Set magnitude, depth & location. Watch the destruction unfold.
Earthquake Simulator is a free, interactive tool that lets you model the effects of earthquakes from magnitude 1.0 to 10.0. Choose the depth, location type, and watch a realistic simulation with screen shaking, expanding shockwaves, and dust particles. After the simulation, explore detailed results including seismic energy calculations, damage zone visualizations, impact assessments, sensory descriptions, and comparisons to real historical earthquakes.
Whether you are a student studying plate tectonics, a teacher demonstrating seismic energy scales, or simply curious about what a major earthquake would feel like, this simulator provides an engaging and educational experience based on established seismological models.
The simulator uses the Gutenberg-Richter energy-magnitude relation (E = 10^(1.5M + 4.8)) to calculate seismic energy from your chosen magnitude. Depth attenuation reduces surface intensity for deeper quakes, while location type determines population density and building vulnerability for casualty and damage estimates. Damage zones are computed as concentric rings expanding outward from the epicenter, with destruction severity decreasing by distance. For coastal cities with magnitude 7.0+, tsunami height and inundation distance are also modeled.
A magnitude 10 earthquake would release energy equivalent to billions of tons of TNT — roughly 30 billion Hiroshima bombs. It would cause total destruction for hundreds of kilometers, trigger mega-tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and reshape continental geography. No magnitude 10 earthquake has ever been recorded; the largest known was the 1960 Chile earthquake at magnitude 9.5.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded was the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, measuring magnitude 9.5. It triggered tsunamis across the Pacific Ocean, killed approximately 1,655 people in Chile, and caused damage as far away as Hawaii and Japan. The earthquake released roughly 1.8 x 10^18 joules of energy.
This earthquake simulator uses the Gutenberg-Richter energy-magnitude relation (E = 10^(1.5M + 4.8)) to calculate seismic energy from the magnitude you set. It factors in depth attenuation, location population density, and building vulnerability to estimate damage zones, casualties, and infrastructure impact. The visual simulation shows realistic screen shaking, shockwaves, and dust effects scaled to the earthquake's intensity.
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Last updated: March 2026 · whatifs.fun — Free interactive games, experiments & simulations