The Strongest Earthquake Ever Recorded Left Millions Without a Home

While some disaster movies like to portray what would happen to our planet when we're finally rocked with the big one, Earth has already experienced some awe inspiring earthquakes that left a path of devastation in their wake. From massive quakes that cause tsunamis, to those who created such destruction that millions were left without homes when the dust settled, there have been a lot of "big ones" already.

And while a lot of them have happened in recent memory, some of them happened more than 100 years ago.

Curious to find out which earthquake was the strongest one ever recorded? Keep reading as we break down the planet's strongest quakes, including what happened after the ground stopped shaking and people were finally able to access the damage left behind. Sadly, for most of these quakes, the answer is the recovery of hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of the bodies of those who were killed.

According to Wikipedia, the strongest earthquake ever recorded (by magnitude) was a 9.4-9.6 magnitude earthquake that hit on May 22, 1960, in Valdivia, Chile. Known as the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the shaking lasted 10 minutes, kicking off tsunamis that hit southern Chile, Japan, Hawaii, the Philippines, southeast Australia, New Zealand, and the Aleutian Islands.

The waves that reached Chile were around 82 feet tall, and the ones that pounded Hawaii were recorded at 35 feet tall.

Experts can't agree on the final death toll of money lost as a result of the earthquake, and many people put the loss of life somewhere between 1,000 and 6,000. As for the monetary cost, it's estimated to have ranged from $4.3 to $8.5 billion when adjusted for modern inflation.

After that, Wikipedia says the next strongest earthquakes were a 9.2-9.3 one in Alaska in 1964, a 9.2-9.3 one in Indonesia in 2004, and a 9.0-9.1 one in the Pacific Ocean near Japan.

However, it's worth noting that while these were the strongest earthquakes, they aren't considered the deadliest. For example, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in China in 1976 holds that record, where hundreds of thousands of people were killed when the earthquake hit Hebei.

On Dec. 8, 2025, a 7.6 earthquake hit the coast of Japan, according to Fox News, creating a tsunami warning. The quake was centered about 45 miles west of Misawa within the Pacific Ocean.

Not long after, a 5.5 aftershock hit the region, suspending high-speed railways and causing alerts to be issued for the Fukushima Prefecture. However, the 7.6 quake isn't the strongest to hit the country.

Instead, the 9.1 magnitude earthquake from 2011 holds that record.

The quake caused widespread damage to the region thanks to the tsunami that was triggered. According to Wikipedia, this resulted in 19,759 deaths, 6,242 injuries, and a devastating 2,553 who vanished without a trace during the disaster. Not only that, but it also started the events in motion that ended up causing a nuclear meltdown at a nearby power plant.