# Top 10 Greatest Earthquakes to date that can be recorded.



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 5, 2010)

After the earthquake in New Zealand the other day, I got to thinking about Earthquakes and what the largest ones were. Obviously the Chili and Alaska earthquakes, but I was wondering about the rest as well. So anyhow here is the list of the top 10 earthquakes by magnitude that have been recorded.

This is only a list of those that were recorded, so not those that are believed to be or those who's magnitude could not be verified because it was before accurate verification methods existed.

*1. 1960 Valdivia Earthquake, Valdivia, Chil*

Date: May 22, 1960
Magnitude: 9.5
Death Toll: 6000

*2. 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, Anchorage, Alaska*

Date: March 27, 1964
Magnitude: 9.2
Death Toll: 131

*3. 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, Sumatra, Indonesia*

Date: December 26, 2004
Magnitude: 9.1
Death Toll: 230,000+

*4. 1952 Kamchatka Earthquake, Kamchatka, Soviet Union*

Date: November 4. 1952
Magnitude: 9.0
Death Toll: ?

*5. 1868 Arica Earthquake, Arica, Chile*

Date: August 13, 1868
Magnitude: 9.0
Death Toll: 25,000+

*6. 2010 Chile Earthquake, Maule, Chile*

Date: February 27, 2010
Magnitude: 8.8
Death Toll: 521

*7. 1965 Rat Islands Earthquake, Rat Islands, Alaska*

Date: February 4, 1965
Magnitude: 8.7
Death Toll: 0

*8. 2005 Sumatra Earthquake, Sumatra, Indonesia*

Date: March 28, 2005
Magnitude: 8.6
Death Toll: 1300

*9. 1957 Andreanof Islands Earthquake, Andreanof Islands, Alaska*

Date: March 9, 1957
Magnitude: 8.6
Death Toll: 0

*10. 1950 Medog Earthquake, Assam, India and Tibet, China*

Date: August 15, 1950
Magnitude: 8.6
Death Toll: 1526


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## Wayne Little (Sep 5, 2010)

Glad I've never been around or near anything like those beauties....


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## Njaco (Sep 5, 2010)

I'm staying away from Chile and Alaska for the moment. Any idea what magnatude Pompeii was?


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Sep 5, 2010)

Njaco said:


> I'm staying away from Chile and Alaska for the moment. Any idea what magnatude Pompeii was?



I am sure it was upwards of around 9.0 or so. Unfortunately we will never actually know.

Alaska really is not that bad. They have hundreds of quakes a day including several that can actually be felt, but it really is not too bad. In the 6 months my wife was there, she only actually felt one.


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## Gnomey (Sep 5, 2010)

Some pretty impressive quakes there. Remarkable how some of the big ones kill so few people, some people must be really lucky.


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## tail end charlie (Sep 5, 2010)

Gnomey said:


> Some pretty impressive quakes there. Remarkable how some of the big ones kill so few people, some people must be really lucky.



I saw a documentary on the empire of the Cartheginians, which was a rival to Rome (hannibal and his elephants etc), 2000 yrs ago North Africa was very fertile and rich but a series of earth quakes (so they said)among other things changed everything. Until the last few centuries a massive earthquake wouldnt kill many because the population was small and few lived in a building that would kill them. In Japan however they have a long held fear of a Tsunami.


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## Marcel (Sep 7, 2010)

Njaco said:


> I'm staying away from Chile and Alaska for the moment. Any idea what magnatude Pompeii was?



Pompei is believed to have been an 7.5 Earthquake.


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