Comparison

For comparison, the world's largest recorded earthquakes have been listed below. They have all been megathrust events, occurring where one tectonic plate subducts beneath another.

These include:

1960 Chile earthquake (Magnitude 9.5)

Tsunami Destruction at Hilo.
Source: The Tsunami Page of Dr. George P.C.
1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska earthquake (Magnitude 9.2)

Both the railroad yard and seaport facilities at Seward, Alaska, received heavy damage.
Source: University of Washington
1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska (Magnitude 9.1)

Photo shows the arrival of a major wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Source: University of Washington
1952 Kamchatka earthquake (Magnitude 9.0)

Flooded street resulting from the arrival of the Kamchatka tsunami on Midway Island about 3,000 km away from the origin.
Source: University of Washington (Photograph Credit: U.S. Navy. Source: National Geophysical Data Center.)

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References

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program-Latest Earthquakes. US Geological Survey. Retrieved March 5, 2005, from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2004/usslav/
26 December 2004 Tsunam. National Institute of Oceanography, India. Retrieved March 5, 2005, from http://www.nio.org/jsp/tsunami.jsp
Tsunami!: The WWW Tsunami Information Resource. Earth and Space Sciences (Geology and Geophysics) at UW. Retrieved March 5, 2005, from http://www.ess.washington.edu/tsunami/toc.html
Sumatra Earthquake 26 December 2004. British Geological Survey. Retrieved from http://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/latest_info.htm

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Content Outline

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