From: Megathrust Earthquakes
This is a list of megathrust earthquakes that have occurred. Megathrust earthquakes are large seismic events that take place along convergent plate boundaries, particularly at subduction zones. Examples of subduction zones include the Sumatra and Java trenches, Nankai Trough and Peru–Chile Trench which are frequent sources of these earthquakes.
Pre-11th century
| Date | Time‡ | Location | Fatalities | Mag. | Effects/notes | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 BC |  Cabo de San Vicente, Portugal |
8.5 | Possible tsunami. Considered the oldest record of an earthquake in the Portuguese earthquake catalogs.[1] | |||
| 365 AD July 21 |  Crete, Greece |
Unknown | 8.6 | Devastation in Cyrene & Alexandria by a tsunami. Uplift of up to 9 metres in Crete. Maximum intensity XI (Extreme). | 365 Crete earthquake | |
| 684 AD November 29 |  Nankai Trough, Japan |
8.4 | 684 Hakuhō earthquake | |||
| 869 AD July 13 | Sanriku, Japan |
1,000+ | 8.4–9.0 | Major tsunami. Several hundred villages destroyed. | 869 Jōgan earthquake | |
| 887 AD August 26 | Nankaido, Japan |
Unknown | 8.6 | Major tsunami recorded in Osaka Bay. Landslides reported. | Tōkai earthquakes | |
| 1096 AD December 11 | Nankaido, Japan |
Unknown | 8.4 | Destructive earthquake and tsunami, damaging many homes and shrines. | ||
| 1099 AD February 22 | Nankai Trough, Japan |
8.4 | Nankai earthquakes |
11th–18th century
| Date | Time‡ | Location | Fatalities | Mag. | Effects/notes | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 8, 1303 | “dawn” | Crete, Greece |
4,000+ | 8.0 | Maximum intensity IX (Violent). Tsunami damage in Alexandria, Egypt and along the Syrian coast. Many buildings damaged in Cairo due to the earthquake. | 1303 Crete earthquake |
| July 26, 1361 | Tokai region, Japan |
8.5 | 1361 Shōhei earthquake | |||
| August 31, 1420 |  Omate, Peru |
8.5–9.0 | 1420 Caldera earthquake | |||
| September 20, 1498 | 08:00 | Nankaido, Japan |
26,000 | 8.6 | Major tsunami. | 1498 Nankai earthquake |
| June 6, 1505 |  Nepal India |
8.2–8.9[2] | At least 30% of the Nepalese population perished. Extreme damage in Nepal and northern India. | 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake | ||
| December 16, 1575 | 18:30 |  Valdivia, Chile |
1,500 | 8.5 | Maximum intensity X (Extreme). | 1575 Valdivia earthquake |
| January 22, 1582 | 16:30 | Arequipa, Peru |
“many” | 8.4 | Maximum intensity X (Extreme). Many buildings collapsed or were severely damaged. | |
| March 17, 1584 | Lima, Peru |
8.4 | Maximum intensity VII (Very strong). Severe damage in Lima. | |||
| June 10–11, 1585 | 18:30 |  Aleutian subduction zone, Alaska |
Unknown | 9.25 | Tsunami killed natives in the Hawaiian Islands and reported in Japan. | 1585 Aleutian Islands earthquake |
| July 10, 1586 | 19:00 | Lima, Peru |
22 | 8.5 | Maximum intensity X (Extreme). 1,000 km by 120 km area of Peruvian coastline severely affected. A significant local tsunami was reported in Lima. The tsunami was confused with that of the Aleutian Islands event in tsunami catalogs. | 1586 Lima-Callao earthquake |
| February 28, 1600 | 20:00 | Omate, Peru |
8.1 | |||
| November 24, 1604 | 18:30 | Arica, Chile |
174 | 8.5–9.4 | 1604 Arica earthquake | |
| February 3, 1605 | 20:00 | Japan |
“thousands” | 8.0 | 1605 Nankai earthquake | |
| October 20, 1609 | 01:00 | Peru |
8.6 | |||
| December 2, 1611 | Sanriku Coast, Japan |
5,000 | 8.1 | 1611 Sanriku earthquake | ||
| February 14, 1619 | 16:30 | Trujillo, Peru |
350 | 8.6 | ||
| August 1, 1629 |  Banda Sea, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) |
