List Of Earthquakes

The following is a list of major earthquakes.

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 M MX† (M reference)
January 23, 1556 | Shaanxi, China
see 1556 Shaanxi earthquake | 34.5 | 109.7 | 830,000 | ~8 |
August 17, 1668 | Anatolia, Turkey | 40 | 36 | 8,000 | ~8 |
January 26, 1700 | colspan=3 | Cascadia subduction zone from Northern California to Vancouver Island
see Cascadia Earthquake | | ~9 | M (Satake et al, 1996)
November 1, 1755 10:16 Lisbon, Portugal
see 1755 Lisbon earthquake
36 -11 70,000 ~8.7 MI (Johnston, 1996)
December 16, 1811 8:00 New Madrid, Missouri, United States
see New Madrid Earthquake
36.6 -89.6 | ~8.1 | MI (Johnston, 1996)
January 23, 1812 15:00 New Madrid, Missouri, United States 36.6 -89.6 | ~7.8 | MI (Johnston, 1996)
February 7, 1812 9:45 New Madrid, Missouri, United States 36.6 -89.6 | ~8 | MI (Johnston, 1996)
June 2, 1823 8:00 south flank of Kilauea, Hawaii, United States 19.3 -155 | ~7 | MI (Klein and Wright, 2000)
June 10, 1836 15:30 south San Francisco Bay region, California, United States 36.9 -121.5 | ~6.5 | MI (Bakun, 1999)
June 1838 | San Francisco Peninsula, California, United States | 37.3 | -123.2 | | ~6.8 | MI (Bakun, 1999)
January 5, 1843 2:45 Marked Tree, Arkansas, United States 35.5 -90.5 | ~6.3 | MI (Johnston, 1996)
January 9, 1857 16:24 colspan=3 | 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, United States 37.2 121.9 | ~6.5 | MI (Bakun, 1999)
April 3, 1868 2:25 Hilea, southeast Hawaii, Hawaii, United States 19.2 -155.5 77 ~7.9 MI (Klein and Wright, 2000)
October 21, 1868 15:53 Hayward, California, United States 37.7 -122.1 30 ~6.8 MI (Bakun, 1999)
February 20, 1871 8:42 Molokai, Hawaii, United States 21.2 -156.9 | ~6.8 | MI (Klein and Wright, 2000)
March 26, 1872 10:30 Owens Valley, California, United States
see 1872 Lone Pine earthquake
36.5 -118 27 ~7.6 M (Beanland and Clark, 1994)
December 15, 1872 5:40 north Cascades, Washington, United States 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, United States 32.9 -80 60 ~7.3 MI (Johnston, 1996)
April 24, 1890 11:36 Corralitos, California, United States 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, United States 38.5 -121.8 1 ~6.4 MI (Bakun, 1999)
April 21, 1892 17:43 Winters, California, United States 38.6 -122 | ~6.4 | MI (Bakun, 1999)
October 31, 1895 11:08 Charleston, Missouri, United States 37 -89.4 | ~6.6 | MI (Johnston, 1996)
June 15, 1896 19:32 Sanriku, Japan 39.5 144 | ~8.5 | M
June 12, 1897 11:06 Assam, India 26 91 1,500 ~8.3
June 20, 1897 20:14 Calaveras fault, California, United States 37 -121.6 | ~6.3 | MI (Bakun, 1999)
March 31, 1898 7:43 Mare Island, California, United States 38.1 122.4 | ~6.3 | MI (Bakun, 1999)
April 15, 1898 7:07 Mendocino County, California, United States 39.3 -123.9 | ~6.8 | MI (Bakun, 2000)
September 4, 1899 0:22 Cape Yakataga, Alaska, United States 60 -142 | 7.9 | MS
September 10, 1899 21:41 Yakutat Bay, Alaska, United States 60 -142 | 8 | MS
October 9, 1900 12:28 Kodiak Island, Alaska, United States 57.1 -153.5 | 7.7 | MS
March 3, 1901 7:45 Parkfield, California, United States 36.2 -120.7 | 6.4 | MS (Abe, 1988)
August 27, 1904 21:56 Fairbanks, Alaska, United States 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 colspan=3 | 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, Italy 38.3 15.6 70,000 7.2 MS
July 1, 1911 22:00 Calaveras fault, California, United States 37.39 -121.8 | 6.5 | MS
October 3, 1915 6:52 Pleasant Valley, Nevada, United States 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, United States 40.7 -125.55 | 7.3 | MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990)
March 10, 1922 11:21 Parkfield, California, United States 35.9 120.9 | 6.1 | M (Bakun and McEvilly, 1984)
January 22, 1923 9:04 offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, United States 40.49 -125.32 | 7.2 | MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990)
