Which earthquakes were the strongest in history?

Have you ever wondered which earthquakes were the strongest ever?
Below is a list of the strongest seismic events. For earthquakes prior to 1900, it was possible to include on the list only the ones we have detailed information about, and therefore whose magnitude it is possible to estimate, for earthquakes that occurred afterwards, we have official measurements, thanks to the diffusion of seismographs.

Which are the 10 strongest earthquakes since man started recording seismic activity?

Since man began recording seismic activity, it has been possible to accurately record the magnitude of earthquakes using the Richter Scale, a measurement system based on calculating the amplitude of ground oscillations detected by seismographs. So which earthquakes were the 10 strongest ever recorded? Here is the list:

  1. Valdivia, Chile—magnitude 9.5—22/05/1960.
  2. Sumatra, Indonesia—magnitude 9.3—26/12/2004.
  3. Prince William Sound, Alaska—magnitude 9.2—28/03/1964.
  4. Tōhoku, Japan—magnitude 9.0—11/03/2011.
  5. Kamchatka, Russia—magnitude 9.0—04/11/1952.
  6. Ecuador and Colombia—magnitude 8.8—31/01/1906.
  7. Concepcion, Chile — magnitude 8.8—02/27/2010.
  8. Rat Islands, Alaska—magnitude 8.7—04/02/1965.
  9. Sumatra, Indonesia—magnitude 8.6—28/03/2005.
  10. Sumatra, Indonesia—magnitude 8.6—11/04/2012.

If we also consider the earthquakes that made history, whose details are known, but we do not have seismograph measurements, the classification changes greatly:

  1. Valdivia, Chile—magnitude 9.50—22/05/1960.
  2. Sumatra, Indonesia—magnitude 9.30—26/12/2004.
  3. Prince William Sound, Alaska—magnitude 9.20—28/03/1964.
  4. Sendai, Japan—magnitude 9.00—11/03/2011.
  5. Kamchatka, Russia—magnitude 9.00—04/11/1952.
  6. Arica, Chile—magnitude 9.00—13/08/1868.
  7. Cascadia, Canada and the U.S.—magnitude 8.70/9.20—26/01/1700.
  8. Tohoku, Japan—magnitude 8.90—09/07/1869.
  9. Hokkaido, Japan—magnitude 8.90—02/12/1611.
  10. Chittagong, Bangladesh—magnitude 8.80—02/04/1762.

What about Italy? Which earthquakes had the strongest magnitude?

The strongest earthquake in Italy is estimated to be the one in Val di Noto, in 1693, which struck the coast of Syracuse and the Gulf of Catania; in fact, a magnitude on the Richter Scale between 7.5 and 7.7 is estimated. Below is the ranking of the top 10 strongest earthquakes on our peninsula:

  1. Val di Noto, Sicily—magnitude 7.50 – 7.70—11/01/1693.
  2. Messina, Sicily—magnitude 7.50—28/12/1908.
  3. Central-southern Apennines, Campania—magnitude 7.30—05/12/1456.
  4. Basilicata—magnitude 7.10—16/12/1857.
  5. Southern Calabria—magnitude 7.10—05/02/1783.
  6. Central Calabria—magnitude 7.10—27/03/1638.
  7. Sannio in Calabria—magnitude 7.10—05/06/1688.
  8. Central Calabria—magnitude 7.00—28/03/1783.
  9. Central Calabria—magnitude 6.95—08/09/1905.
  10. Norcino, Reatino and Aquilano—magnitude 6.92—14/01/1703.

The strongest earthquakes in the world, as well as in Italy, demonstrate that some areas are highly prone to earthquakes. This, combined with the high vulnerability of our building heritage to earthquakes, too often endangers the safety of people and real estate. Since there is no scientific method for predicting earthquakes before they strike, the only way to defend ourselves from them is to intervene beforehand on existing buildings with systematic interventions that make buildings safe, and promote a seismic protection campaign that raises awareness among the inhabitants and institutions.

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