The historical catalogue includes USGS M6+ from 1900, M4.5+ from 1970 and delivered events since the project began. It is not a complete record of all small earthquakes.
Magnitude scales describe different measurements. Values from different scales are not directly interchangeable.
What was the strongest earthquake ever recorded?
The USGS identifies the Valdivia earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960 as the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake, with a moment magnitude of 9.5.
The ranking compares reported magnitudes. Shaking and damage can vary by location. Use the chronological archive to find an event by date instead of its place in the ranking.
Magnitudes of early earthquakes are less precise; equal magnitudes share a rank. Most of these earthquakes occurred on subduction zones around the Pacific and in Indonesia.
The historical catalogue includes USGS M6+ from 1900, M4.5+ from 1970 and delivered events since the project began. It is not a complete record of all small earthquakes.
The historical catalogue includes USGS M6+ from 1900, M4.5+ from 1970 and delivered events since the project began. It is not a complete record of all small earthquakes.