Note that these are the earthquakes with the highest magnitude, and not the earthquakes with the highest death toll or most collateral damage.

1. The Valdivia earthquake: magnitude 9.5

The Valdivia earthquake of May 22, 1960, also known as the Great Chilean Earthquake or Gran Terremoto de Chile, remains the largest earthquake ever recorded, with a magnitude of 9.5. The earthquake struck the Bio-Bio region of Chile, causing intense shaking that lasted about ten minutes, and sending one tsunami wave after another across the Pacific Ocean.

In Chile, the death toll was estimated at around 1,600 people, with around 3,000 injured and 2 million without homes. The tsunami waves killed more than 200 people in coastal areas of Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.

The earthquake also caused the eruption of Chile’s Cordón Caulle volcano, further contributing to the damage in the affected areas.

2. The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964: magnitude 9.2

On March 27, 1964, the Good Friday earthquake occurred in the southern region of Alaska, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2.

It caused severe damage in Anchorage and surrounding areas, destroying many buildings due to subsidence and severe tremors. This earthquake caused a tsunami that affected coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to California.

Due to low population density in some affected areas, the death toll remained at 131, although the damage caused was extensive, mainly due to the main tsunami and landslides.

3. The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake: magnitude 9.1

This earthquake in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 caused one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. The earthquake struck the west coast of North Sumatra, causing a massive tsunami that affected more than a dozen countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

The tsunami waves devastated coastal areas and killed more than 230,000 people. Sumatra suffered the most widespread damage, with the tidal wave sweeping away entire communities. This event led to worldwide efforts to improve tsunami warning systems and evacuation protocols.

4. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake: magnitude 9.1

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 occurred near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

The intense shaking lasted for more than six minutes and caused a devastating tsunami that caused significant damage along the coast of northeastern Japan. The death toll was about 18,000, and the earthquake led to the collapse of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The tsunami waves reached as far as the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, the Galapagos Islands and the west coast of South America. Japan has learned important lessons from this event, especially in the areas of earthquake-resistant building codes and disaster preparedness.

5. The 1952 Kamchatka earthquake: magnitude 9.0

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on November 4, 1952. Although it was one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, the remote location of the epicenter limited the death toll to between 10,000 and 15,000 people.

The tsunami that caused the earthquake reached the Aleutian Islands and caused significant damage to the Hawaiian Islands, at a cost of approximately $17 million.

In Russia, the city of Severo-Kurilsk suffered a direct hit, with three waves between 15.2 meters and 18.3 meters high sweeping away more than a third of the 6,000 people living there at the time. The survivors rebuilt their city on a higher point. The event was a reminder of the destructive power of large earthquakes, even in areas with low population density.