September 1, 1923 2:58 Kanto, Japan
see Great Kanto 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, United States 46.32 -111.52 | 6.6 | M (Dosier, 1989)
June 29, 1925 14:42 Santa Barbara, California, United States 34.3 -119.8 13 6.8 M (Stein and Hanks, 1998)
October 22, 1926 12:35 Monterey Bay, California, United States 36.62 -122.35 | 6.1 | MG-R (Ellsworth, 1990)
October 22, 1926 13:35 Monterey Bay, California, United States 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 Tsinghai, China 37.39 102.31 200,000 7.9 MS
November 4, 1927 13:51 offshore Lompoc, California, United States 34.92 -121.03 | 7.1 | M (Stein and Hanks, 1998)
November 18, 1929 20:32 Grand Banks, Nova Scotia, Canada 44.69 -56.01 | 7.3 | M (Bent, 1995)
December 21, 1932 6:10 Cedar Mountain, Nevada, United States 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, United States 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, United States 35.9 -120.9 | 6.1 | M (Bakun and McEvilly, 1984)
November 1, 1935 6:03 Timiskaming, Quebec, Canada 48.89 -79 | 6.2 | M (Bent, 1996)
July 22, 1937 17:09 Salcha, Alaska, United States 64.49 -146.85 | 7.3 | MS
January 23, 1938 8:32 Maui, Hawaii, United States 20.96 -156.18 | 6.8 | MS (Klein and Wright, 2000)
November 10, 1938 20:18 Shumagin Islands, Alaska, United States 55.33 -158.37 | 8.2 | M
December 26, 1939 23:57 Erzincan, Turkey 39.77 39.53 32,700 7.8 MS
May 19, 1940 4:36 Imperial Valley, California, United States 32.73 -115.5 9 7.1 M (Ellsworth, 1990)
December 7, 1944 4:35 Tonankai, Japan 33.75 136 1,223 8.1 M
April 1, 1946 12:28 Unimak Island, Alaska, United States 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 Nankaido, Japan 32.5 134.5 1,330 8.1 M
October 16, 1947 2:09 Fairbanks, Alaska, United States 64.2 -148.3 | 7.2 | M
April 13, 1949 19:55 Olympia, Washington, United States
see Nisqually Earthquake
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, United States 19.5 -155.95 | 6.9 | MS (Klein and Wright, 2000)
July 21, 1952 11:52 Kern County, California, United States 34.95 -119.05 12 7.3 M (Stein and Hanks, 1998)
November 4, 1952 16:58 Kamchatka, Russia 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, United States 39.42 -118.53 | 6.6 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
August 24, 1954 5:51 Stillwater, Nevada, United States 39.58 -118.45 | 6.8 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
December 16, 1954 11:07 Fairview Peak, Nevada, United States 39.32 -118.2 | 7.1 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
December 16, 1954 11:11 Dixie Valley, Nevada, United States 39.5 -118 | 6.8 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
October 24, 1955 4:10 Concord, California, United States 38 -122.1 1 5.4 ML (Bolt and Miller, 1975)
March 9, 1957 14:22 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, United States 51.56 -175.39 | 9.1 | M
December 4, 1957 3:37 Gobi-Altai, Mongolia 45.15 99.21 30 8.1 M
April 7, 1958 15:30 Huslia, Alaska, United States 65.94 -156.37 | 7.3 | M
July 10, 1958 6:15 Fairweather, Alaska, United States 58.37 -136.66 5 7.7 M
August 18, 1959 6:37 Hebgen Lake, Montana, United States 44.6 -110.64 28 7.3 M (Dosier, 1985)
February 29, 1960 23:40 Agadir, Morocco 30.5 -9.3 10,000 5.7 M
May 22, 1960 19:11 Chile
see Great Chilean Earthquake
-38.24 -73.05 5,700 9.5 M
March 28, 1964 3:36 Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States
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 Island, Alaska, United States 51.21 -178.5 | 8.7 | M
April 29, 1965 15:28 Seattle-Tacoma, Washington, United States
see Nisqually Earthquake
47.32 -122.33 7 6.5 ML (Algermissen and Harding, 1965)
June 28, 1966 4:26 Parkfield, California, United States 35.88 -120.49 | 6.1 | M (Tsai and Aki, 1969)
September 12, 1966 16:41 Truckee, California, United States 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, United States 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 San Fernando, California, United States
