Top 10 Deadliest Earthquakes in the Past 10 Years
Recent seismic activity across the world has once again brought earthquakes into global headlines. On 24 June 2026, powerful back-to-back earthquakes reportedly struck Venezuela, while earlier in June, a major offshore earthquake near the Philippines triggered tsunami alerts across the region.
Earthquakes remain among the most destructive natural disasters on Earth. They occur due to the sudden release of energy beneath the Earth’s crust and can result in devastating humanitarian and economic losses.
Here is a detailed look at some of the most significant and destructive earthquakes recorded globally during the last decade.
An earthquake is the sudden shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by movements beneath the Earth’s outer layer.
These movements occur because Earth’s crust is divided into large tectonic plates that constantly move. When stress builds up and releases suddenly along fault lines, seismic waves are generated, producing earthquakes.
| Rank | Earthquake | Magnitude (Mw) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kamchatka, Russia | 8.8 | 29 July 2025 |
| 2 | Philippines | 7.8 | 08 June 2026 |
| 3 | Venezuela | 7.5 & 7.2 | 24 June 2026 |
| 4 | Turkey–Syria | 7.8 | 06 February 2023 |
| 5 | Nepal | 7.8 | 25 April 2015 |
| 6 | Myanmar | 7.7 | 28 March 2025 |
| 7 | Indonesia (Sulawesi) | 7.5 | 28 September 2018 |
| 8 | Iran (Kermanshah) | 7.3 | 12 November 2017 |
| 9 | Haiti | 7.2 | 14 August 2021 |
| 10 | California | 7.1 | 06 July 2019 |
Date: 29 July 2025
Magnitude: 8.8 Mw
Epicentre: East of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
One of the strongest seismic events of recent decades struck offshore near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The event followed an intense sequence of earthquakes over ten days.
Date: 08 June 2026
Magnitude: 7.8 Mw
Epicentre: Near Sarangani Province
A major offshore earthquake hit Mindanao and led to tsunami warnings across the region.
Date: 24 June 2026
Magnitude: 7.5 & 7.2 Mw
Two powerful earthquakes occurred close together near Venezuela, creating concerns over regional infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
Date: 06 February 2023
Magnitude: 7.8 Mw
One of the deadliest disasters of the century devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Date: 25 April 2015
Magnitude: 7.8 Mw
Nepal witnessed one of its worst natural disasters in modern history.
Date: 28 March 2025
Magnitude: 7.7 Mw
A shallow earthquake struck central Myanmar causing severe destruction.
Date: 28 September 2018
Magnitude: 7.5 Mw
The earthquake triggered both tsunami waves and large-scale soil liquefaction.
Date: 12 November 2017
Magnitude: 7.3 Mw
A powerful earthquake struck western Iran near the Iraq border.
Earth’s outer shell, known as the lithosphere, is broken into tectonic plates.
These plates constantly move over the mantle. Over time, stress accumulates along fault lines and is suddenly released, generating seismic waves.
This process causes earthquakes.
The lithosphere is Earth’s rigid outer layer consisting of:
It is divided into multiple tectonic plates that move continuously.
Earthquakes are measured using seismometers.
These instruments detect seismic waves and help scientists calculate:
Magnitude is commonly represented using the Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw).
India is divided into four major seismic zones:
High-risk regions include:
The Himalayan belt remains highly vulnerable due to ongoing tectonic collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates.
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