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World > Geography > World Geography > Earthquakes

The Largest Earthquakes in the United States

The following table lists the largest earthquakes in the United States on record, according to rank, magnitude, date, and location. The largest earthquake to hit the U.S. was on March 28, 1964, when a 9.2 magnitude quake struck Prince William Sound in Alaska.

Rank	Magnitude	Date	Location
1.	9.2	March 28, 1964	Prince William Sound, Alaska¹
2.	8.8	March 9, 1957	Andreanof Islands, Alaska
3.	8.7	Feb. 4, 1965	Rat Islands, Alaska
4.	8.3	Nov. 10, 1938	East of Shumagin Islands, Alaska
	8.3	July 10, 1958	Lituya Bay, Alaska
6.	8.2	Sept. 10, 1899	Yakutat Bay, Alaska
	8.2	Sept. 4, 1899	Near Cape Yakataga, Alaska
8.	8.0	May 7, 1986	Andreanof Islands, Alaska
9.	7.9	Feb. 7, 1812	New Madrid, Missouri
	7.9	Jan. 9, 1857	Fort Tejon, California
	7.9	April 3, 1868	Ka'u District, Island of Hawaii
	7.9	Oct. 9, 1900	Kodiak Island, Alaska
	7.9	Nov. 30, 1987	Gulf of Alaska
	7.9	Nov. 3, 2002	Central Alaska
15.	7.8	March 26, 1872	Owens Valley, California
	7.8	Feb. 24, 1892	Imperial Valley, California
	7.8	Nov. 17, 2003	Rat Island, Alaska
17.	7.7	Dec. 16, 1811	New Madrid, Missouri area
	7.7	April 18, 1906	San Francisco, California
	7.7	Oct. 3, 1915	Pleasant Valley, Nevada
20.	7.6	Jan. 23, 1812	New Madrid, Missouri
	7.6	June 28, 1992	Landers, California
22.	7.5	July 21, 1952	Kern County, California
23.	7.3	Nov. 4, 1927	West of Lompoc, California
	7.3	Dec. 16, 1954	Dixie Valley, Nevada
	7.3	Aug. 18, 1959	Hebgen Lake, Montana
	7.3	Oct. 28, 1983	Borah Peak, Idaho

1. March 28, 03:36:14 UT (March 27, 5:36 P.M. local time)

Source: National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey.

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