The 5 biggest earthquakes ever recorded in the world

Have you ever stopped to think about the 5 biggest earthquakes in the world that have ever been recorded?

It's no secret that earthquakes are one of the most destructive phenomena that nature has ever seen!

Present all over the world – in some locations more than others – this type of event is known for all the damage it is capable of causing.

Depending on its intensity, this type of phenomenon could have the potential to destroy entire cities!

And speaking of the intensity of earthquakes, today's topic is closely linked to this factor.

In this content, you will learn about the 5 largest earthquakes in the world ever recorded, where they occurred and what their destruction results were.

What are earthquakes?

Even though everyone knows what an earthquake is, a large part of the population does not know exactly how this phenomenon occurs.

In context, earthquakes are seismic shocks that can occur on our planet. 

These tremors are caused by vibrations in the Earth's crust. This type of vibration, in turn, occurs due to the movement of the famous tectonic plates.

Located in the lithosphere – just below the Earth's surface, these tectonic plates slide constantly – and slowly – over a layer of magma.

What causes earthquakes as we know them is friction between tectonic plates. This type of situation generates energy.

And when this type of energy is released, it ends up propagating through the Earth's crust, causing the seismic shocks that occur here.

In addition to earthquakes, this type of movement is also responsible for other natural phenomena, such as the formation of volcanoes and mountains.

And another fact that can also be attributed to earthquakes is the structure that our planet has. This is because this movement was what separated the entire Earth, resulting in the configuration that we know today.

Where are the places where earthquakes are most frequent?

Despite being a type of geological event that is subject to happening anywhere in the world, there are some places that end up having to deal with a higher frequency of seismic shocks.

In the vast majority of these cases, this frequency is directly linked to the positioning of the country/countries in question.

If the location in question is in an area where there is more than one tectonic plate division, the chances of the phenomenon being more frequent – and even more intense – are greater.  

Among all the locations in the world, there is one place that attracts a lot of attention due to the frequency of earthquakes.

Called the Pacific Ring of Fire – or Pacific Ring of Fire – it is an area of our planet known for the large number of earthquakes and the frequency of volcanoes.

Among the countries located in this Ring of Fire are: Canada, United States, Siberia, Russia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.

Why are there no earthquakes here in Brazil?

Although it is not impossible to happen – given that there have already been several episodes involving tremors here in our country – there are almost no earthquakes here in Brazil.

And this happens for a very simple reason.

Remember that the displacement between tectonic plates is the most common cause of earthquakes?

Here in Brazil there is no such problem because the country is located in the center of a gigantic tectonic plate!

Called the South American plate, Brazil's privileged location in this regard means that tremors here are almost non-existent.

The 5 biggest earthquakes in the world ever recorded?

At this point in the game, you're almost an expert when it comes to earthquakes, right?

Now that you understand a little more about how this natural phenomenon works, it's time to get into the main topic of our material: the 5 biggest earthquakes in the world ever recorded.

And it is interesting to emphasize the term 'already recorded' because we are going to take into account the earthquakes that occurred after the invention of the Richter Scale, in the 1930s.

It is used to measure the intensity of each of these seismic shocks and ranges from 0 to 10. And this is the criterion we are following to measure the events.

Valdivia, Chile (1960) 

With an impressive magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter Scale, the earthquake that occurred here in South America tops our list of the 5 biggest earthquakes in the world.

The earthquake ended up killing more than two thousand people. In addition, the earthquake also caused several material losses at the time, as the earthquake ended up affecting the entire country.

And in addition to these losses, the Valdivia earthquake was so strong that it generated a tsunami capable of crossing the entire Pacific Ocean and reaching Japan.

Alaska, United States (1964)

Another very strong earthquake that is part of our list occurred in Alaska, and it was shortly after the Chile earthquake.

Despite having a similar intensity (9.2), the tremor did not cause as many victims as the previous one, leaving a death toll of around 125.

But the damage was extensive. The earthquake also caused a tsunami and landslides in the city.

Sumatra Island, Indonesia (2004)

Now let's take a leap forward in history and arrive in Indonesia. In 2004, the island of Sumatra was the scene of one of the most iconic earthquakes in the history of mankind.

In addition to the earthquake, the tremor also caused a tsunami, which caused deaths and damage both in Indonesia and in surrounding countries, such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and Thailand.

The earthquake killed more than 220,000 people and left millions homeless.

Oshika Peninsula, Japan (2011)

The fourth earthquake on the list was also accompanied by a tsunami that caused several deaths and damage.

Measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale, in addition to destroying a large part of the city and killing more than 13,000 people, the tsunami that accompanied the earthquake also caused damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, causing panic among the population.

Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia (1952)

The fifth and last earthquake on the list is tied with Japan in intensity.

But despite the intensity – the tremors were even felt in Hawaii – luckily the main point of the quake was not very populated.

This meant that no deaths were recorded as a result of the geological event.

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