The Kamchatka earthquake was among the 10 strongest in the last 125 years: What was the most powerful one?

The recent earthquake that affected the eastern region of Kamchatka, Russia, was classified as one of the most powerful ever recorded since 1900. With a preliminary magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale, the event triggered a series of tsunami alerts across the Pacific and was described by Russian authorities as an “extraordinary event.”

The tremor occurred at an approximate depth of 21 kilometers, with the epicenter about 119 kilometers off the coast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital city and home to around 180,000 people. Despite its intensity, initial reports indicate that there have been no fatalities or significant material damage recorded.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) could review the definitive magnitude of the earthquake in the coming days, although if the current value of 8.8 is maintained, it is similar to the earthquake that struck central Chile in 2010, leaving more than 500 dead due to the destruction caused by the seismic movement and the subsequent tsunami.

An anomalous earthquake due to its low impact on solid ground

The tsunami waves generated by the movement reached heights of between 10 and 13 feets in Russia; 5 feets in Japan, and 5,5 feets on the coasts of Hawaii.

The scientist David Tappin, from the British Geological Survey, expressed his surprise at the limited magnitude of the tsunami.

“When I saw that it was an 8.8, I must admit that I thought, ‘Oh, we are going back to something like what happened in Japan,’” Tappin commented to NBC News, referring to the devastating 2011 earthquake that resulted in over 20,000 deaths and caused a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant."

The so-called “Great Tohoku Earthquake” reached a magnitude of 9.1 and generated waves up to 40 meters high, impacting the Japanese coast with an estimated height of 15 meters. According to Tappin, the recent earthquake in Kamchatka “seems anomalous,” as he was expecting a tsunami of at least 10 meters. However, he highlighted that “information about the tsunami impact is still quite limited.”

One possible explanation for the low level of damage would be the remote location of the epicenter, combined with the effectiveness of alert systems in Pacific regions such as Japan and Hawaii.

The largest earthquakes since 1900 and the seismic history of Kamchatka

Kamchatka, located in an area of intense tectonic activity, has been the scene of several significant earthquakes in recent history. The current tremor occurred less than 30 kilometers from the epicenter of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that affected the same region in 1952. At that time, tsunami waves reached up to 15 meters and at least 1,790 deaths were reported, although some estimates raise the number of fatalities to 8,000.

Among the most lethal earthquakes in history is the one in Sumatra in 2004, which caused the death of around 280,000 people. The strongest earthquake ever recorded is the one in Chile in 1960, known as the “Great Chilean Earthquake” with a magnitude of 9.5, which left over 1,600 dead as it also triggered a tsunami with waves of 32 feets, and 2 million people were left homeless.

These are the ten largest magnitude earthquakes in history according to USGS:

1. 1960: Valdivia, Chile (9.5)
2. 1964: Prince William Sound, Alaska (9,2)
3. 2011: Tohoku, Japan (9.1)
4. 2004: Sumatra, Indonesia (9.1)
5. 1952: Kamchatka, Russia (9.0)
6. 2025: Kamchatka, Russia (8,8)
7. 2010: Biobío, Chile (8.8)
8. 1906: Esmeraldas, Ecuador (8,8)
9. 1965: Rat Islands, Alaska (8,7)
10. 2012: Sumatra, Indonesia (8.6)