Great · M8.0 and above
Great earthquakes are among the most powerful events on Earth. They rupture hundreds of kilometres of fault and can flatten regions and trigger basin-wide tsunamis.
Class
Great
Per year (global)
~1
Last 12 months
0
Since 1900
100
Largest recorded
M9.5
Great earthquakes are among the most powerful events on Earth. They rupture hundreds of kilometres of fault and can flatten regions and trigger basin-wide tsunamis.
Typical effects. Catastrophic, near-total destruction near the source; violent shaking felt thousands of kilometres away; major tsunamis from megathrust ruptures.
Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step is about 32× more energy, so a magnitude 8+ releases far more energy than the band below it. But felt shaking and damage also depend on depth, distance and local geology.
The most recent events recorded in the M8.0 and above range, worldwide.
July 29, 2025 · 35 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
August 12, 2021 · 23 km deep
July 29, 2021 · 35 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
March 4, 2021 · 29 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
May 26, 2019 · 123 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
August 19, 2018 · 600 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
September 8, 2017 · 47 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
September 16, 2015 · 22 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
April 1, 2014 · 25 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
May 24, 2013 · 598 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
February 6, 2013 · 24 km deep · 🌊 tsunami
April 11, 2012 · 25 km deep
April 11, 2012 · 20 km deep
March 11, 2011 · 29 km deep
February 27, 2010 · 23 km deep
September 29, 2009 · 18 km deep
September 12, 2007 · 34 km deep
August 15, 2007 · 39 km deep
April 1, 2007 · 24 km deep
January 13, 2007 · 10 km deep
November 15, 2006 · 10 km deep
May 3, 2006 · 55 km deep
March 28, 2005 · 30 km deep
December 26, 2004 · 30 km deep
December 23, 2004 · 10 km deep
September 25, 2003 · 27 km deep
June 23, 2001 · 33 km deep
November 16, 2000 · 33 km deep
March 25, 1998 · 10 km deep
February 17, 1996 · 33 km deep
FAQ
Great earthquakes are among the most powerful events on Earth. They rupture hundreds of kilometres of fault and can flatten regions and trigger basin-wide tsunamis. On the moment-magnitude scale, magnitude 8+ covers M8.0 and above. Catastrophic, near-total destruction near the source; violent shaking felt thousands of kilometres away; major tsunamis from megathrust ruptures.
About ~1 earthquakes in the M8.0 and above range occur worldwide each year. Our catalog recorded 0 in the last 12 months and 100 since 1900.
Catastrophic, near-total destruction near the source; violent shaking felt thousands of kilometres away; major tsunamis from megathrust ruptures. Impact depends far more on depth, distance to people and building quality than on magnitude alone — a shallow magnitude 8+ under a city is far more dangerous than a deep one far offshore.