The most powerful earthquakes in living memory

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Take a look at the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded by seismographs since 1900, ranked in order of their magnitude.

12. Andreanof Islands, Alaska

The Andreanof Islands earthquake in Alaska, US, took place on March 9, 1957. The intensity was measured at 8.6 on the Richter scale. This earthquake triggered a tsunami that was felt in Hawaii, before traveling to countries like Chile, El Salvador, Japan, and other areas in the Pacific region. More than 300 aftershocks were reported along the southern edge of the Aleutian Islands after the earthquake.

Estimated loss of life: none recorded 

Estimated property damage: US $5 million

11. Off the coast of Northern Sumatra

© Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images

On April 11, 2012, the island of Sumatra, Indonesia experienced an unusually strong intra-plate earthquake of magnitude 8.6. The epicenter lay within the Indo-Australian Plate. Subsequently, tsunami warnings were issued across countries in Indian Ocean, but later cancelled.

Estimated loss of life: 10

Estimated property damage: US $1 million.

10. Tibet
Regions of Tibet and India experienced an 8.6 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 15, 1950 — a day when India was commemorating its third Independence Day. The cause was collision of continental plates, with the epicenter in Rima, Tibet.
Estimated loss of life: 1,500–3,300
Estimated property damage: US $25 million
9. Northern Sumatra
© Crack Palinggi/Reuters A tsunami was triggered off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, on March 28, 2005 when the region experienced an earthquake of 8.6 intensity. Nias and Simeulue Island were the worst hit areas. The region was still recovering from the massive tsunami generated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had devastated the Aceh province and killed more than 130,000 people. Although the 2005 earthquake was only marginally less powerful, the tsunami it created was relatively much smaller.
Estimated loss of life: 900-1300
Estimated property damage: Unknown

8. Rat Islands, Alaska
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A powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.7 struck the Rat Islands in Alaska, which are located on the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, on Feb. 4, 1965. The event triggered a tsunami of over 10 m on Shemya Island.
Estimated loss of life: Zero (As the islands were uninhabited)
Estimated property damage: US $10,000 (Due to flooding on Amchitka Island)
7. Off the coast of Ecuador
The turn of the 20th century saw a destructive tsunami wreaking havoc in Ecuador and Colombia. The reason was an earthquake of 8.8 intensity off the coast of Esmeraldas, in Ecuador, on Jan. 31, 1906. The tsunami's effects were felt most strongly on the coast between Rio Verde, Ecuador and Micay, Colombia.
Estimated loss of life: 1000
Estimated property damage: US $1-5 million

6. Off the coast of Chile
© Jose Luis Saavedra/Reuters undefined An 8.8 intensity earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Feb. 27, 2010. It was generated at the fault lines near the Nazca plate and South American plate. Around 80 percent of the country's population was affected by this natural calamity, and several coastal towns in the country's south were devastated. A state of emergency was declared and an estimated 9-10% of people in affected areas lost their homes.
Estimated loss of life: 799
Estimated property damage: US$15–30 billion
5. Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's eastern region experienced an earthquake of the magnitude 9.0 on Nov. 4, 1952. Extensive damage was reported to the peninsula due to the tsunamis generated by the earthquake, which travelled to regions as far as Peru, Hawaii and New Zealand. Tragically, many citizens fled to higher ground to escape the first tsunami but returned after it had passed and were caught unawares by the following tsunami.
Estimated loss of life: 10,000-15,000
Estimate property damage: US $17 million

4. Honshu, Japan
© Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images undefined On March 11, 2011, an undersea earthquake of the magnitude of 9.0 struck Japan. The epicenter was approximately 43 miles (70 km) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku. It trigged a tsunami wave of up to ten metres which engulfed large parts of north-eastern Japan and caused catastrophic damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant, creating only the second Level Seven nuclear disaster in human history (the other being Chernobyl).
Estimated loss of life: 15,894
Estimate property damage: US$14.5 to 34.6 billion
3. Off the coast of Northern Sumatra
© Patrick M. Bonafede/U.S. Navy via Getty Images SUMATRA, INDONESIA
On Dec. 26, 2004, an earthquake with the intensity of 9.1 on Richter Scale arose off the coast of Northern Sumatra, creating a tsunami that devastated many regions of the Indian ocean. Besides Indonesia, other countries seriously affected by the natural calamity were Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives and Somalia. Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya and the Seychelles all recorded loss of life as a direct result of the event. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimeter and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska. The tsunami generated by the earthquake is believed to be the worst, in terms of loss of human life, in the planet's history.
Estimated loss of life: 230,273
Estimate property damage: US $10 billion

2. Alaska
© Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Called The Good Friday earthquake, it occurred on March 27, 1964 in Alaska, with magnitude 9.2, and epicenter at 12.4 miles (20 km) north of Prince William Sound. It was caused by the sinking of an oceanic plate under a continental plate. As a result, the Latouche Island area moved about 18 meters to the southeast. Tsunami waves caused by the earthquake were felt in more than 20 countries including Japan, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Estimated loss of life: 139
Estimate property damage: US $311 million
1. Chile
© Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Known as the 1960 Valdivia earthquake or the Great Chilean earthquake, it measured 9.5 on Richter Scale. Its epicenter was near Lumaco, around 600 km south of the capital Santiago The tsunami created as a result was so strong that it raced across the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii as well. It triggered landslides across the region, and destroyed nearly half of the houses in the city of Valvidia.
Estimated loss of life: Varying accounts, as low as 1,000 and as high as 6000
Estimate property damage: US $3.2 to 6.4 billion