The following is a list of major earthquakes.
USGS list of significant earthquakes
This is a list of significant earthquakes as listed by the USGS. For other ancient or recent earthquakes not listed here, see the tables below.
| Date |
Time‡ |
Place |
Lat. |
Long. |
Fatalities |
Mag. |
MX† (M reference) |
| January 23, 1556 |
|
Shaanxi, China
see Shaanxi Earthquake |
34.5 |
109.7 |
830,000sm=n |
8 (approx) |
|
| August 17, 1668 |
|
Anatolia, Turkey |
40 |
36 |
8,000 |
8 |
|
| January 26, 1700 |
|
Cascadia subduction zone
see Cascadia Earthquake |
|
|
|
9 |
M (Satake et al, 1996) |
| November 1, 1755 |
10:16 |
Lisbon, Portugal
see 1755 Lisbon earthquake |
36 |
-11 |
80,000 |
8.7 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| December 16, 1811 |
8:00 |
New Madrid, Missouri, USA
see New Madrid Earthquake |
36.6 |
-89.6 |
|
8.1 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| January 23, 1812 |
15:00 |
New Madrid, Missouri, USA |
36.6 |
-89.6 |
|
7.8 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| February 7, 1812 |
9:45 |
New Madrid, Missouri, USA |
36.6 |
-89.6 |
|
8 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| June 2, 1823 |
8:00 |
south flank of Kilauea, Hawaii, USA |
19.3 |
-155 |
|
7 |
MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) |
| June 10, 1836 |
15:30 |
south San Francisco Bay region, California, USA |
36.9 |
-121.5 |
|
6.5 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| June 1838 |
|
San Francisco Peninsula, California, USA |
37.3 |
-123.2 |
|
6.8 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| January 5, 1843 |
2:45 |
Marked Tree, Arkansas, USA |
35.5 |
-90.5 |
|
6.3 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| January 9, 1857 |
16:24 |
Fort Tejon, California (San Andreas fault from Parkfield to Wrightwood)
see Fort Tejon earthquake |
|
|
1 |
7.9 |
M (Grant and Sieh, 1993; Stein and Hanks, 1998) |
| December 16, 1857 |
21:00 |
Naples, Italy |
40.3 |
16 |
11,000 |
6.9 |
MI |
| October 8, 1865 |
20:46 |
San Jose, California, USA |
37.2 |
121.9 |
|
6.5 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| April 3, 1868 |
2:25 |
Hilea, southeast Hawaii, Hawaii, USA |
19.2 |
-155.5 |
77 |
7.9 |
MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) |
| October 21, 1868 |
15:53 |
Hayward, California, USA, Hayward Fault Zone |
37.7 |
-122.1 |
30 |
6.8 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| February 20, 1871 |
8:42 |
Molokai, Hawaii, USA |
21.2 |
-156.9 |
|
6.8 |
MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) |
| March 26, 1872 |
10:30 |
Owens Valley, California, USA
see 1872 Lone Pine earthquake |
36.5 |
-118 |
27 |
7.6 |
M (Beanland and Clark, 1994) |
| December 15, 1872 |
5:40 |
north Cascades, Washington, USA |
47.9 |
-120.3 |
|
7.3 |
MI (Malone and Bor, 1979; Rogers et al., 1983) |
| November 23, 1873 |
5:00 |
California-Oregon coast |
42.2 |
-124.2 |
|
7.3 |
MI (Bakun, 2000) |
| August 31, 1886 |
2:51 |
Charleston, South Carolina, USA |
32.9 |
-80 |
60 |
7.3 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| April 24, 1890 |
11:36 |
Corralitos, California, USA |
37 |
121.8 |
|
6.3 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| October 27, 1891 |
21:38 |
Mino-Owari, Japan |
35.6 |
136.6 |
7,273 |
8 |
MS |
| April 19, 1892 |
10:50 |
Vacaville, California, USA |
38.5 |
-121.8 |
1 |
6.4 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| April 21, 1892 |
17:43 |
Winters, California, USA |
38.6 |
-122 |
|
6.4 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| October 31, 1895 |
11:08 |
Charleston, Missouri, USA |
37 |
-89.4 |
|
6.6 |
MI (Johnston, 1996) |
| June 15, 1896 |
19:32 |
Sanriku, Japan |
39.5 |
144 |
|
8.5 (approx) |
M |
| June 12, 1897 |
11:06 |
Assam, India |
26 |
91 |
1,500 |
8.3 |
|
| June 20, 1897 |
20:14 |
Calaveras Fault, California, USA |
37 |
-121.6 |
|
6.3 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| March 31, 1898 |
7:43 |
Mare Island, California, USA |
38.1 |
122.4 |
|
6.3 |
MI (Bakun, 1999) |
| April 15, 1898 |
7:07 |
Mendocino County, California, USA |
39.3 |
-123.9 |
|
6.8 |
MI (Bakun, 2000) |
| September 4, 1899 |
0:22 |
Cape Yakataga, Alaska, USA |
60 |
-142 |
|
7.9 |
MS |
| September 10, 1899 |
21:41 |
Yakutat Bay, Alaska, USA |
60 |
-142 |
|
8 |
MS |
| October 9, 1900 |
12:28 |
Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA |
57.1 |
-153.5 |
|
7.7 |
MS |
| March 3, 1901 |
7:45 |
Parkfield, California, USA |
36.2 |
