--- title: What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded? description: The recent Kamchatka quake ties for sixth on the all-time list. Here are the top five earthquakes by magnitude. canonical: https://time.com/7306552/five-strongest-earthquakes-ever-recorded/ author: Jeffrey Kluger article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-07-30T18:53:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:57.767Z article:section: Science og:title: What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded? og:description: The recent Kamchatka quake ties for sixth on the all-time list. Here are the top five earthquakes by magnitude. og:url: https://time.com/7306552/five-strongest-earthquakes-ever-recorded/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e3bb8865c252e44/6998c8b793610c929cc2fdde/five-strongest-earthquakes-ever-recorded-history.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Cleanup Continues In Sri Lanka og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded? twitter:description: The recent Kamchatka quake ties for sixth on the all-time list. Here are the top five earthquakes by magnitude. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e3bb8865c252e44/6998c8b793610c929cc2fdde/five-strongest-earthquakes-ever-recorded-history.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Hawaii Tsunami Alert Level Downgraded After Region Braced for Severe Impact [Watch (HLS stream): Hawaii Tsunami Alert Level Downgraded After Region Braced for Severe Impact](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OsSZcQ6s.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2025-07-30. A powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Russia’s eastern peninsula has triggered tsunami warnings in Russia, Japan, and parts of the U.S. The archipelagic state of Hawaii began to be hit by waves around 7:30 p.m. HST (1:30 a.m. ET), according to NOAA data, which showed that waves as high as 5.7 ft (1.74 m) were detected in Kahului, Maui, coming in 34-minute intervals. All warnings across the state of Hawaii have been downgraded to advisories, according to NOAA._  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Jul 30, 2025 6:53 PM UTC  A Tsunami earthquake survivor stands amongst the ruins of St.Peter's Church in the devastated town of Mullaitivu on Jan. 3, 2005 in Sri Lanka. A Tsunami earthquake survivor stands amongst the ruins of St.Peter's Church in the devastated town of Mullaitivu on Jan. 3, 2005 in Sri Lanka. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Jul 30, 2025 6:53 PM UTC From the moment it began, [the massive earthquake](https://time.com/7306379/kamchatka-earthquake-magnitude-russia-tsunami-warning-japan-alaska-hawaii-california/) that rocked Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula at 8:25 a.m local time on July 30 entered a sort of seismic rogues’ gallery, vaulting to a spot near the top of the leader board of the largest known quakes in recorded history. With a magnitude of 8.8, it is [tied for sixth place](https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/10-largest-earthquakes-ever-recorded) with the great Chilean quake of 2010, and the Colombia-Ecuador temblor of 1906\. Death tolls from earthquakes do not always follow in lockstep with their magnitude. Rather, they are determined by a mortal equation that factors together not just the violence of the shaking, but the density of the population in the area that is struck. The magnitude 7.0 [2010 Haitian earthquake](https://escweb.wr.usgs.gov/share/mooney/142.pdf), which left more than 316,000 people dead or missing, is [the third deadliest since 1950](https://www.britannica.com/list/6-deadliest-earthquakes), yet it does not make the top five list for largest quakes based solely on the Richter scale’s reading. Nor does the [Kashmir earthquake of 2005](https://www.britannica.com/list/6-deadliest-earthquakes), a 7.6 magnitude event that claimed at least 79,000 lives. Still, the five biggest quakes on record did plenty of damage and caused plenty of deaths. Here are their rap sheets. ## **Kamchatka, Russia** Coming in at number five is the [Kamchatka, Russia quake on Nov. 4, 1952 with a magnitude of 9.0](https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/4007). Yesterday’s quake was something of an encore for the peninsula. The quake that struck Kamchatka 73 years ago was the first ever recorded that reached a 9.0 magnitude. The epicenter of the shaking was just off Kamchatka’s eastern shore, in what’s known as the Kuril-Kamchatka trench, one of the [five deepest trenches](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0079661119304380) on the planet. An estimated 10,000 people lost their lives in the immediate aftermath of the