7 largest earthquakes ever recorded, from Chile’s 9.5 to the 2025 Kamchatka quake

Earth is constantly moving beneath our feet, but most of that movement is too small for us to notice. Every once in a while, however, a fault releases an almost unimaginable amount of energy, sending seismic waves racing across continents and sometimes generating tsunamis that cross entire oceans. The biggest earthquakes ever recorded are almost beyond human scale. Their ruptures can stretch for hundreds of kilometers, move the seafloor by several meters, and release energy equivalent to enormous arsenals of explosives. Here are seven of the largest earthquakes ever measured, and the extraordinary events they unleashed. 1. 1960 Valdivia earthquake – Chile | Magnitude 9.5 The May 22, 1960, Valdivia earthquake remains the largest earthquake ever recorded. Striking southern Chile, it generated a destructive tsunami that crossed the Pacific. The earthquake killed an estimated 1,655 people and left about 2 million homeless, according to the USGS. 2. 1964 Great Alaska earthquake – Magnitude 9.2 The March 28, 1964, Great Alaska earthquake struck the Prince William Sound region and remains the second-largest recorded earthquake. The enormous rupture triggered a tsunami and caused widespread ground deformation. The disaster killed 130 people and caused about $2.3 billion in damage in today’s dollars. 3. 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake – Magnitude 9.1 The December 26, 2004, earthquake off northern Sumatra unleashed one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. Its enormous undersea rupture generated tsunamis that struck coastlines across the Indian Ocean. The USGS says the disaster killed more than 280,000 people and displaced about 1.1 million. 4. 2011 Tōhoku earthquake – Magnitude 9.1 The March 11, 2011, Tōhoku earthquake struck off northeastern Japan and produced a devastating tsunami. The USGS ranks it among the four largest earthquakes ever recorded. The earthquake and tsunami killed more than 15,000 people and displaced around 130,000, while the disaster also triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. 5. 1952 Kamchatka earthquake – Magnitude 9.0 The November 4, 1952, Kamchatka earthquake was the first earthquake ever recorded at magnitude 9 or greater. Its massive offshore rupture generated a tsunami that crossed the Pacific and reached Hawaii. The tsunami caused more than $1 million in damage in Hawaii at the time. 6. 2025 Kamchatka earthquake – Magnitude 8.8 The July 29, 2025, Kamchatka earthquake entered the USGS’s updated ranking at magnitude 8.8, tying it for sixth place with the 2010 Chile earthquake and the 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake. The event was preceded by numerous large foreshocks, including a magnitude 7.4 earthquake about 10 days earlier. 7. 2010 Maule earthquake – Chile | Magnitude 8.8 The February 27, 2010, Maule earthquake struck offshore near central Chile. Its powerful rupture caused severe shaking and generated a tsunami, killing 523 people and destroying more than 370,000 homes. At magnitude 8.8, it remains tied among the largest earthquakes ever instrumentally recorded. The sheer scale of these earthquakes is a reminder that Earth’s crust is anything but static. The largest events occur when enormous sections of tectonic plates suddenly slip, releasing energy that may have been accumulating for centuries. And while modern instruments have allowed scientists to measure these events with remarkable precision, the planet still has plenty of seismic power left to surprise us. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Kaif Shaikh is a journalist and writer passionate about turning complex information into clear, impactful stories. His writing covers technology, sustainability, geopolitics, and occasionally fiction. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, his work has appeared in the Times of India and beyond. After a near-fatal experience, Kaif began seeing both stories and silences differently. Outside work, he juggles far too many projects and passions, but always makes time to read, reflect, and hold onto the thread of wonder.