The 8.9-magnitude megathrust earthquake that hit the Tōhoku region of Japan at 12:46 PM local time this March 11, 2011 was the largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history and the seventh largest in the world since records began.
The earthquake occurred in the western Pacific Ocean, 130 kilometers (81 mi) east of Sendai, Honshu, Japan. Its epicenter was 373 kilometers (232 mi) from Tokyo, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
It was so strong that created it tsunami waves of up to 10 metres (33 ft).
Initial reports indicate that at least 300 people have died and another 530 are missing. That number will definitely go higher in the next days as more data are tallied.
The largest earthquake in history happened on May 22, 1960 in Valdivia, Chile registering 9.5 on the Richter scale. Last year’s earthquake in Haiti “only” registered a 7.0 but the massive number of deaths (222,570) ranked it one of the deadliest on record.
Here’s the list of largest earthquakes in history (by magnitude):
| Date | Location | Name | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 22, 1960 | Valdivia, Chile | 1960 Valdivia earthquake | 9.5 |
| 2 | March 27, 1964 | Prince William Sound, USA | 1964 Alaska earthquake | 9.2 |
| 3 | December 26, 2004 | Sumatra, Indonesia | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake | 9.2 |
| 4 | November 4, 1952 | Kamchatka, Russia (then USSR) | Kamchatka earthquakes | 9.0 |
| 5 | August 13, 1868 | Arica, Chile (then Peru) | 1868 Arica earthquake | 9.0 |
| 6 | January 26, 1700 | Cascadia subduction zone | 1700 Cascadia earthquake | 9.0 |
| 7 | March 11, 2011 | Tōhoku region, Japan | 2011 Sendai earthquake | 8.9 |
| 8 | February 27, 2010 | Maule, Chile | 2010 Chile earthquake | 8.8 |
| 9 | January 31, 1906 | Ecuador–Colombia | 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake | 8.8 |
| 10 | November 25, 1833 | Sumatra, Indonesia | 1833 Sumatra earthquake | 8.8 |
| 11 | February 4, 1965 | Rat Islands, Alaska, USA | 1965 Rat Islands earthquake | 8.7 |
| 12 | November 1, 1755 | Lisbon, Portugal | 1755 Lisbon earthquake | 8.7 |
| 13 | July 8, 1730 | Valparaiso, Chile | 1730 Valparaiso earthquake | 8.7 |
| 14 | March 28, 2005 | Sumatra, Indonesia | 2005 Sumatra earthquake | 8.6 |
| 15 | March 9, 1957 | Andreanof Islands, Alaska | 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake | 8.6 |
| 16 | August 15, 1950 | Assam, India – Tibet, China | 1950 Medog earthquake | 8.6 |
| 17 | September 12, 2007 | Sumatra, Indonesia | September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes | 8.5 |
| 18 | October 13, 1963 | Kuril Islands, Russia (USSR) | 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake | 8.5 |
| 19 | February 1, 1938 | Banda Sea, Indonesia
(Dutch East Indies) |
1938 Banda Sea earthquake | 8.5 |
| 20 | February 3, 1923 | Kamchatka, Russia (USSR) | Kamchatka earthquakes | 8.5 |
| 21 | November 11, 1922 | Atacama Region, Chile | 1922 Vallenar earthquake | 8.5 |
| 22 | May 24, 1751 | Concepción, Chile | 1751 Concepción earthquake | 8.5 |
| 23 | October 20, 1687 | Lima, Peru (Viceroyalty of Peru) | 1687 Peru earthquake | 8.5 |
| 24 | December 16, 1575 | Valdivia, Chile | 1575 Valdivia earthquake | 8.5 |
=======================================================
UPDATE March 12, 2011: Seismologists at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, have just revised their calculations regarding the magnitude of the Sendai earthquake. They now say it was magnitude 9.0. Already one of the top 10 recorded earthquakes in history, the revision suggests the quake was even more powerful than first thought.
It’s now ranked fourth most powerful earthquake in the world overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900.
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Tags: earthquake, japan, tsunami