quake, due mostly to the tsunami that followed the initial shaking. The high seas reached as far as Midway Island and Honolulu Harbor, causing $1 million in damages for Hawaii—equal to $12.1 million today. ## **Tōhoku, Japan** At number four is the [Tōhoku, Japan earthquake](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-2011-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami) on March 11, 2011\. With a magnitude of 9.1, this massive quake occurred off the northeast coast of Japan’s Honshu Island in the Pacific Ocean’s Japan Trench. It is perhaps better-known, though, as the Fukushima earthquake, after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors that were disabled by the tsunami that struck the coast within 30 minutes of the initial shaking. All three of the power plant’s reactors melted down within three days. Plumes of radioactive contamination were released into the atmosphere, leading to the [evacuation of more than 100,000 people](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-daiichi-accident#:~:text=All%20four%20Fukushima%20Daiichi%20reactors,from%20the%20new%20treatment%20plant.) from the surrounding communities. It would take months before Fukushima workers could get ahead of the melting cores, [adding cool seawater to the reactors](https://time.com/archive/6595474/fear-goes-nuclear/) at the same time the nuclear fuel rods were losing some of their heat by natural decay. [It would not be until that December](https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2011.9674)—nine months after the quake—that the plant would reach what is known as “cold shutdown,” a stable state with minimal risk of further meltdown. The death toll from radiation poisoning was low—[it was not until 2016](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45423575) that Japan confirmed the first death of one Fukushima employee from lung cancer linked to his work at the site. [But at least 18,000 other people](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-2011-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami) died in the immediate quake and tsunami, including thousands whose remains were forever lost. ## **The Indian Ocean** The third largest recorded earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.1, was in the [Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, 2004\. ](https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-tsunami-facts)Christmas had just passed when the ocean floor 150 miles off the coast of Sumatra exploded to life, releasing energy that is estimated to have been the equivalent of 23,000 Hiroshima bombs. The tsunami that resulted from the shaking roared across the Indian Ocean at a speed of 500 mph, creating [30-ft. waves that crashed ashore](https://www.britannica.com/list/6-deadliest-earthquakes) throughout the region, most lethally in the city of [Banda Aceh](https://www.britannica.com/place/Banda-Aceh), at the northwestern tip of Sumatra. Coastal communities as distant as east Africa were inundated by the waves. At least 230,000 people in 13 countries died, with Sumatra’s Aceh Province accounting for 200,000 of the deaths. More than $10 billion in losses were attributed to the tsunami, leading to a worldwide outpouring of charitable giving. Then-President George W. Bush tapped former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to travel to the stricken areas, where they witnessed the devastation and raised funds. [U.S. citizens alone pledged](https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2006/01/12/virtue-is-the-reward/) more than $1.1 billion, and private individuals around the world gave an estimated $5 billion. ## **Alaska, United States** In second place was the [Alaska 9.2 magnitude quake on March 27, 1964\. ](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/great-alaska-earthquake#:~:text=Alaska%20is%20particularly%20prone%20to,boats%20sank%20in%20a%20harbor.)[For four and a half terrifying minutes](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/events/alaska1964/), the earth and the waters of College Fjord east of Anchorage shook in the largest U.S. earthquake in recorded history. The tremors were felt as far away as the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, and the aftershocks kept coming for three weeks. The southern coast of Alaska is highly quake-prone, situated at a spot where the Pacific plate slides beneath the North American plate, leading to extreme tectonic instability. During the quake, the North American plate [rose by 30 feet](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/great-alaska-earthquake#:~:text=Alaska%20is%20particularly%20prone%20to,boats%20sank%20in%20a%20harbor.). Tsunamis were the cause of most of the deaths