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A 4.7-magnitude earthquake hit Anchorage, Alaska, on April 29, shortly after midnight local time, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake followed a series of smaller tremors recorded the previous day along the Alaska Peninsula.
The epicenter was located on the Kenai Peninsula, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) south of Anchorage. Tremors were felt in Anchorage and nearby areas, but no damage has been reported at this time. Authorities also confirmed there is no tsunami threat.
Earthquakes are a reminder of the planet’s immense and unpredictable power. While some cause minimal damage, others leave behind widespread destruction and loss.
Click through the following gallery to discover some of the highest-magnitude earthquakes ever recorded.
On March 28, a powerful 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar at 12:50 pm local time, followed by a 6.4 aftershock. Over 3,600 people died and 5,000 were injured.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter was located 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Sagaing at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The tremors were felt as far as northern Thailand, where metro and rail services in Bangkok were briefly suspended, and in China’s Yunnan province, according to Beijing’s earthquake agency.
Taiwan's worst earthquake in 25 years struck the country's east coast on the morning of April 3, 2024. Luckily, the eastern county of Hualien, which suffered the worst of the damage, is sparsely populated, but the natural disaster still took seven lives. A further 700 people were injured, and an estimated 77 people were trapped by collapsed infrastructure. Strong tremors were also felt in the capital city of Taipei at the northern tip of the island nation, causing the subway system to be shut down temporarily. More than 50 aftershocks were recorded.
A powerful earthquake hit northern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, March 21. The Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan were the site of the 6.5-magnitude quake's epicenter, but the after tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi. Residents across towns in Afghanistan and Pakistan fled their homes as the shockwaves triggered mudslides and caused buildings to collapse. There were around 21 casualties and hundreds of people were injured.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake was reportedly centered about 20 miles (32 km) from Gaziantep, Turkey, a major city and provincial capital, when it struck at 3:17 am local time on February 6. The death toll from the disastrous quake surpassed 46,000, with thousands more injured, and numerous buildings reduced to rubble in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Just weeks after, as rescue efforts were still underway, the Turkey-Syria border was hit by a new 6.3-magnitude quake on February 20 which killed at least six and injured around 300 more.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck western Mexico on September 19, killing at least two people, injuring 35 more, damaging buildings, and knocking out power for residents of Mexico City. The quake struck on the anniversary of not one but two prior quakes that had previously battered the country. Thousands of people were killed in the 1985 earthquake, and over 350 died in the quake in 2017, Reuters reports, leading locals to believe there is something "cursed" about the day.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake killed 1,163 people after hitting the eastern Paktika and Khost provinces of Afghanistan on June 21. Photos show landslides and toppled homes, as well as helicopters ferrying victims to hospitals from more remote areas. More than 6,000 people were injured. Tremors from the quake were felt across more than 500 km (310 mi) of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed at least four after hitting off the coast of Japan's Fukushima prefecture on March 16. You may remember that this is the same area that was also hit by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that resulted in a nuclear power plant meltdown.
On August 14, 2021, Haiti was struck with a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed over 2,000 people and left more than 12,000 injured. Over 136,00 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The earthquake's epicenter was about 96 km (60 mi) west of the disastrous 2010 earthquake, which had a 7.0 magnitude but was far more damaging.
The 1960 earthquake in Valdivia reached 9.4–9.6 on the Richter scale and left thousands dead, as well as causing hundreds of millions in damages.
This devastating earthquake hit on December 22, 856 CE, killing 200,000 people and sending shock waves that could be felt in neighboring cities.
This is the deadliest earthquake in Japan's history. With a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale, it killed 93,000 people and left 44,000 missing.
Studies have estimated the earthquake to have had a magnitude of 6.9 and caused the deaths of more than 80,000 people.
This 8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale was the worst natural disaster to ever hit Peru, affecting three million people and causing 75,000 deaths.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, affecting a region between the capital of Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara. The devastation caused the deaths of almost 9,000 people and left up to 22,000 injured.
4.7-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska overnight
Tremors were felt in Anchorage and nearby areas
LIFESTYLE Natural disasters
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake hit Anchorage, Alaska, on April 29, shortly after midnight local time, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake followed a series of smaller tremors recorded the previous day along the Alaska Peninsula.
The epicenter was located on the Kenai Peninsula, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) south of Anchorage. Tremors were felt in Anchorage and nearby areas, but no damage has been reported at this time. Authorities also confirmed there is no tsunami threat.
Earthquakes are a reminder of the planet’s immense and unpredictable power. While some cause minimal damage, others leave behind widespread destruction and loss.
Click through the following gallery to discover some of the highest-magnitude earthquakes ever recorded.