Unknown | 8.2–8.8 | Major tsunami. | 1629 Banda Sea earthquake | |
| May 14, 1647 | 02:30 | Santiago, Chile |
1,000 | 8.5 | 1647 Santiago earthquake | |
| March 15, 1657 | 20:00 | Concepción, Chile |
40 | 8.0 | Destructive tsunami. Concepción totally destroyed. | 1657 Concepción earthquake |
| October 20, 1687 | 10:30 | Lima, Peru |
5,000 | 8.7 | 8-meter tsunami in Peru. Tsunami reported in Japan. | 1687 Peru earthquake |
| April 16, 1690 |  Leeward Islands |
8.0 | Maximum intensity IX. | |||
| January 27, 1700 | 05:00 |   Cascadia subduction zone, United States and Canada |
9.0–9.2 | Tsunami in Japan and the Pacific Northwest. | 1700 Cascadia earthquake | |
| December 30, 1703 | 17:00 | Boso Peninsula, Japan |
5,233 | 8.0 | Maximum intensity IX. | 1703 Genroku earthquake |
| October 28, 1707 | 14:00 (local time) | Japan |
5,000 | 8.7–9.3 | Tsunami | 1707 Hōei earthquake |
| May 4, 1714 |  Main Himalayan Thrust, Bhutan |
Unknown | 7.5-8.5 | [3] | 1714 Bhutan earthquake | |
| May 4, 1730 | Valparaíso, Chile |
Unknown | 9.1–9.3 | 16-meter-high tsunami. | 1730 Valparaíso earthquake | |
| November 4, 1737 | 08:00 |  Kamchatka, Russian Empire |
9.0–9.3 | 1737 Kamchatka earthquake | ||
| December 24, 1737 | Valdivia, Chile |
8.0 | 1737 Valdivia earthquake | |||
| October 29, 1746 | 03:30 | Lima, Peru |
1,141 | 8.6 | 1746 Lima-Callao earthquake | |
| May 25, 1751 | 01:00 | Concepción, Chile |
8.5 | 1751 Concepción earthquake | ||
| November 1, 1755 | 09:30 | Lisbon, Portugal |
50,000 | 8.7–9.0 | Tsunami. | 1755 Lisbon earthquake |
| March 30, 1761 | 23:01 | Unknown | 8.0–8.5 | Tsunami. | 1761 Lisbon earthquake | |
| January 22, 1780 |  Java, Indonesia |
8.5[4] | Severe damage | |||
| April 3, 1787 | 23:01 |  Oaxaca, New Spain (now Mexico) |
11 | 8.6 | Tsunami. | 1787 New Spain earthquake |
| July and August, 1788 | Alaska Peninsula, Alaska, Russia (now United States) |
Unknown | 8.0 | Intensity VII. Major tsunami, 10 to 30 meters high. Many native Russians killed. The second earthquake triggered a 91-meter tsunami. Thought to be one earthquake rather than two.[5] | ||
| 22 August 1792 | Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia |
Unknown | 8.25 | [6] | ||
| 10 February 1797 | Sumatra, Indonesia |
300 | 8.4 | [7] | 1797 Sumatra earthquake |
19th century
| Date | Time‡ | Location | Fatalities | Mag. | Effects/notes | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 April 1819 | Copiapó, Chile |
Unknown | 8.5 | Ms [8] Copiapó totally destroyed by the earthquake. Caldera suffered massive damage. Minor tsunami. | 1819 Copiapó earthquake | |
| 20 November 1822 | Valparaíso Region, Chile |
72-300+ | 8.5 | Ms [8] | 1822 Valparaíso earthquake | |
| 25 November 1833 | Sumatra, Indonesia |
Numerous | 8.8–9.2 | Destructive tsunami. | 1833 Sumatra earthquake | |
| 20 February 1835 | Concepción, Chile |
50+ | 8.5 | Ms [8] Large tsunami. | 1835 Concepción earthquake | |
| 20 February 1835 | Valdivia, Chile |
8.5 | Ms [8] | 1837 Valdivia earthquake | ||
| 11 January 1839 | Morning |  Martinique, Lesser Antilles |
390–4,000 | 8.0 | 1839 Martinique earthquake | |
| 17 May 1841 | Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia |
8.4 | 6-meter tsunami. | 1841 Kamchatka earthquake | ||
| 8 February 1843 | 10:37 | Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles |
1,500–5,000 | 8.5 | 1843 Guadeloupe earthquake | |
| 7 April 1845 | 10:37 |  Oaxaca and Guerrero, Mexico |
Unknown | 8.0 | Felt strongly in Mexico City, resulting in significant damage.[9] | |
| 25 November 1852 | 22:40 | Banda Islands, Banda Sea, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) |