linked to the event, claiming more than 70% of the total number of victims. Still, the sparse population kept the death toll relatively low, with [130 people killed](https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/10-largest-earthquakes-ever-recorded). More than $2.3 billion in property losses were sustained—$24 billion in current dollars. ## **Biobío, Chile** The largest earthquake ever recorded was in [Biobío, Chile on May 22, 1960](https://www.britannica.com/event/Chile-earthquake-of-1960).At 3:11 p.m. local time, about 100 miles off the coast of Chile, the quake began, when the [Nazca plate](https://www.britannica.com/science/Nazca-Plate) subducted under the [South American plate](https://earthhow.com/south-american-plate/#:~:text=The%20South%20American%20Plate%20is%20the%20smallest%20major%20plate&text=Along%20the%20African%20Plate%20boundary,smallest%20major%20plate%20on%20Earth.), releasing energy [equivalent to 2.67 gigatons—or billion tons—of TNT](https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/insights/insurance/the-1960-tele-tsunami-dont-forget-the-far-field.html#:~:text=The%209.5%20Mw%20event%20released,resulting%20in%20a%20Pacific%20basin). The temblor topped out at a whopping magnitude of 9.5\. The ocean convulsed in tsunamis that rose 80 ft. high along the Chilean coast. Nearly 15 hours later, 35-ft. waves reached the Hawaiian islands, and seven hours after that, 18-ft. waves hit the Japanese Island of Honshu. Despite the global reach of the event, it was Chile that was hit fastest and hardest. In the city of Valdivia, 40% of the buildings were destroyed and the port was swamped and ruined. Nearby Puerto Montt and Concepción were also devastated. The number of deaths was never accurately calculated, with estimates running from 1,000 to 6,000\. An additional 3,000 people were injured. And the Earth was not done with the people of Chile. Two days after the quake, the [nearby Cordón Caulle volcano erupted](https://volcano.si.edu/gallery/ShowImage.cfm?photo=GVP-06980#:~:text=Ash%2Dladen%20eruption%20plumes%20rise,BY%2DNC%204.0%20license%20terms.), an event widely attributed to the instability caused by the 9.5 magnitude shaking. ## Transcript The sirens you hear are tsunami warning sirens to evacuate. There is a wave coming to hit the island. We're going to stay elevated. This is our first tsunami warning ever. So this is all new to us. And they told us that we could do the elevated evacuation. We're at the outrigger, right on the beach, but we didn't feel comfortable with that. So we decided just to get out and go to higher ground. Yeah. Every gas station that we've passed is so full of people. I luckily filled up my truck this morning. We tried to watch it on our phone for updates. You know about because we've had a few of these before. Never anything so bad in Hawaii or in Honolulu. Yeah. My lifetime. Maybe I can remember like 3 or 4 tsunami warnings like this. Um, but I'm always trying to be a little bit more cautious because it's better to be safe than sorry. Hey, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has downgraded the forecast from a tsunami warning to a tsunami advisory, the TT. WWC continues to monitor for more data, to update, to update its forecast, and for an all clear that they may issue later on. A tsunami advisory means that the potential for strong currents or dangerous waves are expected or occurring for those in or near the water. There may be flooding of beach or harbour areas. Those who have evacuated may safely return home based on county assessments and directives. Watch for flood waters. In some areas. Uh, check for. Do an assessment and check your structures and your homes. Uh, those that are close to the shoreline advisory still means that there's energy in the water. Um, so as you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water. With this downgrade, the Coast Guard will immediately start working with our fellow agencies and port partners, specifically Department of Transportation, Harbors Division with the commercial tugs and the maritime pilots to ensure commercial harbors are safe for navigation. Uh, at which point we feel that is occurred, we will open up all commercial harbors for traffic again. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7306552/five-strongest-earthquakes-ever-recorded/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7306552/five-strongest-earthquakes-ever-recorded/"},"headline":"What Are the Five Strongest Earthquakes Ever Recorded?","datePublished":"2025-07-30T18:53:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:57.767Z","description":"The recent Kamchatka quake ties for sixth on the all-time list. 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