-120.7 |
|
6.4 |
MS (Abe, 1988) |
| August 27, 1904 |
21:56 |
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA |
64.7 |
-148.1 |
|
7.3 |
MS |
| July 9, 1905 |
9:40 |
Mongolia |
49 |
99 |
|
8.4 |
M |
| January 31, 1906 |
15:36 |
Colombia-Ecuador |
1 |
-81.5 |
1,000 |
8.8 |
M |
| April 18, 1906 |
13:12 |
San Francisco, California (San Andreas fault from Cape Mendocino to San Juan Bautista)
see San Francisco earthquake of 1906 |
|
|
3,000 |
7.8 |
M (Bakun, 1999) |
| August 17, 1906 |
0:40 |
Valparaíso, Chile |
-33 |
-72 |
20,000 |
8.2 |
M |
| December 28, 1908 |
4:20 |
Messina & Reggio Calabria, Italy |
38.3 |
15.6 |
70,000 |
7.2 |
MS |
| July 1, 1911 |
22:00 |
Calaveras fault, California, USA |
37.39 |
-121.8 |
|
6.5 |
MS |
| October 3, 1915 |
6:52 |
Pleasant Valley, Nevada, USA |
40.5 |
-117.5 |
|
7.1 |
M (Stover and Coffman, 1993) |
| October 11, 1918 |
14:14 |
Puerto Rico |
18.47 |
-67.63 |
116 |
7.5 |
MS (McCann, 1985) |
| December 6, 1918 |
8:41 |
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada |
49.62 |
-125.92 |
|
7 |
ML (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954: Rogers, 1983) |
| December 16, 1920 |
12:05 |
Ningxia-Gansu, China |
36.6 |
105.32 |
200,000 |
8.6 |
MS |
| January 31, 1922 |
13:17 |
offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, USA |
40.7 |
-125.55 |
|
7.3 |
MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| March 10, 1922 |
11:21 |
Parkfield, California, USA |
35.9 |
120.9 |
|
6.1 |
M (Bakun and McEvilly, 1984) |
| January 22, 1923 |
9:04 |
offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, USA |
40.49 |
-125.32 |
|
7.2 |
MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| September 1, 1923 |
2:58 |
Kantō, Japan
see Great Kantō earthquake |
35.4 |
139.08 |
143,000 |
7.9 |
M |
| March 1, 1925 |
2:19 |
Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada |
47.76 |
-69.84 |
|
6.3 |
M (Bent, 1992) |
| June 28, 1925 |
1:21 |
Clarkston Valley, Montana, USA |
46.32 |
-111.52 |
|
6.6 |
M (Dosier, 1989) |
| June 29, 1925 |
14:42 |
Santa Barbara, California, USA |
34.3 |
-119.8 |
13 |
6.8 |
M (Stein and Hanks, 1998) |
| October 22, 1926 |
12:35 |
Monterey Bay, California, USA |
36.62 |
-122.35 |
|
6.1 |
MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| October 22, 1926 |
13:35 |
Monterey Bay, California, USA |
36.55 |
-122.18 |
|
6.1 |
MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| March 7, 1927 |
9:27 |
Tango, Japan |
35.8 |
134.92 |
3,020 |
7.6 |
MS |
| May 22, 1927 |
22:32 |
Gulang, Gansu, China |
37.39 |
102.31 |
40,000 |
7.9 |
MS |
| November 4, 1927 |
13:51 |
offshore Lompoc, California, USA |
34.92 |
-121.03 |
|
7.1 |
M (Stein and Hanks, 1998) |
| November 18, 1929 |
20:32 |
Grand Banks, Newfoundland, Canada |
44.69 |
-56.01 |
|
7.3 |
M (Bent, 1995) |
| December 21, 1932 |
6:10 |
Cedar Mountain, Nevada, USA |
38.51 |
-118.08 |
|
7.2 |
M |
| March 2, 1933 |
17:31 |
Sanriku, Japan |
39.22 |
144.62 |
2,990 |
8.4 |
M |
| March 11, 1933 |
1:54 |
Long Beach, California, USA
see Long Beach earthquake of 1933 |
33.6 |
-118 |
115 |
6.4 |
M (Hauksson & Gross, 1991) |
| November 20, 1933 |
23:21 |
Baffin Bay, Canada |
73 |
-69.98 |
|
7.4 |
M (Stein et al. 1979) |
| January 15, 1934 |
8:43 |
Bihar, India |
27.55 |
87.09 |
10,700 |
8.1 |
M (Chen and Molnar, 1977) |
| June 8, 1934 |
4:47 |
Parkfield, California, USA |
35.9 |
-120.9 |
|
6.1 |
M (Bakun and McEvilly, 1984) |
| November 1, 1935 |
6:03 |
Témiscaming, Quebec, Canada
See 1935 Timiskaming earthquake. |
48.89 |
-79 |
|
6.2 |
M (Bent, 1996) |
| July 22, 1937 |
17:09 |
Salcha, Alaska, USA |
64.49 |
-146.85 |
|
7.3 |
MS |
| January 23, 1938 |
8:32 |
Maui, Hawaii, USA |
20.96 |
-156.18 |
|
6.8 |
MS (Klein and Wright, 2000) |
| November 10, 1938 |
20:18 |
Shumagin Islands, Alaska, USA |
55.33 |
-158.37 |
|
8.2 |
M |
| December 26, 1939 |
23:57 |
Erzincan, Turkey
see 1939 Erzincan earthquake |
39.77 |
39.53 |
32,700 |
7.8 |
MS |
| May 19, 1940 |
4:36 |
Imperial Valley, California, USA |
32.73 |
-115.5 |
9 |
7.1 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| November 10, 1940 |
1:39 |
Vrancea, RO |
45.80 |
26.70 |
4,000 |
7.4 |
M (LT, 2007) |
| December 7, 1944 |
4:35 |
Tonankai, Japan |
33.75 |
136 |
1,223 |
8.1 |
M |
| April 1, 1946 |
12:28 |
Unimak Island, Alaska, USA |
52.75 |
-163.5 |
165 |
7.3 |
MS (Stover and Coffman, 1993) |
| June 23, 1946 |
17:13 |
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada |
49.75 |
-124.5 |