60+ | 8.4–8.8 | Tsunami up to 8 meters tall. Felt IX in Banda Neira. | |
| 23 December 1854 | 16:00 | Nankai Trough, Japan |
5,000+ | 8.4 | Major damage caused by tsunami inundation. | 1854 Nankai earthquake
|
| 24 December 1854 | 09:00 | 8.4 | ||||
| 16 February 1861 | Sumatra, Indonesia |
Thousands | 8.5 | 1861 Sumatra earthquake | ||
| 17 November 1865 |  Pacific Ocean, Tonga |
0 | 8.0 | Felt in ships as well. Two-meter tsunami caused limited damage.[10] | ||
| 13 August 1868 | Arica, Peru (now part of Chile) |
25,000 | 8.5-9.3 | 1868 Arica earthquake | ||
| 1873 |  Papua New Guinea |
“Some” | 8.0 | Felt IX. Some damage to villages and people killed. Minor tsunami. | ||
| 28 March 1875 |  Pacific Ocean, New Caledonia |
25+ | 8.1–8.2[11] | Four-meter tsunami caused at least 25 deaths. | ||
| 9 May 1877 | 21:16 | Iquique, Chile |
2,385 | 8.9 | Fiji accounts for most of the deaths attributed to the tsunami. | 1877 Iquique earthquake |
| 7 September 1882 | 03:20 (local time) |  San Blas Islands, Panama |
250 | 8.3 | Destructive tsunami | 1882 Panama earthquake |
| 6 September 1889 | 12:00 | Celebes Sea, Indonesia |
8.0 | Damaging tsunami up to 4 meters in height. | ||
| 15 June 1896 | 10:33 | Sanriku, Japan |
27,122 | 8.6 | Weakly felt earthquake but a major tsunami up to 38 meters in height. | 1896 Sanriku earthquake |
| 10 September 1899 | Yakutat Bay, Alaska |
0 | 8.2 8.2 |
Large coastal uplift and tsunami. | 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes |
20th century
| Date | Time‡ | Location | Fatalities | Mag. | Effects/notes | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1902 | 01:46 | Guam, United States |
0 | 8.1 | Felt IX. No tsunami. | |
| 27 February 1903 | 01:46 | Java, Indonesia |
0 | 8.1 | ||
| 31 January 1906 | 15:36 |  Ecuador Colombia |
500–1,000 | 8.8 | [12] | 1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake |
| 17 August 1906 | 00:40 | Valparaíso, Chile |
4,000 | 8.2 | [13] | 1906 Valparaíso earthquake |
| 14 September 1906 | 16:04 | Finisterre Range, Papua New Guinea |
“Hundreds” | 8.0 | [14] Felt X. Many landslides and tsunamis triggered.[15] | |
| 4 January 1907 | 12:20 (local time) | Nias Island, Indonesia |
2,188 | 8.2 | [16] Destructive tsunami, up to 15 meters high, killing most of the inhabitants. | 1907 Sumatra earthquake |
| 26 June 1917 | 05:49 (local time) |  Pacific Ocean, Samoa |
2 | 8.5 | Mw [17] 12.2-meter tsunami. | 1917 Samoa earthquake |
| 15 August 1918 | 20:18 (local time) |  Mindanao, Philippines |
52 | 8.3 | Mw [18] | 1918 Celebes Sea earthquake |
| 10 November 1922 | 23:53 (local time) | Atacama Region, Chile |
~500 | 8.5 | Mw [19][20] | 1922 Vallenar earthquake |
| 3 February 1923 | 04:01 (local time) | Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia |
3 | 8.4 | Ms [21] Felt XI. Tsunami. | February 1923 Kamchatka earthquake |
| 14 April 1923 | 02:31 (local time) | Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia |
36 | 8.2 | Mw [22] Felt X. Tsunami up to 30 meters. | April 1923 Kamchatka earthquake |
| 1 September 1923 | 11:58 (local time) | Kantō Plain, Japan |
148,000 | 8.1 | Mw [23] Felt XI. A conflagration and firenado killed tens of thousands in the Kantō Plain. Tsunami up to 12 meters caused extensive damage. One of the deadliest earthquakes in human history. | 1923 Great Kantō earthquake |
| 14 April 1924 | 16:20 | Mindanao, Philippines |
0 | 8.0 | Mw [24] | |
| 3 June 1932 | 04:36 | Jalisco, Mexico |
400+ | 8.1 | Mw [25] Multiple mainshocks. | 1932 Jalisco earthquakes |
| 15 January 1934 | 08:43 | Himalayas, Nepal and India |