see Sylmar earthquake
34.4 -118.39 65 6.7 M (Heaton, 1982)
February 4, 1975 11:36 Haicheng, China 40.72 122.73 10,000 7 M (Cipar, 1979)
August 1, 1975 20:20 Oroville, California, United States 39.5 -121.39 | 5.8 | M
November 29, 1975 14:47 south flank of Kilauea, Hawaii, United States 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
39.61 117.89 255,000* 7.5 M
August 6, 1979 17:05 Coyote Lake, California, United States 37.11 -121.52 | 5.7 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
October 15, 1979 23:17 Imperial Valley, California, United States 32.82 -115.65 | 6.4 | M (Hartzell and Heaton, 1983)
January 24, 1980 19:00 Livermore, California, United States 37.71 -121.73 | 5.8 | M (Bolt et al., 1981)
May 25, 1980 16:33 Mammoth Lakes, California, United States 37.6 -118.83 | 6.1 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
May 25, 1980 16:49 Mammoth Lakes, California, United States 37.65 -118.9 | 5.9 | ML (Ellsworth, 1990)
May 25, 1980 19:44 Mammoth Lakes, California, United States 37.55 -118.82 | 5.8 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
May 27, 1980 14:50 Mammoth Lakes, California, United States 37.48 -118.8 | 6 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
November 8, 1980 10:27 Gorda Plate, California, United States 41.12 -124.67 | 7.2 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
May 2, 1983 23:42 Coalinga, California, United States 36.23 -120.32 | 6.5 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
October 28, 1983 14:06 Borah Peak, Idaho, United States 44.09 -113.8 2 7 M (PDE Monthly Listing)
November 16, 1983 16:13 Kaoiki, Hawaii, United States 19.44 155.38 | 6.7 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
April 24, 1984 21:15 Morgan Hill, California, United States 37.3 -121.71 | 6.2 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
November 23, 1984 18:08 Round Valley, California, United States 37.45 -118.6 | 5.7 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
September 19, 1985 13:17 Michoacn, Mexico 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, United States 51.56 -174.81 | 8 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
July 8, 1986 9:20 north Palm Springs, California, United States 33.97 -116.78 | 6.1 | M (Hartzell, 1989)
July 21, 1986 14:42 Chalfant Valley, California, United States 37.53 -118.43 | 6.2 | M (Ellsworth, 1990)
October 1, 1987 14:42 Whittier Narrows, California, United States 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, Australia -19.87 133.78 | 6.3 | M (Choy and Bowman, 1990)
January 22, 1988 3:57 Tennant Creek, Australia -19.88 133.83 | 6.4 | M (Choy and Bowman, 1990)
January 22, 1988 12:04 Tennant Creek, 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 18, 1989 0:04 Loma Prieta, California, United States
see Loma Prieta earthquake
37.14 -121.76 63 6.9 M (Wald et al., 1991)
December 25, 1989 14:24 Ungava, Quebec, Canada 60.07 -73.54 | 6 | M (Bent, 1994)
June 28, 1991 1:43 Sierra Madre, California, United States 34.25 -117.95 2 5.6 M (Wald et al., 1991)
August 17, 1991 22:17 Honeydew, California, United States 41.79 -125.58 | 7.1 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
April 23, 1992 4:50 Joshua Tree, California, United States 33.87 -116.55 | 6.1 | M (Hauksson et al., 1993)
April 25, 1992 18:06 Cape Mendocino, California, United States 40.38 -124.05 | 7.2 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
April 26, 1992 7:41 offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, United States 40.55 -124.29 | 6.5 | M (Oppenheimer et al., 1993)
April 26, 1992 11:18 offshore, Cape Mendocino, California, United States 40.44 -124.43 | 6.7 | M (Oppenheimer et al., 1993)
June 28, 1992 11:57 Landers, California, United States 34.2 -116.52 3 7.3 M (Sieh et al. 1993)
