
10 Most Devastating
Earthquakes of All Time
1960 Valdivia
earthquake:
The Great Chilean
Earthquake on May 22, 1960. It is
the most powerful
earthquake ever recorded, rated at 9.5 magnitude. It caused tsunamis in Chile, Hawaii, Japan,
the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, sou
theast Australia, and Alaska. Estimates of
the death toll range from 2,231 to 6,000.
The monetary cost ranges between 400 to 800 million US dollars, or 2.9 to 5.8 billion in 2010 dollars.
2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake:
The 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake had an epicenter off
the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and caused devastating tsunamis along
the Indian Ocean, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. Its magnitude was between 9.1 and 9.3. It is one of
the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, killing nearly 230,000 people.
1964 Alaska
earthquake:
The 1964 Alaska
earthquake is known as
the Great Alaska
Earthquake. It hit south-central Alaska at a magnitude of 9.2.
The earthquake lasted nearly 5 minutes, and is
the most powerful recorded
earthquake in US and North American history.
There were 131 deaths directly caused by
the earthquake and its resulting tsunamis.