|
7.3 |
ML (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954: Rogers, 1983) |
| August 4, 1946 |
17:51 |
Dominican Republic |
19.25 |
-69 |
100 |
8 |
MS (Abe, 1981) |
| December 20, 1946 |
19:19 |
Nankaidō, Japan |
32.5 |
134.5 |
1,330 |
8.1 |
M |
| October 16, 1947 |
2:09 |
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA |
64.2 |
-148.3 |
|
7.2 |
M |
| April 13, 1949 |
19:55 |
Olympia, Washington, USA |
47.1 |
-122.7 |
8 |
7.1 |
ML (Baker and Langston, 1987) |
| August 22, 1949 |
4:01 |
Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada |
53.62 |
-133.27 |
|
8.1 |
MS (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954) |
| August 15, 1950 |
14:09 |
Assam-Tibet |
28.5 |
96.5 |
1,526 |
8.6 |
M |
| August 21, 1951 |
10:57 |
Kona, Hawaii, USA |
19.5 |
-155.95 |
|
6.9 |
MS (Klein and Wright, 2000) |
| July 21, 1952 |
11:52 |
Kern County, California, USA |
34.95 |
-119.05 |
12 |
7.3 |
M (Stein and Hanks, 1998) |
| November 4, 1952 |
16:58 |
Kamchatka, Russia
see Kamchatka earthquakes |
52.76 |
160.06 |
|
9 |
M |
| March 29, 1954 |
6:17 |
Spain |
37.03 |
-3.51 |
|
7.9 |
M |
| July 6, 1954 |
11:13 |
Rainbow Mountain, Nevada, USA |
39.42 |
-118.53 |
|
6.6 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| August 24, 1954 |
5:51 |
Stillwater, Nevada, USA |
39.58 |
-118.45 |
|
6.8 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| December 16, 1954 |
11:07 |
Fairview Peak, Nevada, USA |
39.32 |
-118.2 |
|
7.1 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| December 16, 1954 |
11:11 |
Dixie Valley, Nevada, USA |
39.5 |
-118 |
|
6.8 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| October 24, 1955 |
4:10 |
Concord, California, USA |
38 |
-122.1 |
1 |
5.4 |
ML (Bolt and Miller, 1975) |
| March 9, 1957 |
14:22 |
Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA
see 1957 Andreanof Islands Earthquake |
51.56 |
-175.39 |
|
9.1 |
M |
| December 4, 1957 |
3:37 |
Govi-Altai Province, Mongolia |
45.15 |
99.21 |
30 |
8.1 |
M |
| April 7, 1958 |
15:30 |
Huslia, Alaska, USA |
65.94 |
-156.37 |
|
7.3 |
M |
| July 10, 1958 |
6:15 |
Fairweather, Alaska, USA
comment caused megatsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska |
58.37 |
-136.66 |
5 |
7.7 |
M |
| August 18, 1959 |
6:37 |
Hebgen Lake, Montana, USA
see 1959 Yellowstone earthquake |
44.6 |
-110.64 |
28 |
7.3 |
M (Dosier, 1985) |
| February 29, 1960 |
23:40 |
Agadir, Morocco
see 1960 Agadir earthquake) |
30.5 |
-9.3 |
10,000 |
5.7 |
M |
| May 22, 1960 |
19:11 |
Valdivia, Chile
see Great Chilean Earthquake |
-38.24 |
-73.05 |
5,700 |
9.5 |
M |
| March 28, 1964 |
3:36 |
Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
see Good Friday Earthquake |
61.02 |
-147.65 |
125 |
9.2 |
M |
| June 16, 1964 |
4:01 |
Niigata, Japan |
38.43 |
139.23 |
26 |
7.5 |
M |
| February 4, 1965 |
5:01 |
Rat Islands, Alaska, USA |
51.21 |
-178.5 |
|
8.7 |
M |
| April 29, 1965 |
15:28 |
Seattle-Tacoma, Washington, USA |
47.32 |
-122.33 |
7 |
6.5 |
ML (Algermissen and Harding, 1965) |
| June 28, 1966 |
4:26 |
Parkfield, California, USA |
35.88 |
-120.49 |
|
6.1 |
M (Tsai and Aki, 1969) |
| September 12, 1966 |
16:41 |
Truckee, California, USA |
39.38 |
-120.22 |
|
5.9 |
M (Tsai and Aki, 1970) |
| December 10, 1967 |
22:51 |
Koyna, India |
17.39 |
73.77 |
|
6.3 |
M (Langston, 1976) |
| October 2, 1969 |
6:19 |
Santa Rosa, California, USA |
38.3 |
-122.76 |
1 |
5.7 |
ML (Bolt and Miller, 1975) |
| May 31, 1970 |
20:23 |
Peru |
-9.25 |
-78.84 |
66,000 |
7.9 |
M |
| July 31, 1970 |
17:08 |
Colombia |
-1.49 |
-72.56 |
|
8 |
MS |
| February 9, 1971 |
14:00 |
Sylmar, California, USA
see Sylmar earthquake |
34.4 |
-118.39 |
65 |
6.7 |
M (Heaton, 1982) |
| December 23, 1972 |
06:29 |
Managua, Nicaragua |
12.35 |
86.12 |
6,000 |
6.2 |
MW (Brown, R. D., P. L. Ward, and G. Plafker (1973)) |
| February 4, 1975 |
11:36 |
Haicheng, China |
40.72 |
122.73 |
10,000 |
7 |
M (Cipar, 1979) |
| August 1, 1975 |
20:20 |
Oroville, California, USA |
39.5 |
-121.39 |
|
5.8 |
M |
| November 29, 1975 |
14:47 |
south flank of Kilauea, Hawaii, USA |
19.45 |
-155.03 |
2 |
7.2 |
MS (Klein and Wright, 2000) |
| February 4, 1976 |
9:01 |
Guatemala |
15.3 |
-89.14 |
23,000 |
7.5 |
M |
| July 27, 1976 |
19:42 |
Tangshan, China
see Tangshan earthquake |
39.61 |
117.89 |
242,419* |
7.6 |
M |
| September 16, 1978 |
19:38 |
Tabas, Yazd Province, Iran
see 1978 Tabas earthquake |
|
|
|
7.7 |
|
| August 6, 1979 |
17:05 |
