Earthquake off Russia’s coast is among strongest ever recorded

An earthquake that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula early Wednesday, prompting widespread evacuations and setting off tsunami warnings in Japan and Hawaii, is among the largest recorded.

The earthquake struck off the Kamchatka coast at an 8.8 magnitude, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. That would place it in the top six strongest earthquakes on record, according to the agency’s historical data.

The data is preliminary and could eventually be revised by the agency. Wednesday’s earthquake is tied for sixth place with two other 8.8-magnitude earthquakes, in Chile in 2010 and Ecuador and Colombia in 1906.

The damage from Wednesday’s earthquake will only be determined in the days and months ahead. It struck near Russia’s Far East, a sparsely populated area. But it damaged buildings and injured several people, though no deaths have been reported thus far, according to Russian officials.

The strongest earthquakes on record hit countries including Chile, the United States, Japan and Indonesia – with devastating results. Here’s what happened.

Earthquake in Biobío, Chile (1960): 9.5 magnitudeThe strongest quake measured at 9.5 magnitude happened near Biobío, Chile, in 1960 and was followed by other earthquakes and a powerful tsunami. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 490 to 5,700 people are estimated to have died in Chile as a result of the initial shock and ensuing tsunami, while the tsunami killed 61 people in Hawaii, 21 people in the Philippines and 122 in Japan. The property damage and economic reverberations were enormous. It is now known as the Great Chilean Earthquake or Valdivia Earthquake.

Earthquake in Prince William Sound, Alaska (1964): 9.2 magnitudeIn 1964, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake struck Prince William Sound, Alaska – the second strongest quake on record, and the largest recorded earthquake in U.S. history. The Great Alaska Earthquake, as it is known, as well as the tsunamis and aftershocks that followed for weeks, killed 139 people and caused extensive flooding and damage, according to NOAA. It prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to declare a disaster area in the state.

Earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia (2004): 9.1 magnitude

Another 9.1-magnitude earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2004, was one of the deadliest natural disasters of all time. It triggered a tsunami that brought 100-foot waves to coastal areas in countries including Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Some 230,000 people were declared dead or missing and hundreds of thousands were displaced. The estimated total material losses in the region were $10 billion.

Earthquake in Tohoku, Japan (2011): 9.1 magnitude

Wednesday’s quake near the Kamchatka Peninsula was the strongest since a 9.1-magnitude earthquake in Tohoku, Japan, in 2011, which triggered a deadly and destructive tsunami that disabled three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and caused nuclear leaks. More than 18,000 people died, mostly as a result of the tsunami, and at least 6,000 were injured and tens of thousands were displaced.

That earthquake originally measured 8.9 on the Richter scale but was later revised to 9.1, showing how the original assessment of an earthquake’s magnitude can evolve.

Earthquake in Kamchatka, Russia (1952): 9.0 magnitudeThe Kamchatka Peninsula has been the epicenter of a major earthquake before. In 1952, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake there caused severe damage and struck Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific. It was followed by a tsunami that brought waves of up to 23 feet to the coasts of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, according to NOAA.