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Famous & historic earthquakes

The largest and deadliest earthquakes ever recorded — from the M9.5 that struck Chile in 1960 to the quakes that reshaped modern cities. Explore 59 major events, each with its magnitude, depth, and a live epicenter map.

Every major quake, largest first

59 notable earthquakes · tap any for the full story & map

9.5Valdivia1960 · M9.5 · ~2,226 deaths 9.2Great Alaska1964 · M9.2 · 139 deaths 9.1Sumatra–Andaman2004 · M9.1 · ~227,899 deaths 9.1Tohoku2011 · M9.1 · ~18,423 deaths 9.0Kamchatka1952 · M9.0 · ~10,000 deaths 9.0Cascadia Subduction Zone1700 · M9.0 · unknown deaths 8.8Maule2010 · M8.8 · 558 deaths 8.8Ecuador–Colombia1906 · M8.8 · ~1,000 deaths 8.8Kamchatka2025 · M8.8 · 1 death 8.7Rat Islands1965 · M8.7 8.6Nias2005 · M8.6 · ~1,319 deaths 8.6Wharton Basin2012 · M8.6 · 10 deaths 8.6Assam-Tibet1950 · M8.6 · ~1,530 deaths 8.3Illapel2015 · M8.3 · 15 deaths 8.2Iquique2014 · M8.2 · 7 deaths 8.2Chiapas2017 · M8.2 · ~98 deaths 8.0Mexico City1985 · M8.0 · ~9,500 deaths 8.0Shaanxi1556 · M8.0 · ~830,000 deaths 8.0Great Kanto1923 · M8.0 · ~105,385 deaths 7.9Haiyuan1920 · M7.9 · ~235,502 deaths 7.9Wenchuan2008 · M7.9 · ~87,652 deaths 7.9San Francisco1906 · M7.9 · ~3,000 deaths 7.9Denali2002 · M7.9 7.9Ancash1970 · M7.9 · ~66,794 deaths 7.9Kangra1905 · M7.9 · ~19,000 deaths 7.8Chillan1939 · M7.8 · ~30,000 deaths 7.8Gorkha2015 · M7.8 · ~8,957 deaths 7.8Kahramanmaras2023 · M7.8 · ~56,697 deaths 7.8Kaikoura2016 · M7.8 · 2 deaths 7.8Erzincan1939 · M7.8 · ~32,700 deaths 7.7Lisbon1755 · M7.7 · ~50,000 deaths 7.7Chi-Chi1999 · M7.7 · ~2,297 deaths 7.7Bhuj2001 · M7.7 · ~20,005 deaths 7.6Quetta1935 · M7.6 · ~60,000 deaths 7.6Kashmir2005 · M7.6 · ~76,213 deaths 7.6Izmit1999 · M7.6 · ~17,118 deaths 7.5Tangshan1976 · M7.5 · ~242,769 deaths 7.5New Madrid1811 · M7.5 · few deaths 7.5Palu2018 · M7.5 · ~4,340 deaths 7.5Noto2024 · M7.5 · 549 deaths 7.5Guatemala1976 · M7.5 · ~23,000 deaths 7.4Manjil-Rudbar1990 · M7.4 · ~40,000 deaths 7.2Ashgabat1948 · M7.2 · ~110,000 deaths 7.1Ridgecrest2019 · M7.1 · 1 death 7.1Puebla2017 · M7.1 · 369 deaths 7.1Anchorage2018 · M7.1 7.1Messina1908 · M7.1 · ~80,000 deaths 7.0Haiti2010 · M7.0 · ~316,000 deaths 7.0Kumamoto2016 · M7.0 · 273 deaths 6.9Loma Prieta1989 · M6.9 · 62 deaths 6.9Kobe1995 · M6.9 · ~6,434 deaths 6.8Bam2003 · M6.8 · ~31,000 deaths 6.8Al Haouz2023 · M6.8 · ~2,946 deaths 6.8Spitak1988 · M6.8 · ~25,000 deaths 6.7Northridge1994 · M6.7 · 57 deaths 6.3L'Aquila2009 · M6.3 · 309 deaths 6.1Christchurch2011 · M6.1 · 185 deaths 6.0South Napa2014 · M6.0 · 1 death 5.9Agadir1960 · M5.9 · ~13,100 deaths

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