Coyote Lake, California, USA |
37.11 |
-121.52 |
|
5.7 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| October 15, 1979 |
23:17 |
Imperial Valley, California, USA |
32.82 |
-115.65 |
|
6.4 |
M (Hartzell and Heaton, 1983) |
| January 24, 1980 |
19:00 |
Livermore, California, USA |
37.71 |
-121.73 |
|
5.8 |
M (Bolt et al., 1981) |
| May 25, 1980 |
16:33 |
Mammoth Lakes, California, USA |
37.6 |
-118.83 |
|
6.1 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| May 25, 1980 |
16:49 |
Mammoth Lakes, California, USA |
37.65 |
-118.9 |
|
5.9 |
ML (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| May 25, 1980 |
19:44 |
Mammoth Lakes, California, USA |
37.55 |
-118.82 |
|
5.8 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| May 27, 1980 |
14:50 |
Mammoth Lakes, California, USA |
37.48 |
-118.8 |
|
6 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| November 8, 1980 |
10:27 |
Gorda Plate, California, USA |
41.12 |
-124.67 |
|
7.2 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| November 23, 1980 |
19:34 |
Irpinia, Southern Italy |
40.87 |
15.31 |
2735 |
6.8 |
M |
| May 2, 1983 |
23:42 |
Coalinga, California, USA |
36.23 |
-120.32 |
|
6.5 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| March 31, 1983 |
|
Popayan, Cauca, SA |
|
|
197 |
5.5 |
|
| October 28, 1983 |
14:06 |
Borah Peak, Idaho, USA |
44.09 |
-113.8 |
2 |
7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| November 16, 1983 |
16:13 |
Kaoiki, Hawaii, USA |
19.44 |
155.38 |
|
6.7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| April 24, 1984 |
21:15 |
Morgan Hill, California, USA |
37.3 |
-121.71 |
|
6.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| November 23, 1984 |
18:08 |
Round Valley, California, USA |
37.45 |
-118.6 |
|
5.7 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| September 19, 1985 |
13:17 |
Michoacán, Mexico
see Great Mexican Earthquake |
18.44 |
-102.36 |
9,500 |
8 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| December 23, 1985 |
5:16 |
Nahanni, Northwest Territories, Canada |
62.16 |
-124.31 |
|
6.8 |
M (Wetmiller et al., 1988) |
| May 7, 1986 |
22:47 |
Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA |
51.56 |
-174.81 |
|
8 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| July 8, 1986 |
9:20 |
north Palm Springs, California, USA |
33.97 |
-116.78 |
|
6.1 |
M (Hartzell, 1989) |
| July 21, 1986 |
14:42 |
Chalfant Valley, California, USA |
37.53 |
-118.43 |
|
6.2 |
M (Ellsworth, 1990) |
| October 1, 1987 |
14:42 |
Whittier Narrows, California, USA
see Whittier Narrows earthquake |
34.06 |
-118.13 |
8 |
5.9 |
M (Hartzell and Iida, 1990) |
| November 30, 1987 |
19:23 |
Gulf of Alaska |
58.84 |
-142.6 |
|
7.9 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| January 22, 1988 |
0:35 |
Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia |
-19.87 |
133.78 |
|
6.3 |
M (Choy and Bowman, 1990) |
| January 22, 1988 |
3:57 |
Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia |
-19.88 |
133.83 |
|
6.4 |
M (Choy and Bowman, 1990) |
| January 22, 1988 |
12:04 |
Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia |
-19.9 |
133.83 |
|
6.6 |
M (Choy and Bowman, 1990) |
| March 6, 1988 |
22:35 |
Gulf of Alaska |
57.26 |
-142.75 |
|
7.8 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| November 25, 1988 |
23:46 |
Saguenay, Quebec, Canada |
48.06 |
-71.27 |
|
5.9 |
M (Boatwright and Choy, 1992) |
| December 7, 1988 |
7:41 |
Spitak, Armenia |
40.93 |
44.11 |
25,000 |
6.8 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| October 17, 1989 |
0:04 |
Loma Prieta, California, USA
see Loma Prieta earthquake |
37.14 |
-121.76 |
63 |
6.9 |
M (Wald et al., 1991) |
| December 25, 1989 |
14:24 |
Ungava Peninsula, Quebec, Canada |
60.07 |
-73.54 |
|
6 |
M (Bent, 1994) |
| June 28, 1991 |
1:43 |
Sierra Madre, California, USA |
34.25 |
-117.95 |
2 |
5.6 |
M (Wald et al., 1991) |
| August 17, 1991 |
22:17 |
Honeydew, California, USA |
41.79 |
-125.58 |
|
7.1 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| April 23, 1992 |
4:50 |
Joshua Tree, California, USA |
33.87 |
-116.55 |
|
6.1 |
M (Hauksson et al., 1993) |
| April 25, 1992 |
18:06 |
Cape Mendocino, California, USA |
40.38 |
-124.05 |
|
7.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| April 26, 1992 |
7:41 |
offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, USA |
40.55 |
-124.29 |
|
6.5 |
M (Oppenheimer et al., 1993) |
| April 26, 1992 |
11:18 |
offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, USA |
40.44 |
-124.43 |
|
6.7 |
M (Oppenheimer et al., 1993) |
| June 28, 1992 |
11:57 |
Landers, California, USA |
34.2 |
-116.52 |
3 |
7.3 |
M (Sieh et al. 1993) |
| June 29, 1992 |
10:14 |
Little Skull Mountain, Nevada, USA |
36.77 |
-116.32 |
|
5.7 |
M (Walter, 1993) |
| September 2, 1992 |
0:16 |
Nicaragua |
11.77 |
-87.35 |
116 |
7.7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| September 29, 1993 |
22:25 |
Latur-Killari, India |
18.08 |
76.52 |
9,748 |
6.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| January 17, 1994 |
12:30 |
Northridge, California, USA
see 1994 Northridge Earthquake |
34.18 |
-118.56 |
60 |
6.7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| June 9, 1994 |
0:33 |
Bolivia |
-13.86 |
-67.49 |
5 |
8.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| September 1, 1994 |
15:15 |
Cape Mendocino, California, USA |
40.38 |
-125.78 |
|
7.1 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| January 17, 1995 |
05:46 |
Kobe, Japan
see Great Hanshin earthquake |
34.57 |
135.03 |
5,502 |
6.9 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| May 21, 1997 |
22:51 |
Jabalpur, India |
23.07 |
80.12 |
38 |
5.8 |
M (Singh et al., 1999) |
| July 17, 1998 |
8:49 |
New Guinea |
-2.94 |
142.58 |
2,183 |
7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| January 25, 1999 |
18:19 |
Colombia |
4.45 |
-75.65 |
1,185 |
6.2 |
|
| August 17, 1999 |
0:01 |
İzmit, Turkey
see İzmit earthquake |
40.77 |
30 |
17,118 |
7.6 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| September 20, 1999 |
17:47 |
Chi-Chi, Taiwan
see Chi-Chi earthquake |
23.82 |
120.86 |
2,400 |
7.7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| October 16, 1999 |
9:46 |
Hector Mine, California, USA |
34.56 |
-116.44 |
|
7.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| November 12, 1999 |
16:57 |
Düzce, Turkey |
40.82 |
31.23 |
894 |
7.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| September 3, 2000 |
8:36 |
Napa, California, USA |
38.38 |
-122.41 |
|
5 |
M (BRK) |
| November 16, 2000 |
4:54 |
New Ireland, Papua New Guinea |
-4 |
152.33 |
|
8 |
|
| January 13, 2001 |
17:33 |
El Salvador |
13.04 |
-88.66 |
844 |
7.7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| January 26, 2001 |
3:16 |
Gujarat, India
see 2001 Gujarat Earthquake |
23.39 |
70.23 |
20,085 |
7.7 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| February 28, 2001 |
18:54 |
Olympia, Washington, USA
see Nisqually Earthquake |
47.11 |
-122.6 |
|
6.8 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| June 23, 2001 |
20:33 |
coastal Peru |
-16.3 |
-73.55 |
75 |
8.4 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| March 25, 2002 |
14:56 |
Hindu Kush Region, Afghanistan |
36.06 |
69.32 |
1,000 |
6.1 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| April 20, 2002 |
10:50 |
Au Sable Forks, New York |
44.51 |
-73.7 |
|
5.2 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| November 3, 2002 |
22:12 |
Denali National Park, Alaska, USA |
63.52 |
-147.44 |
|
7.9 |
M (QED) |
| May 21, 2003 |
18:44 |
Boumerdès, Algeria |
36.96 |
3.63 |
2,266 |
6.8 |
M (QED) |
| September 25, 2003 |
19:50 |
Hokkaidō, Japan |
41.82 |
143.91 |
|
8.3 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| November 17, 2003 |
06:43 |
Rat Islands, Alaska, USA |
51.15 |
178.65 |
|
7.8 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| December 22, 2003 |
19:15 |
San Simeon, California, USA |
35.71 |
-121.10 |
2 |
6.6 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| December 26, 2003 |
01:56 |
southeastern Iran
see Bam: 2003 earthquake |
29.00 |
58.31 |
31,000 |
6.6 |
M (PDE Monthly Listing) |
| September 28, 2004 |
17:15 |
Parkfield, California, USA
see Parkfield earthquake |
35.81 |
-120.37 |
|
6.0 |
M (QED) |
| December 26, 2004 |
00:58 |
off west coast northern Sumatra
see 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake |
3.30 |
95.87 |
300,000 is the Minimum number of dead and missing according to several sources |
9.3 |
M (QED) |
| March 28, 2005 |
16:09 |
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
see 2005 Sumatra earthquake |
2.07 |
97.01 |
1,313 |
8.7 |
M (QED) |
† MG-R = Gutenberg and Richter's (1954) magnitude, MS = 20 s surface-wave magnitude, M = moment magnitude (Hanks and Kanamori, 1979), and MI is an intensity magnitude, ML is local magnitude (Richter, 1935).
‡ GMT
* Fatalities estimated as high as 655,000.
