A megathrust earthquake is an interplate earthquake where one tectonic plate slips beneath (subducts) another. Due to the size of the tectonic plates and the shallow dip of the plate boundary, these earthquakes are among the world's largest, with moment magnitudes that can exceed 9.0. An interplate earthquake is an earthquake that occurs at the boundary between two tectonic plates. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ... Subduction zones mark sites of convective downwelling of the Earths lithosphere. ... Dip can have many meanings: In the context of geology: Stratigraphic dip is defined as the maximum angle from the horizontal in the plane of a stratigraphic unit. ... The moment magnitude scale (a successor to the Richter scale), was introduced in 1979 by Tom Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ...

For the most part they occur in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and are connected to the Ring of Fire. Since these earthquakes deform the ocean floor, they almost always generate a significant tsunami. hi ... The Ring of Fire is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that encircles the basin of the Pacific Ocean. ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ...

All five earthquakes since 1900 of magnitude 9 or greater have been megathrust earthquakes. 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

Some examples of megathrust earthquakes are:

• 1700 Cascadia Earthquake (magnitude 9.0) — Juan de Fuca Plate subducting the North American Plate, slip length 1000 km (625 mi).
• 1737 Kamchatka earthquake (magnitude 9.3) — Pacific Plate subducting the Okhotsk Plate, duration 15 minutes, depth 40 km.
• 1952 Kamchatka earthquake (magnitude 9.0) — Pacific Plate subducting the Okhotsk Plate, depth 30 km.
• 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake (magnitude 9.1) — Pacific Plate subducting the North American Plate.
• 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (magnitude 9.5) — Nazca Plate subducting the South American Plate, depth 33 km, slip length 1000 km (625 mi), slip width 200 km (125 mi), slip motion 20 m (60 ft).
• 1964 Good Friday Earthquake (magnitude 9.2) — Pacific Plate subducting the North American Plate, duration 4–5 minutes, depth 25 km, slip length 800 km (500 mi), slip motion 9 m (30 ft).
• 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (magnitude 9.15) — India Plate subducting the Burma Plate, slip length 1200 km (750 mi), slip motion 15 m (45 ft).

Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ... The Cascadia Earthquake was a magnitude 8. ... hi ... The North American plate is shown in brown on this map The North American Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... Kamchatka earthquakes were a pair of megathrust earthquakes occurring off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia on October 16, 1737, and on November 4, 1952, in the magnitude of 9. ... The Pacific plate is shown in pale yellow on this map The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... The Okhotsk Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the Sea of Okhotsk, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and Eastern Japan. ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Kamchatka earthquakes were a pair of megathrust earthquakes occurring off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia on October 16, 1737, and on November 4, 1952, in the magnitude of 9. ... The Pacific plate is shown in pale yellow on this map The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... The Okhotsk Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the Sea of Okhotsk, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and Eastern Japan. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Andreanof Islands are a group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska between the Rat Islands group, to the west and the Fox Islands group, to the east, at about 52° North and 172°57 to 179°09 West. ... The Pacific plate is shown in pale yellow on this map The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... The North American plate is shown in brown on this map The North American Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Great Chilean Earthquake of May 22, 1960 is the largest magnitude earthquake in recorded history. ... The Nazca plate is shown in light blue on this map The Nazca Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean basin off the west coast of South America. ... The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of South America and extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Epicenter The Good Friday Earthquake (also called the Great Alaska Earthquake) of March 27, 1964, was the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history. ... The Pacific plate is shown in pale yellow on this map The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... The North American plate is shown in brown on this map The North American Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ... The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... India Plate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Burma Plate is a small tectonic plate located in Southeast Asia, often considered a part of the larger Eurasian Plate. ...

External links

• National Resources Canada: FAQ on megathrust earthquakes