Russia’s 8.8 Earthquake Is One of the Strongest Ever Recorded

Russia’s earthquake was estimated at magnitude 8.8, among the strongest since scientists began monitoring

Loose bricks and other earthquake damage — Damage from a magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, 2025.

Kamchatka Branch of Geophysical Survey of Russian Academy of Science (KBGSRAS)/S. Lakamov via Getty Images

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On July 30, 2025, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia, sending a tsunami toward that country’s coast and high waves across the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Hawaii and California. The world has witnessed several very large earthquakes in the past couple of years, including a magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar in March 2025 and a magnitude 7.4 temblor on Taiwan’s eastern coast in April 2024. The Richter scale is logarithmic, meaning the seismic waves in a magnitude 8.0 quake are 10 times greater in amplitude than those in a magnitude 7.0 one—and have roughly 32 times more power. The 7.0 waves, in turn, are 10 times greater and 32 times more powerful than those of a 6.0 quake.

A set of concentric circles cropped within a rectangular frame are scaled to show the amplitude of earthquakes measuring 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 on the Richter scale. Each whole number increase corresponds to a 10-fold increase in amplitude. A second set of concentric circles cropped within a rectangular frame are scaled to show the energy released by earthquakes measuring 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 on the Richter scale. Each whole number increase corresponds to a 32-fold increase in energy. — Amanda Montañez

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The strongest earthquake ever recorded, a magnitude 9.5, struck Chile’s southern coast in 1960. Below is a list and details of the most powerful earthquakes on record, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Russia’s latest quake will likely be added after scientists have a chance to analyze and verify data recorded by seismographs worldwide.

Magnitude 9.5: Biobío, Chile, 1960. This earthquake, the largest on record, is often called the Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake. It killed 1,655 people and caused two million to become houseless.

Magnitude 9.2: Alaska, 1964. This quake, known as the Great Alaska earthquake, the Prince William Sound earthquake or the Good Friday earthquake, caused a tsunami. Together, the earthquake and tsunami resulted in the deaths of 130 people and $2.3 billion in damage.

Magnitude 9.1: Sumatra, Indonesia, 2004. Called the Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake, this quake caused massive tsunamis and more than 280,000 deaths. It also displaced 1.1 million people in South Asia and East Africa.

Magnitude 9.1: Tōhoku, Japan, 2011. The Great Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused more than 15,000 deaths and displaced and additional 130,000 people.

Magnitude 9.0: Kamchatka Krai, Russia, 1952. This earthquake was the first recorded magnitude 9.0 quake in the world and caused a massive tsunami that struck Hawaii, resulting in more than $1 million in damages.

Magnitude 8.8: Biobío, Chile, 2010. This intense quake struck offshore, near Chile’s city of Quirihue. More than 370,000 homes were destroyed, and 523 people were killed.

Magnitude 8.8: Esmeraldas, Ecuador, 1906. A strong tsunami was triggered by the so-called Ecuador-Colombia earthquake. The tsunami traveled as far north as San Francisco and caused 1,500 deaths.

Magnitude 8.7: Alaska, 1965. This earthquake occurred near the Rat Islands, part of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The height of the resulting tsunami was reportedly 35 feet.

Magnitude 8.6: Arunachal Pradesh, India, 1960. The Assam-Tibet earthquake killed 780 people. In addition to shaking, the quake caused sandblows, cracks in the ground and landslides.

Magnitude 8.6: Sumatra, Indonesia, 2012. This earthquake struck off the coast of northern Sumatra and resulted in heavy shaking. A few deaths occurred; most were caused by heart attacks.

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