Source: United States Geological Survey (USGS) [1]
Other earthquakes not listed by the USGS
| Date |
Site |
Deaths |
Magnitude or intensity* |
Comments |
Source |
| 464 BC |
Sparta, Greece |
? |
– |
Led to a helot uprising and strained relations with Athens, one of the factors that led to the Peloponnesian War |
– |
| 226 BC |
Rhodes, Greece |
? |
– |
Destroyed Colossus of Rhodes and city of Kameiros |
– |
| 365 |
Knossos, Crete (Greece) |
"thousands" |
XI |
365 Crete earthquake |
Ammianus Marcellinus[1] and numerous other late antique writers[2] |
| 365 |
Cyrene, Libya |
? |
– |
|
– |
| May 20, 526 |
Antioch, Syria |
250,000 |
– |
|
Procopius, II.14.6; sources based on John of Ephesus |
| 844 |
Damascus, Syria |
50,000 |
VIII |
|
– |
| 847 |
Mosul, Iraq |
50,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 847 |
Damascus, Syria |
70,000 |
X |
|
– |
| 856 |
Corinth, Greece |
45,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 893 |
Caucasus |
82,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 893 |
Udaipur, India |
180,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 893 |
Ardabil, Iran |
150,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 1036 |
Shanxi, China |
23,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 1042 |
Palmyra, Baalbek, Syria |
50,000 |
X |
|
– |
| 1057 |
Chihli (Hopeh), China |
25,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 1138 |
Ganzah, Aleppo, Syria |
230,000 |
XI |
|
|
| 1156-1157 |
Syria |
? |
– |
|
– |
| 1170 |
Sicily |
15,000 |
– |
|
– |
| July 5, 1201 |
Eastern Mediterranean |
1,100,000 |
IX |
Damage across a wide area from Syria to Upper Egypt |
– |
| 1268 |
Cilicia, Anatolia (Turkey) |
60,000 |
– |
1268 Cilicia earthquake |
– |
| September 27, 1290 |
Chihli (Hopeh), China |
100,000 |
6.7 |
|
– |
| May 26, 1293 |
Kamakura, Japan |
30,000 |
– |
|
– |
| October 18, 1356 |
Basel, Switzerland |
1,000 |
6.5 |
Basel earthquake |
– |
| May 21, 1382 |
Canterbury, United Kingdom |
? |
5.8 |
Struck during synod - later called "Earthquake Synod" - called to condemn heresy of John Wycliffe - some saw as portentious |
[3]/[4] |
| September 10, 1509 |
Istanbul, Turkey
see 1509 Istanbul earthquake |
10,000 |
7.2 |
|
– |
| January 26, 1531 |
Lisbon, Portugal |
30,000 |
– |
|
– |
| July 13, 1605 |
Qiongshan, Hainan, China |
3,000 |
X |
|
– |
| April 6, 1667 |
Dubrovnik, Croatia |
3,000 |
7,5 |
|
– |
| November 25, 1667 |
Shemakha, Azerbaijan |
80,000 |
XII |
|
– |
| June 7, 1692 |
Port Royal, Jamaica |
30,000 |
– |
|
– |
| January 11, 1693 |
Catania Province, Sicily |
60,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 1693 |
Naples, Italy |
93,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 1707 |
Japan (seismic wave) |
30,000 |
– |
|
– |
| December 30, 1730 |
Hokkaidō, Japan |
137,000 |
– |
|
– |
| 1731 |
Beijing, China |
100,000 |
– |
|
– |
| October 16, 1737 |
Kamchatka, Russia |
|
9.3 |
See Kamchatka earthquakes |
– |
| June 7, 1755 |
Northern Persia |
40,000 |
– |
|
– |
| November 18, 1755 |
Boston, Massachusetts |
0 |
– |
|
– |
| February 28, 1780 |
Iran |
200,000 |
– |
Latitude: 38, longitude: 46.2 |
– |
| February 4—5, March 28, 1783 |
Calabria, Italy |
35,000 |
– |
|
– |
| February 4, 1797 |
Quito, Ecuador & Cuzco, Peru |
41,000 |
– |
|
– |
| February 10, 1797 |
Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) |
300 |
8.4 |
|
– |
| November 22, 1800, 1:30 p.m. local time |
San Diego, California, USA (lat. 34.00, long. 117.18) |
Unknown |
6.5 |
Resulted in varying levels of damage at Mission San Diego de Alcalá, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, and Mission San Juan Capistrano |
California Earthquake History 1769-Present |
| December 8, 1812, 9:45 a.m. local time |
Wrightwood, California, USA (lat. 34.22, long. 117.39) |
42 |
7.0 |
Destroyed the "Great Stone Church" at Mission San Juan Capistrano |
Southern California Earthquake Data Center |
| December 21, 1812, 11:00 a.m. local time |
Santa Barbara Channel, California, USA (lat. 34.12, long. 119.54) |
0 |
7.0 |
Destroyed the church at Mission Santa Barbara, caused near-total destruction at Mission La Purísima Concepción, and considerable damage at Mission Santa Inés |
Southern California Earthquake Data Center |
| November 25, 1833 |
Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) |
|
8.7 |
|
– |
| May 8, 1847 |
Zenkoji, Japan |
more than 8,300 |
7.4 |
2,094 houses lost by fire with quake at Nagano |
– |
| January 23, 1855 21:11 local time |
Wairarapa, New Zealand |
4 |
~8.0 |
Raised sections of Wellington coastline by 2 metres |
– |
| November 11, 1855 |
Ansei Edo, Japan |
more than 4,700 |
6.9 |
|
– |
| February 16, 1861 |
Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) |
|
8.5 |
|
– |
| September 9, 1880, 7:04 local time |
Zagreb, Croatia |
1 |
6.3 |
|
– |
| April 4, 1905 |
Kangra, India |
20,000 |
7.8 |
Kangra district HQ Dharamsala devastated |
[2] |
| June 11, 1909 |
Lambesc, France |
46 |
6,2 |
Highest magnitude earthquake ever recorded in continental France. 250 wounded. 2,000 buildings damaged |
French Wikipedia article |
| February 3, 1931, 10:47 local time |
Napier, New Zealand
see Napier earthquake |
258 |
7.9 |
Much of city destroyed; 40 km² of seabed raised to become dry land |
– |
| December 25, 1932, |
Gansu, China |
70,000 |
7.6 |
|
– |
| April 21, 1935, 6:02 local time |
Shinchiku-Taichū, Taiwan |
3,279 |
7.1 |
|
– |
| December 20, 1942, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
6.9 |
|
– |
| November 26, 1943, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
7.7 |
|
– |
| January 15, 1944, 20:50 GMT-3 |
San Juan, Argentina |
8,000 ~ 10,000 |
IX (7.8) |
The 30 second long earthquake destroyed 95% of the city, located 30 km form the epicentre. |
– |
| February 1, 1944, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
7.5 |
|
– |
| August 17, 1949, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
7.1 |
|
– |
| August 13, 1951, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
6.8 |
|
– |
| August 8-August 12, 1953 |
Kefalonia, Greece
|
476 |
7.2 |
113 tremors over five days |
– |
| May 26, 1957, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
6.8 |
|
– |
| July 26, 1963 |
Skopje, Yugoslavia |
|
6.1 |
see 1963 Skopje earthquake |
– |
| August 19, 1966, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
6.6 |
|
– |
| July 22, 1967, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
7.0 |
|
– |
| October 25 and 26, 1969, 16:30 and 8:00 local time |
Banja Luka, Bosnia and Hercegovina |
1 and 20 |
6.2 and 7.0 |
|
– |
| May 22, 1971, |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
6.8 |
|
– |
| December 23, 1972 |
Managua, Nicaragua |
5,000 – 20,000 |
6.3 |
Somoza mishandling of earthquake aid has been cited as a contributing factor to the Sandinista revolution; devastated largest city in Nicaragua (Managua) |
– |
| June 30, 1975 |
Norris Junction, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA |
0 |
6.1 |
Largest earthquake in Yellowstone Caldera since 1959 Hebgen Lake event |
– |
| March 4, 1977 |
Bucharest, Romania
see 1977 Bucharest Earthquake |
1500 |
7.5 |
Lasted ~5 minutes and left the capital devastated. |
– |
| April 15, 1979 |
Herceg Novi, Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Croatia |
100 |
5.6 |
|
– |
| June 21, 1990 |
Northwestern Iran; see Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake |
40000 |
7.7 |
|
– |
| March 13, 1992 |
Turkey
see NAFZ |
|
6.5 |
|
– |
Note: Magnitudes are generally estimations from intensity data. When no magnitude was available, the maximum intensity, written as a Roman numeral from I to XII, is given.
Recent earthquakes not listed above
2004
| Date |
Time‡ |
Place |
Lat. |
Long. |
Fatalities |
Comments |
Magnitude |
| September 5, 2004 |
19:07 (UTC), 23:57 (Local) |
Off central Tōkai region, western Japan |
|
|
0 |
20+ injured, tsunami and flooding |
6.9 and 7.4 |
| October 8, 2004 |
15:35 |
Mindoro, Philippines |
13.21 |
121.65 |
— |
Sporadic blackouts |
6.6 |
| October 9, 2004 |
22:26 |
80 kilometres southwest of Managua, Nicaragua |
12 |
86 |
0 |
Minimal damage |
6.9 |
| October 23, 2004 |
17:56 |
Ojiya, Japan
see 2004 Chūetsu earthquake |
37.3 |
138.8 |
46 |
4801 injured; 103,000+ displaced |
6.9 |
| October 27, 2004 |
18:34 |
Vrancea, Romania |
|
|
0 |
Telephone service interrupted; felt also in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova and Turkey |
5.8 (Istanbul's Kandilli Observatory reported 6.5) |
| November 10, 2004 |
22:58 |
Solomon Islands |
9 |
159 |
0 |
No injuries nor damage |
6.9 |
| November 11, 2004 |
21:36 |
96 kilometres west-northwest of Dili, East Timor |
|
|
6 |
21 injured |
7.3 |
| November 15, 2004 |
around 9:00 |
off coast of Chocó, Colombia |
|
|
0 |
11+ injured, 18 homes destroyed, half near Buenaventura |
6.7 |
| November 21, 2004 |
|
45 kilometres north-northwest of Dominica |
|
|
1 |
Half-dozen injured, damage also in Guadeloupe |
6.0 |
| November 21, 2004 |
|
48 kilometres south-southwest of San José, Costa Rica |
|
|
8 |
Half-dozen injured |
6.2 |
| November 28, 2004 |
18:32 |
900 kilometres northwest of Tokyo, Japan, 50 km below sea level |