June 29, 1992 10:14 Little Skull Mountain, Nevada, United States 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, United States
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, United States 40.38 -125.78 | 7.1 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
January 16, 1995 20:46 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 Izmit, Turkey 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, United States 34.56 -116.44 | 7.2 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
November 12, 1999 16:57 Duzce, Turkey 40.82 31.23 894 7.2 M (PDE Monthly Listing)
September 3, 2000 8:36 Napa, California, United States 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, United States
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, United States 63.52 -147.44 | 7.9 | M (QED)
May 21, 2003 18:44 Boumerdes, Algeria 36.96 3.63 2,266 6.8 M (QED)
September 25, 2003 19:50 Hokkaido, Japan 41.82 143.91 | 8.3 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
November 17, 2003 06:43 Rat Island, Alaska, United States 51.15 178.65 | 7.8 | M (PDE Monthly Listing)
December 22, 2003 19:15 San Simeon, California, United States 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, United States
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 95.96 283,100 9.0 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) http://earthquake.usgs.gov/docs/sign_eqs.htm

Other earthquakes not listed by the USGS

align="center" | Date align="center" | Site align="center" | Deaths align="center" | Magnitude or intensity* align="center" | Comments
464 BC Sparta, Greece align="right" | ? align="right" | – Led to a helot uprising and strained relations with Athens, one of the factors that led to the Peloponnesian War
226 BC Rhodes, Greece align="right" | ? align="right" | – Destroyed Colossus of Rhodes and city of Kameiros
365 Knossos, Crete (Greece) align="right" | 50,000 align="right" | XI  
365 Cyrene, Libya align="right" | ? align="right" | –  
May 20 526 Antiochia, Syria align="right" | 250,000 align="right" | –  
844 Damascus, Syria align="right" | 50,000 align="right" | VIII  
847 Mosul, Iraq align="right" | 50,000 align="right" | –  
847 Damascus, Syria align="right" | 70,000 align="right" | X  
856 Qumis, Damghan, Iran align="right" | 200,000 align="right" | –  
856 Corinth, Greece align="right" | 45,000 align="right" | –  
893 Caucasus align="right" | 82,000 align="right" | –  
893 Daipur, India align="right" | 180,000 align="right" | –  
893 Ardabil, Iran align="right" | 150,000 align="right" | –  
1036 Shanxi, China align="right" | 23,000 align="right" | –  
1042 Palmyra, Baalbek, Syria align="right" | 50,000 align="right" | X  
1057 Chihli (Hopeh), China align="right" | 25,000 align="right" | –  
1138 Ganzah, Aleppo, Syria align="right" | 230,000 align="right" | XI  
1170 Sicily align="right" | 15,000 align="right" | –  
July 5, 1201 Upper Egypt or Syria align="right" | 1,100,000 align="right" | IX  
1268 Cilicia, Anatolia (Turkey) align="right" | 60,000 align="right" | –  
September 27 1290 Chihli (Hopeh), China align="right" | 100,000 align="right" | 6.7  
May 20 1293 Kamakura, Japan align="right" | 30,000 align="right" | –  
January 26 1531 Lisbon, Portugal align="right" | 30,000 align="right" | –  
November 1667 Shemakha, Azerbaijan align="right" | 80,000 align="right" | –  
June 7 1692 Port Royal, Jamaica align="right" | 30,000 align="right" | –  
January 11 1693 Catania Province, Sicily align="right" | 60,000 align="right" | –  
1693 Naples, Italy align="right" | 93,000 align="right" | –  
1707 Japan (seismic wave) align="right" | 30,000 align="right" | –  
December 30 1730 Hokkaido Island, Japan align="right" | 137,000 align="right" | –  
1731 Beijing, China align="right" | 100,000 align="right" | –  
October 11 1737 Calcutta, India align="right" | 300,000 align="right" | – Recent studies indicate that these casualties were most likely due to a cyclone, not an earthquake.
