One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded has struck Russia's Far East, triggering tsunami waves that reached the coasts of Japan and Alaska and prompting people around the Pacific Ocean to be on alert or move to higher ground, the Associated Press reports, BTA writes.
The 8.8-magnitude earthquake has triggered alerts in Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south to New Zealand, with authorities warning that the potential tsunami threat could last more than a day.
AP presents a look at some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In 1960, An earthquake in central Chile with a magnitude of 9.5, known as the “Valdivia Earthquake“ or “Great Chilean Earthquake“, remains in history as the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The tremor, followed by a large tsunami, killed over 1,600 people in Chile and beyond.
In 1964, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake, lasting almost 5 minutes, shook the “Prince William Sound” in Alaska. More than 130 people died in the largest recorded earthquake in the United States and the tsunami that followed. It caused massive landslides and severe flooding. The quake was then followed by thousands of aftershocks weeks after the initial quake.
A 9.1-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami devastated Southeast and South Asia and East Africa in 2004, killing 230,000 people. Indonesia alone recorded more than 167,000 deaths. Entire towns were destroyed.
In 2011, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan, triggering a powerful tsunami that severely damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It knocked out the plant's power and cooling systems and caused the cores of three reactors to melt. More than 18,000 people died in the earthquake and tsunami.
In 1952 A magnitude 9 earthquake in Kamchatka caused significant damage, but no casualties were reported, despite a 30-foot tsunami that hit Hawaii.
A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook central Chile in 2010. The tremor was felt for a minute and a half in the capital, Santiago. The quake caused. The death toll was over 500.
In 1906, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in the region of Colombia and Ecuador and the ensuing tsunami killed about 1,500 people. The effects of the event were felt for kilometers along the coast of Central America, as far as San Francisco and Japan. The same year, by the way, the great San Francisco earthquake also occurred, but it was a magnitude 7.9 and killed 3,000.
In 1965 An 8.7-magnitude earthquake struck islands in Alaska, triggering an 11-meter tsunami. Damage was relatively minor, including cracks in buildings and an asphalt runway.
At least 780 people died in a 1950 magnitude 8.6 earthquake on the India-China border. Dozens of villages were destroyed, including one that collapsed into a local river. Landslides blocked the Subansiri River, and when the water finally broke through, it created a deadly 23-meter wave.
In 2012, a powerful 8.6-magnitude quake struck off the coast of North Sumatra in Indonesia. Although the quake caused little damage, it increased the strain on the fault that had been the source of the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami.