Russia's Magnitude 8.8 Earthquake Among 10 Largest Ever Recorded, Biggest Since 2012

Last Updated:July 30, 2025, 08:14 IST

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has triggered tsunamis in coastal regions, marking it among the top 10 strongest quakes ever recorded.

Massive earthquake hits Russia's Far East (Photo: AP)

The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula is among the 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded. The massive tremors let off a tsunami in the coastal areas of Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s large northern island of Hokkaido.

Earlier in July, five powerful earthquakes, the largest with a magnitude of 7.4, struck in the sea near Kamchatka.

The largest earthquake was at a depth of 20 kilometres and was 144 kilometres east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.

On November 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.

Here are the 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded.

A magnitude 9.5 earthquake hit Biobio, Chile, in 1960. The earthquake was commonly referred to as the Valdivia earthquake or the Great Chilean earthquake, which killed 1,655 people and left 2 million homeless.A magnitude 9.2 earthquake hit Alaska, USA, in 1964. It is often referred to as the Great Alaska earthquake, the Prince William Sound earthquake, or the Good Friday earthquake. It claimed the lives of 130 people and caused $2.3 billion in damage.A magnitude 9.1 earthquake hit Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2004, and triggered massive tsunamis. The earthquake killed more than 2,80,000 people and displaced 1.1 million across South Asia and East Africa.A magnitude 9.1 earthquake hit Tohoku, Japan, in 2011, and killed more than 15,000 people. This earthquake was named the Great Tohoku earthquake and displaced 1,30,000 people.A magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Kamchatka Krai, Russia, in 1952. This was the world’s first recorded magnitude 9 earthquake, and triggered a massive tsunami that struck Hawaii, causing over $1 million in damages.A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Biobio, Chile, in 2010, killing 523 people and destroying more than 370,000 homes.A magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Esmeraldas, Ecuador, in 1906. This earthquake was referred to as the Ecuador-Colombia earthquake and produced a strong tsunami that killed 1,500 and reached as far north as San Francisco.A magnitude 8.7 earthquake hit Alaska, USA, in 1965, and generated a tsunami that was reportedly 35 feet high.A magnitude 8.6 earthquake hit Arunachal Pradesh in India in 1950 and claimed the lives of 780 people. Referred to as the Assam-Tibet earthquake, this quake produced intense shaking, triggered sand blows, ground cracks, and large landslides across the region.A magnitude 8.6 earthquake hit Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2012 and produced heavy shaking. The casualties from this earthquake were mostly caused by heart attacks.view commentsLocation : First Published:

News world Russia's Magnitude 8.8 Earthquake Among 10 Largest Ever Recorded, Biggest Since 2012

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