|
|
0 |
8 injured, utility services interrupted in hundreds of homes |
7.1 |
| December 23, 2004 |
14:59 |
495 kilometres north of Macquarie Island, SW of New Zealand |
50.24°S |
160.13°E |
0 |
Minimal damage reported in southern New Zealand |
8.1 |
2005
| Date |
Time‡ |
Place |
Lat. |
Long. |
Fatalities |
Comments |
Magnitude |
| February 11, 2005 |
21:00:23.9 |
114 kilometres southwest of Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada |
60.21°N |
139.50°W |
0 |
No damage nor injuries |
5.5 |
| February 22, 2005 |
02:25:21 UTC, 05:55:21 Local Time |
Zarand, Iran
see 2005 Zarand earthquake |
30.726°N |
56.817°E |
At least 790 |
Hundreds injured, damage in some 40 villages, centered 150 miles from Bam, Iran |
6.4 |
| March 6, 2005 |
19:06:52 UTC, 3:06:52 AM Local Time |
Near Sua-ho, Taiwan |
24.607°N |
121.859°E |
0 |
Followed minutes later by a magnitude 5.4 aftershock. |
5.7 |
| March 6, 2005 |
06:17:49 UTC, 1:17:49 AM Local Time |
Gaspé Peninsula, Canada |
47.750°N |
69.730°W |
0 |
102 km (63 miles) WNW (303°) from Fort Kent, Maine |
5.4 |
| March 20, 2005 |
01:53 UTC, 10:53 AM Local Time |
Offshore of Fukuoka, Japan
see Fukuoka earthquake |
33.54°N |
130.12°E |
1 |
1145 injured; 3000+ displaced |
7.0 |
| June 12, 2005 |
15:41 UTC, 8:41 AM Local Time |
Anza, California, USA |
33.533°E |
116.578°SE |
0 |
|
5.2 |
| June 13, 2005 |
22:44:33 UTC, 18:44:33 Local Time |
Tarapacá, Chile |
19.896°S |
69.125°W |
11 |
115 km (70 miles) ENE of Iquique, Chile. |
7.8 |
| June 15, 2005 |
02:50:53 UTC, 18:50:53 Local Time June 14 |
Offshore of Northern California, USA |
41.284°N |
125.983°W |
0 |
157 km (98 miles) WSW of Crescent City, California. |
7.2 |
| June 16, 2005 |
20:53 UTC, 01:53 PM |
Yucaipa, California, USA |
34.058N |
117.011W |
|
5 km NE of Yucaipa, CA |
4.9 |
| July 25, 2005 |
04:10:00 UTC, 10:10:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time local |
Butte, Montana, USA |
45.35°N |
112.867°W |
0 |
77 km (48 miles) SSW of Butte, MT |
5.6 |
| August 16, 2005 |
02:46:30 UTC, 11:46:30 Local Time August 16 |
Off the east coast of Honshū, Japan
see Miyagi earthquake |
38.259°N |
148.980°E |
0 |
95 km (60 miles) E of Sendai, Miyagi. |
7.2 |
| September 25, 2005 |
01:56 UTC ,20:56 Local Time |
Northern Peru |
|
|
2 |
100 km (60 miles) northeast of the jungle city of Moyobamba in the San Martín Region of Peru, and the earthquake struck an area about 715 km (445 miles) north of Lima. |
7.5 |
| October 8, 2005 |
03:50:38 UTC, 08:50:38 Local Time October 8 |
Kashmir
see 2005 Kashmir earthquake |
34.43°N |
73.54°E |
>75000 |
19 km (11.8 miles) northeast of Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan |
7.6 |
| November 26, 2005 |
00:49:37 UTC, 08:49:37 Local Time |
Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China |
29.7°N |
115.7°E |
13 |
Midway between Ruichang County seat and Jiujiang City |
5.7 |
| December 5, 2005 |
12:19:55 UTC, 14:19:55 Local Time |
Lake Tanganyika region
see 2005 Lake Tanganyika earthquake |
6.212°S |
29.599°E |
2 |
55 km (35 miles) SE of Kalemie, DR Congo |
6.8 |
2006
| Date |
Time‡ |
Place |
Lat. |
Long. |
Fatalities |
Comments |
Magnitude |
| January 8, 2006 |
11:34:52 UTC, 13:34:52 Local Time |
Southern Greece
see 2006 Southern Greece earthquake |
36.250°N |
23.498°E |
|
195 km (120 miles) S of Athens |
6.9 |
| February 23, 2006 |
00:19 Local Time |
Northern Mozambique |
|
|
|
140 miles southwest of Beira |
7.5 |
| April 20, 2006 |
23:25:04 UTC |
Koryak Autonomous Okrug, Russia
see 2006 Kamchatka earthquakes |
61.075°N |
167.085°E |
0 |
195 km (120 miles) NE of Ilpyrskoye, Russia. Several aftershocks, up to 6.1 on the Richter Scale |
7.6 |
| May 3, 2006 |
15:26:39 UTC |
Tonga |
20.130°S |
174.164°W |
0 |
Several aftershocks, up to 6.0 on the Richter Scale |
7.9 |
| May 16, 2006 |
10:39:23 UTC |
Kermadec Islands |
31.559°S |
179.296°W |
0 |
|
7.4 |
| May 27, 2006 |
22:54:02 UTC |
Java, Indonesia
see May 2006 Java earthquake |
7.977°S |
110.318°E |
6234 |
25 km (15 miles) SSW of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, over 6,200 dead, 33,000 injured, more than 200,000 left homeless |
6.3 |
| Jul 17, 2006 |
08:19:25 UTC |
South of Java, Indonesia
see July 2006 Java earthquake |
9.334°S |
107.263°E |
>400 |
225 km (140 miles) NE of Christmas Island; 240 km (150 miles) SSW of Tasikmalaya |
7.7 |
| Aug 11, 2006 |
14:30:39 UTC |
Guerrero, Mexico |
18.486°N |
100.930°W |
0 |
75 km (45 miles) WNW of Arcelia, Guerrero, Mexico |
6.0 |
| Aug 11, 2006 |
20:54:12 UTC |
Pulau Simeuleu, | |