12,000 | 8.0 | Mw [26] Major damage in both countries. Widespread liquefaction. | 1934 Nepal-India earthquake |
| 24 May 1940 | 11:35 | Lima, Peru |
300 | 8.2 | Mw [27] Majority of the deaths were from Callao and Lima. | 1940 Lima earthquake |
| 13 May 1942 | 21:13 (local time) | Manabí Province, Ecuador |
200+ | 8.3 | Ms [28] | 1942 Ecuador earthquake |
| 24 August 1942 | 17:40 (local time) | Lima, Peru |
30 | 8.1 | Mw [29] | 1942 Peru earthquake |
| 6 April 1943 | 12:07 (local time) | Coquimbo Region, Chile |
11 | 8.1 | Mw [30] | 1943 Ovalle earthquake |
| 7 December 1944 | 13:35 (local time) | Tōkai region, Japan |
3,538 | 8.1 | Mw [31] | 1944 Tōnankai earthquake |
| 28 November 1945 | 01:26 (local time) |  Balochistan, British India (present–day Pakistan) |
4,000 | 8.0 | Mw [32] Tsunami. | 1945 Balochistan earthquake |
| 1 April 1946 | 03:29 (local time) | Aleutian Islands, Alaska |
173 | 8.6 | Mw [33] Majority of the deaths was the result of the tsunami hitting Hawaii. One tsunami fatality in California. | 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake |
| 21 December 1946 | 04:19 (local time) | Nankaidō, Japan |
1,362+ | 8.3 | Mw [34] | 1946 Nankai earthquake |
| 15 August 1950 | 19:39 (local time) |  Mishmi Hills, India and Tibet |
4,800 | 8.6 | Mw [35] One of the largest earthquake on land. | 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake |
| 4 March 1952 | 10:22 (local time) | Hokkaido, Japan |
33 | 8.1 | Mw [36] | 1952 Tokachi earthquake |
| 5 November 1952 | 03:58 (local time) | Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia |
2,500 | 9.0 | Mw [37] 5th largest in recorded history. | 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake |
| 9 March 1957 | 04:22 (local time) | Andreanof Islands, Alaska |
0 | 8.6 | Mw [38] | 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake |
| 21 May 1960 | 06:02 (local time) | Concepción, Chile |
125 | 8.1 | Mw [39] Foreshock to the next earthquake on 22 May. | 1960 Concepción earthquakes |
| 22 May 1960 | 15:11 (local time) | Valdivia, Chile |
1,000–7,000 | 9.5 | Mw [40] The largest earthquake in recorded history. | 1960 Valdivia earthquake |
| 13 October 1963 | 15:17 (local time) |  Kuril Islands, USSR (present-day Russia) |
0 | 8.5 | Mw [41] One of the largest earthquake in recorded history. | 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake |
| 27 March 1964 | 17:36 (local time) | Prince William Sound, Alaska |
131 | 9.2 | Mw [42] The second largest earthquake in recorded history. | 1964 Alaska earthquake |
| 24 January 1965 | 09:11 (local time) | North Maluku, Indonesia |
71 | 8.2 | Mw [43] | 1965 Ceram Sea earthquake |
| 3 February 1965 | 19:01 (local time) | Rat Islands, Alaska |
0 | 8.7 | Mw [44] One of the largest earthquake in recorded history. | 1965 Rat Islands earthquake |
| 17 October 1966 | 16:42 (local time) | Huacho, Peru |
100 | 8.1 | Mw [45] | 1966 Peru earthquake |
| 16 May 1968 | 09:49 (local time) | Hokkaido, Japan |
47–57 | 8.2 | Mw [46] | 1968 Tokachi earthquake |
| 11 August 1969 | 21:27 (local time) | Kuril Islands, USSR |
0 | 8.2 | Mw [47] | |
| 3 October 1974 | 09:21 (local time) | Lima, Peru |
78 | 8.1 | Mw [17] | 1974 Lima earthquake |
| 14 January 1976 | 16:47 |  Kermadec Islands, New Zealand |
0 | 8.0 | Ms [48] | |
| 16 August 1976 | 00:11 (local time) | Mindanao, Philippines |
5,000–7,000 | 8.0 | Mw [17] | 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake |
| 12 December 1977 | 02:59 (local time) | Ecuador Colombia |
300–600 | 8.2 | Mw [49] | 1979 Tumaco earthquake |
