Ten largest earthquakes since 1900

The massive earthquake that rocked Chile on February 27 was one of the most powerful ever recorded.The quake, which had a magnitude of 8.8, killed more than 700 people.Here is a factbox showing the 10 strongest earthquakes in the last century by magnitude.May 22, 1960 - Chile - An earthquake measuring 9.5 struck Santiago and Concepcion, triggering tidal waves and volcanic eruptions. Some 5,000 people were killed and 2 million made homeless.March 28, 1964 - Alaska - An earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed 125 people and caused about $311 million in property loss. The quake, measuring 9.2, was felt over a large area of Alaska and in parts of western Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada.December 26, 2004 - Indonesia - A 9.1 quake struck the coast of Aceh province on the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra and set off a tsunami that killed more than 226,306 in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and India.November 4, 1952 - Russia - An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 generated a tsunami that reached the Hawaiian islands. No lives were lost.February 27, 2010 - Chile - An 8.8 magnitude quake struck Chile, wrecking hundreds of thousands of homes, mangling highways and bridges. It dealt a heavy blow to infrastructure in the world's No. 1 copper producer and one of Latin America's most stable economies. The government said more than 700 people died.January 31, 1906 - Ecuador - An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 struck near the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, generating a strong tsunami that killed up to 1,000. It was felt all along the coast of Central America and as far north as San Francisco and west to Japan.February 4, 1965 - Alaska - Measuring 8.7, the quake generated a tsunami reported to be about 35 feet (10.7 metres) high on Shemya Island.March 28, 2005 - A magnitude 8.7 quake off Sumatra was estimated to have killed 1,300 people, many on Nias island off Sumatra's west coast.March 9, 1957 - Alaska - An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.6 rattled the Andreanof Islands. On Umnak Island, Mount Vsevidof erupted after being dormant for 200 years, generating a 50-foot (15 metre) tsunami that continued to Hawaii.August 15, 1950 - TibetIndia - Two thousand homes, temples and mosques were destroyed in a quake measuring 8.6. Hardest hit was the Brahmaputra Basin in northeast India. At least 1,500 people were killed.Source Reuters US Geological Survey Earthquake web site - http:earthquake.usgs.gov.