June 7 1755 Northern Persia align="right" | 40,000 align="right" | –  
November 18 1755 Boston, Massachusetts align="right" | 0 align="right" | –  
February 28, 1780 Iran align="right" | 200,000 align="right" | – Latitude: 38, longitude: 46.2
February 45, March 28 1783 Calabria, Italy align="right" | 35,000 align="right" | –  
February 4 1797 Quito, Ecuador & Cuzco, Peru align="right" | 41,000 align="right" | –  
February 10 1797 Sumatra align="right" | 300 align="right" | 8.4  
December 8, 1812 at 9:45 Wrightwood, California, United States (lat. 34.22, long. 117.39) align="right" | 40 align="right" | ~7 Destroys church of Mission San Juan Capistrano
November 24 1833 Sumatra align="right" | align="right" | 8.7  
January 23, 1855 21:11 local time Wairarapa, New Zealand align="right" | 4 align="right" | ~8.0 Raised sections of Wellington coastline by 2 metres
February 16 1861 Sumatra align="right" | align="right" | 8.5  
February 3, 1931, 10:47 local time Napier, New Zealand
see Napier earthquake
align="right" | 258 align="right" | 7.9 Much of city destroyed; 40 km2 of seabed raised to become dry land
December 25, 1932, Gansu, China align="right" | 70,000 align="right" | 7.6
April 21, 1935, 6:02 local time Hsinchu-Taichung, Taiwan align="right" | 3,279 align="right" | 7.1
June 30, 1975 Norris Junction, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States align="right" | 0 align="right" | 6.1 Largest earthquake in Yellowstone Caldera since 1959 Hebgen Lake event
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

Date Time‡ Place Lat. Long. Fatalities Comments Magnitude
a href="/encyclopedia/February-24" title="February 24">February 24, 2004 02:24 Al-Hoceima, Morocco 35.14N 3.99W At least 1,200 Major damage to buildings and infrastructure; max. horizontal acc. of 0.24g recorded near the city of Imzuren 6.5; numerous aftershocks
September 5, 2004 19:07 and 23:57 Japan Time Off central Tokai region, western Japan | | 0 | 20+ injured, tsunami and flooding | 6.9 and 7.4
a href="/encyclopedia/October-8" title="October 8">October 8, 2004 15:35 Mindoro, Philippines 13.21 121.65 Sporadic blackouts 6.6
a href="/encyclopedia/October-9" title="October 9">October 9, 2004 22:26 80 kilometres southwest of Managua, Nicaragua 12 86 0 Minimal damage 6.9
a href="/encyclopedia/October-23" title="October 23">October 23, 2004 17:56 Ojiya, Japan
see 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake
37.3 138.8 39 Extensive damage 6.9
a href="/encyclopedia/October-27" title="October 27">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)
a href="/encyclopedia/November-10" title="November 10">November 10, 2004 22:58 Solomon Islands 9 159 0 No injuries nor damage 6.9
a href="/encyclopedia/November-11" title="November 11">November 11, 2004 21:36 96 kilometres west-northwest of Dili, East Timor | |6 |21 injured |7.3
a href="/encyclopedia/November-15" title="November 15">November 15, 2004 around 9:00 off coast of Chocó, Colombia | |0 |11+ injured, 18 homes destroyed, half near Buenaventura |6.7
a href="/encyclopedia/November-21" title="November 21">November 21, 2004 |45 kilometres north-northwest of Dominica | | |1 |Half-dozen injured, damage also in Guadeloupe |6.0
a href="/encyclopedia/November-21" title="November 21">November 21, 2004 |48 kilometres south-southwest of San José, Costa Rica | | |8 |Half-dozen injured |6.2
a href="/encyclopedia/November-28" title="November 28">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