| 3 March 1985 | 19:47 (local time) | Valparaíso Region, Chile |
177 | 8.0 | Mw [50] | 1985 Algarrobo earthquake |
| 19 September 1985 | 07:17 (local time) | Michoacan, Mexico |
9,500–45,000 | 8.0 | Mw [51] | 1985 Mexico City earthquake |
| 30 July 1995 | 14:59 (local time) | Antofagasta, Chile |
2 | 8.0 | Mw [52] | 1995 Antofagasta earthquake |
| 9 October 1995 | 10:35 (local time) | Jalisco, Mexico |
49–58 | 8.0 | Mw [53] | 1995 Colima-Jalisco earthquake |
| 17 February 1996 | 14:59 (local time) | Irian Jaya, Indonesia |
166 | 8.1 | Mw [54] | 1996 Biak earthquake |
21st century
| Date | Time‡ | Location | Fatalities | Mag. | Effects/notes | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 June 2001 | 15:33 (local time) | Department of Arequipa, Peru |
74 | 8.4 | Mw [55] | 2001 southern Peru earthquake |
| 26 September 2003 | 04:50 (local time) | Hokkaido, Japan |
0 | 8.2 | Mw [56] Two missing, more than 840 injured. | 2003 Tokachi earthquake |
| 26 December 2004 | 07:58 (local time) | Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia |
227,898 | 9.1 | Mw [57] Indian Ocean basin-wide by teletsunami. | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami |
| 28 March 2005 | 23:09 (local time) | Nias and Simeulue, North Sumatra, Indonesia |
915–1,314 | 8.6 | Mw [58] | 2005 Nias-Simeulue earthquake |
| 15 November 2006 | 08:14 (local time) | Kuril Islands, Russia |
0 | 8.3 | Mw [59] | 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake |
| 2 April 2007 | 07:39 (local time) |  Solomon Islands |
52 | 8.1 | Mw [60] At least 60 missing. | 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake |
| 15 August 2007 | 18:40 (local time) | Department of Ica, Peru |
519 | 8.0 | Mw [61] | 2007 Peru earthquake |
| 12 September 2007 | 18:10 (local time) | Bengkulu, Indonesia |
23 | 8.4 | Mw [62] | September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes |
| 29 September 2009 | 06:48 (local time) |  near Samoa and American Samoa, Pacific Ocean |
192 | 8.1 | Mw [63] Doublet earthquake rupturing an outer rise normal fault and the megathrust.[64] | 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami |
| 27 February 2010 | 03:34 (local time) | Maule Region, Chile |
525 | 8.8 | Mw [65] | 2010 Chile earthquake |
| 11 March 2011 | 14:46 (local time) | Tohoku region, Japan |
16,000–20,000 | 9.1 | Mw [66] More than 2,550 missing. One death each in Papua, Indonesia and California by tsunami. | 2011 Tokohu earthquake and tsunami |
| 6 February 2013 | 12:12 (local time) | Temotu Province, Solomon Islands |
9 | 8.0 | Mw [67] | 2013 Solomon Islands earthquake |
| 1 April 2014 | 20:46 (local time) | Iquique, Chile |
6 | 8.2 | Mw [68] | 2014 Iquique earthquake |
| 16 September 2015 | 19:54 (local time) | Coquimbo Region, Chile |
16 | 8.3 | Mw [69] At least 6 missing in Chile. | 2015 Illapel earthquake |
| 4 March 2021 | 08:28 (local time) | Kermadec Islands, New Zealand |
0 | 8.1 | Mw [70] Was preceded by an Mw 7.4 foreshock and unrelated Mw 7.3 event a few hours earlier. | 2021 Kermadec Islands earthquake |
| 29 July 2021 | 22:15 (local time) | Alaska, United States |
0 | 8.2 | Mw [71] Was preceded by two foreshocks in 2020—Mw 7.8 and 7.6. | 2021 Chignik earthquake |
| 12 August 2021 | 16:35 (local time) |  South Sandwich Islands |
0 | 8.1 | Mw [72] Complex earthquake with multiple subevents, including one that was characterized as a tsunami earthquake. Earthquake released seismic energy in the form of low-frequency seismic waves with a period of 500 seconds.[73] | 2021 South Sandwich Islands earthquakes |
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