By Deyan Nikolic

In the last week there was an 8.8 magnitude earthquake recorded off the coast of Russia. Not only was this the 7th strongest earthquake ever recorded, but it was also the strongest recorded in the past decade. This meant that warnings were sent out as far as New Zealand and California, warning people to stay out of the water due to the unpredictable swells. In addition to this, Japan and Russia suffered tsunamis of up to 5m.

Whilst the recent earthquake in Russia was one of the strongest it certainly wasn’t the strongest earthquake ever recorded. Here is a list of the top ten strongest earthquakes ever recorded and some descriptions (excluding the recent Russian earthquake):

10. Magnitude 8.6 in Sumatra, Indonesia (2012)

Taking place in 2012, this earthquake had a relatively minor impact with only a handful of people dying and mostly minor damage to buildings. The reason that the earthquake did not cause a serious tsunami was due to the fact that the earthquake occurred along a strike-slip fault, where instead of being mainly vertical the movement is more horizontal, displacing less water and reducing the chance of a major tsunami.

9. Magnitude 8.7 in Arunachal Pradesh, India (1950)

This earthquake was located near the border with Nepal and caused shaking, landslides, and cracks to appear. All told the death total is estimated to be over 1500 people, mainly due to landslides taking out entire villages. Notably, this earthquake is the largest caused by continental collision rather than subduction (subduction is when one tectonic plate slides beneath another).

8. Magnitude 8.7 in Rat Islands, Alaska, USA (1965)

Located nearby Alaska’s Rat Islands, this earthquake reportedly created a tsunami that reached up to 10.5m tall. Thankfully, due to the location of the earthquake (far off the coast of mainland Alaska) there was little damage, and it was mainly the local wildlife that suffered any major consequences.

7. Magnitude 8.8 in Esmeraldas, Ecuador (1906)

Also known as the Ecuador-Colombia earthquake, it caused a tsunami that reached all the way up to San Francisco and killed a total of 1,500 people, predominantly in Colombia. In the following century, another 3 earthquakes occurred which ruptured a similar portion of the boundary between the Nazca and the South American plate.

6. Magnitude 8.8 in BioBio, Chile (2010)

With the most destruction of any earthquake on this list so far, this earthquake which occurred offshore near the city of Quirihue killed 523 people and destroyed over 370,000 homes. 

5. Magnitude 9.0 in Kamchatka, Russia (1952)

This earthquake took place in roughly the same area as the recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake. This is largely due to the fact that Kamchatka is located near a fault line (a place where two plates meet). As the first 9 magnitude earthquake on our list, this earthquake relatively little damage, but it did manage to trigger a tsunami that hit Hawaii causing over $1,000,000 in damage.

4. Magnitude 9.1 in Tohoku, Japan (2011)

Japan is known for its frequent earthquakes, which is why it is unsurprising that it made it into the top ten with an incredible 9.1 magnitude earthquake. With the second largest number of deaths on this list, this earthquake killed an astonishing 15,000 and displaced a further 130,000.

3. Magnitude 9.1 in Sumatra, Indonesia (2004)

Killing 230,000 people, this is the fifth deadliest earthquakes ever recorded. Not only did it have a massive death toll but it also displaced a further 1.1 million people across South Asia and East Africa. This earthquake is the second earthquake in the top ten that occurred in Sumatra, however this one was far more deadly because the subduction that caused this earthquake displaced a much larger amount of water, causing a larger tsunami than the 2012 earthquake which was caused by a strike-slip fault.

2. Magnitude 9.2 in Alaska, USA (1964)

In second place we have another Alaskan earthquake, although unlike the previous Alaskan earthquake, this one was situated on the mainland, rather than a remote island, meaning that it had a much larger impact. The tsunami that it triggered caused approximately $2.3billion in damages to infrastructure and housing. Hence, it is also known as the Great Alaska earthquake.

1. Magnitude 9.5 Biobio, Chile (1960)

In first place, with a magnitude of 9.5 is the Great Chilean earthquake, which although it had the highest magnitude, it did not kill the most people or do the most damage, although it did kill 1,655 and left another 2 million homeless.