocean, Tohoku region, Japan
151498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake September 20, 14988.6 (est.)Pacific Ocean, Nankai Trough, Japan
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