What was the biggest earthquake?

Question

could it go up to 20 on the rictor? if it did what would b the result?

Answer 1

9.5 magnitude, Chile, 1960. Biggest since 1900, modern measures.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/10_largest_world.php

No. Faults or potential faults would rupture before they could build up enough energy to have a magnitude 20 quake. Maybe a huge meteor impact could cause such an earthquake. It hasn't happened in recorded history.

Answer 2

The Great Chilean Earthquake or Valdivia Earthquake (Terremoto de Valdivia in Spanish) of May 22, 1960 is the largest magnitude earthquake recorded since seismographic monitoring began. Striking at 19:11 UTC (early afternoon local time), it measured 9.5 [1] magnitude and affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines.

There had been a swarm of earthquakes, as large as magnitude 8, about 160 km (100 miles) to the north the previous day.

Its epicenter was located in Valdivia, approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of Santiago. The earthquake caused localized tsunamis that hit the Chilean coast severely, with waves up to 25 meters high. The main tsunami ran through the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii, where waves as high as 10.7 meters high (about 35 feet) were recorded, 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) from the epicenter, as well as coastal regions of Japan and the Philippines. The total number of fatalities from the earthquake and tsunami was estimated to be 6,000.[1] The estimated damage costs were over half a billion dollars ($3.5 billion in 2005 USD).[1] Despite the record strength of the earthquake, more people were killed by tsunamis than by the earthquake.

Answer 3

Mr. Charles Richter has found a fairly reliable method of measuring earthquake energy in the year 1935 The Chili earthquake has considered to be biggest ever known to us after Richter found the measuring method that was reported as 9.5 in Richter scale. The Sumatra Tsunami earthquake that struck on 26thDec 2004 was the second largest with its magnitude of 9.3 on Richter scale. I have reported the Tsunami incident like this to the local T.V.Stations like this after the quake alarm designed by me warned 2 hours before it struck our Indian coast. “I have sensed a major earthquake that I never heard in the history of earthquakes. Please advice the people to be alert to move to a safer place in case of emergency. The sea water may rise to a great height". But my warning was ignored. I have recorded proof. If it affects at Richter scale 20 the world may be broken in to two pieces. But we may not be affected by more than 10 in Richter scale.

Answer 4

Let us look at the scale,it is logarithmic.
Let us start at 6.0 =x the3 energy at the center
6.1 =10 x
6.2 =100 x
6.3 = 1000x
6.4 = 10,000x
6.5 =100,000x
IT represents enough power to split the world.
Be careful what u wish for I have experienced a 7.2 it is bad.

Answer 5

Open question. "Biggest" in terms of Richter Scale? Seismic Moment Magnitude(1)? Since 1900? Since the beginning of time? In terms of how many people died?

--and--

The Richter scale does not go up to 20.

Here are some of those answers:

Largest Recorded Earthquakes :
Date .................. Location ........ Richter ... Seismic Moment Magnitude
May 22, 1960 ... Chile .............. 8.5 .............. 9.5
Mar 28, 1964 ... Alaska ............ 8.4 .............. 9.2
Mar 9, 1957 ...... Aleutians ........ 8.1 .............. 9.1
Nov 4, 1952 ..... Kamchatka ..... 8.2 .............. 9.0
Dec. 26, 2004 .. Sumatra ......... N/A ............. 9.0


Greatest Killer Earthquakes:
Year Month Day ..... Mag .............. Deaths ......... Location
July 5, 1201 ........ don't know ..... 1,100,000 ..... Egypt-Syria
Jan. 23, 1556 ...... don't know ..... 830,000 ...... China: Shanxi
July 27, 1976 ........ 8 .................. 655,237 ...... NE China, Tangshan
1139 ...................... 6.8 ................ 300,000 ...... Caucasus
1662 ................... don't know ....... 300,000 ...... China
Oct. 11, 1737 ..... don't know ....... 300,000 ...... India: Calcutta

Richter scales:
Descriptor ...... Magnitudes .......... Effects and Frequency of Occurrence
Micro ............ Less than 2.0 ......... Not felt, about 8,000 per day
Very minor ...... 2.0-2.9 ........ Usually not felt, but recorded, about 1,000 per day
Minor ............... 3.0-3.9 .... Often felt, rarely causes damage, 49,000 per year (est.)
Light ................ 4.0-4.9 ..... Noticeable shaking of indoor items, rattling noises, significant damage unlikely, 6,200 per year (est.)
Moderate ........ 5.0-5.9 ..... Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions, at most slight damage to well-designed buildings, 800 per year
Strong ........... 6.0-6.9 ..... Can be destructive in areas up to about 100 miles across in populated areas, 120 per year
Major ............. 7.0-7.9 ..... Can cause serious damage over larger areas, 18 per year
Great ............. 8.0-8.9 ..... Can cause serious damage in areas several hundred miles across, 1 per year
Rare ..............9.0 or greater .... Devastating in areas several thousand miles across, 1 per 20 years

(1) The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 as a more accurate successor to the Richter scale and is today used by seismologists the world over to compare the energy released by earthquakes.

Answer 6

No one knows. No one was left alive.