Here is a list of deadly earthquakes that registered at least an 8.5 magnitude, not including the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile early Saturday.
— May 22, 1960: A magnitude 9.5 earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami killed at least 1,716 people.
— March 27, 1964: A magnitude 9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and ensuing tsunami killed 128 people.
— Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude 9 quake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed
226,000 people in 12 countries, including 165,700 in Indonesia and 35,400 in Sri Lanka.
226,000 people in 12 countries, including 165,700 in Indonesia and 35,400 in Sri Lanka.
— August 13, 1868: A magnitude 9.0 quake in Arica, Peru (now Chile) generated catastrophic tsunamis; more than 25,000 people were killed in South America.
— January 31, 1906: A magnitude 8.8 quake off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia generated a tsunami that killed at least 500 people.
— November 1, 1755: A magnitude 8.7 quake and ensuing tsunami in Lisbon, Portugal killed an estimated 60,000 people and destroyed much of Lisbon.
— July 8, 1730: A magnitude 8.7 quake in Valparasio, Chile, killed at least 3,000 people.
— August 15, 1950: A magnitude 8.6 earthquake in Assam, Tibet, killed at least 780 people.
— June 15, 1896: A magnitude 8.5 quake Sanriku, Japan, caused a tsunami that killed at least 22,000 people.
— November 11, 1922: A magnitude 8.5 quake on the Chile-Argentina border killed several hundred people.
— November 7, 1837: A magnitude 8.5 magnitude quake in Valdivia, Chile generated a tsunami that killed at least 58 people in Hawaii.
— October 20, 1687: A magnitude 8.5 quake in Lima, Peru destroyed much of the city.
- March 11, 201: The quake that struck at 2:46 p.m. was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the strength of the first quake to a magnitude 8.9, while Japan's meteorological agency measured it at 7.9. Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.
Thirty minutes after the quake, tall buildings were still swaying in Tokyo and mobile phone networks were not working. Japan's Coast Guard has set up task force and officials are standing by for emergency contingencies, Coast Guard official Yosuke Oi said.
- March 11, 201: The quake that struck at 2:46 p.m. was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the strength of the first quake to a magnitude 8.9, while Japan's meteorological agency measured it at 7.9. Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.
Thirty minutes after the quake, tall buildings were still swaying in Tokyo and mobile phone networks were not working. Japan's Coast Guard has set up task force and officials are standing by for emergency contingencies, Coast Guard official Yosuke Oi said.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/02/27/list-worlds-strongest-earthquakes#ixzz1GP9GEllp