a href="/encyclopedia/December-23" title="December 23">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
a href="/encyclopedia/February-11" title="February 11">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
a href="/encyclopedia/February-22" title="February 22">February 22, 2005 02:25:21 UTC, 05:55:21 Local Time Zarand, Iran
see 2005 Zarand earthquake
30.726N 56.817E At least 790 Hundreds injured, damage in some 40 villages, centered 150 miles from Bam, Iran 6.4
a href="/encyclopedia/March-6" title="March 6">March 6, 2005 19:06:52 UTC, 3:06:52 AM Local Time Near Sua-ho, Taiwan 24.607N 121.859E 0 See below 5.7
a href="/encyclopedia/March-6" title="March 6">March 6, 2005 19:08:00 UTC, 3:08:00 AM Local Time Near Sua-ho, Taiwan 24.650N 121.855E 0 Occurred within minutes of a previous earthquake of magnitude 5.7 centered in the same area; no major injuries or damage reported from either earthquake 5.4
a href="/encyclopedia/March-6" title="March 6">March 6, 2005 06:17:49 UTC, 1:17:49 AM Local Time Gaspe Peninsula Canada 47.750N 69.730W 0 102 km (63 miles) WNW (303) from Fort Kent, ME 5.4
a href="/encyclopedia/March-20" title="March 20">March 20, 2005 01:53 UTC, 10:53 AM Local Time Japan sea, near Fukuoka 33.54N 130.12E 1 At least 700 injured; more than 2000 displaced 7.0
a href="/encyclopedia/March-28" title="March 28">March 28, 2005 16:09:37 UTC, 3:06:52 AM Local Time 205 kilometers northwest of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia 2.093N 97.016E Hundreds Occurred near the site of where a 9.0 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami in December 2004. See 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. 8.7

Largest earthquakes by magnitude

Pos. Date Location Magnitude
1 May 22, 1960 Chile 9.5
2 March 28, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States 9.2
3 March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, United States 9.1
4 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, Russia 9.0
4 December 26, 2004 Off west coast northern Sumatra 9.0
6 January 26, 1700 Cascadia subduction zone from Northern California to Vancouver Island ~9
7 January 31, 1906 Colombia-Ecuador 8.8
8 February 4, 1965 Rat Island, Alaska, United States 8.7
9 November 1, 1755 Lisbon, Portugal ~8.7
10 March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.5-8.7*
11 December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China 8.6
11 August 15, 1950 Assam-Tibet 8.6
* Scientists have not yet agreed on an official magnitude.

Deadliest earthquakes on record

Pos. Date Location Fatalities Magnitude Comments
1 January 23, 1556 Shaanxi, China 830,000 ~8
2 December 26, 2004 Off west coast northern Sumatra 283,100 9.0 Deaths from earthquake and tsunami.
3 July 27, 1976 Tangshan, China 255,000 (official) 7.5 Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.
4 August 9, 1138 Aleppo, Syria 230,000
5 December 22, 856+ Damghan, Iran 200,000
5 December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China 200,000 8.6 Major fractures, landslides.
5 May 22, 1927 Tsinghai, China 200,000 7.9 Large fractures.
8 March 23, 893+ Ardabil, Iran 150,000
9 September 1, 1923 Kanto, Japan 143,000 7.9 Great Tokyo fire.
10 October 5, 1948 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, USSR 110,000 7.3
Source: USGS http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/eqsmosde.html

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