Jump to content

Lists of earthquakes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JohnnyBGood (talk | contribs) at 23:16, 31 October 2007 (→‎Largest earthquakes by magnitude: Wouldn't a 9.2 be tied with a 9.2?). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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 		34.5 109.7 830,000 ~8
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 c. 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 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 Tsinghai, China 37.39 102.31 200,000 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 Timiskaming, Quebec, Canada 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 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
July 26, 1963 4:17 Skopje, Macedonia
see 1963 Skopje earthquake 		42.16 21.66 1100 6.1 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
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 Conza della Campania, Avellino, Italy 40.87 15.31 2735 7 M
May 2, 1983 23:42 Coalinga, California, USA 36.23 -120.32 6.5 M (Ellsworth, 1990)
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 95.87 283,106 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) 50,000 XI   –
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 –   –
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 –
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   –
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 11 1737 Calcutta, India 300,000 – See 1737 Calcutta cyclone –
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   –
January 23, 1855 21:11 local time Wairarapa, New Zealand 4 ~8.0 Raised sections of Wellington coastline by 2 metres –
February 16 1861 Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) 8.5   –
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 GTM-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 –
August 19, 1966, Turkey
see NAFZ 		6.6 –
July 22, 1967, Turkey
see NAFZ 		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. –
June 21, 1990 Northwestern Iran; see Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake 35000 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

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
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 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
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
January 8, 2006 11:34:52 UTC, 13:34:52 Local Time Southern Greece
see January 2006 Southern Greece earthquake 		36.250°N 23.498°E   195 km (120 miles) S of Athens 6.7
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 25km (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, Sumatra, Indonesia 2.374°N 96.321°E 0 285 km (175 miles) WNW of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia 6.0
Aug 20, 2006 03:41:47 UTC Scotia Sea 61.023°S 34.373°W 0 495 km (305 miles) WSW of Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands 7.1
September 10, 2006 14:56:07 UTC Gulf of Mexico 26.339°N 86.568°W 0 418 km (260 miles) WSW of Clearwater, Florida 6.0
October 15, 2006 17:07:48 UTC Hawaii 19.801°N 156.053°W 0 6.7
November 15, 2006 11:14:16 UTC Kuril Islands 46.616°N 153.224°E 0 Small tsunami hit Northern Japan, several aftershocks as strong as magnitude 6.3 8.3
December 26, 2006 12:26:21 UTC 91 km (56 miles) SSE of Kaohsiung, Taiwan See:2006 Hengchun earthquake 21.818°N 120.534°E 2 Phone service & Internet service interrupted; items knocked off shelves; three buildings destroyed; magnitude 7.0 aftershock struck eight minutes later. 7.1
December 31, 2006 11:39 UTC 25 km E of Budapest, Hungary 0 Minimal damage 4.1
January 13, 2007 04:23:20 UTC East of the Kuril Islands 46.288°N 154.448°E 0 Several aftershocks up to magnitude 6. Tsunami warnings issued for the entire Pacific basin. The second great earthquake to strike this region in three months. 8.2
January 20, 2007 20:56:51 Local Time Gangwon-do,South Korea 37.75°N 128.69°E 0 4.8
January 21, 2007 07:39:00 UTC Province of Agri, Turkey 39.803°N 42.807°E 0 Demolished homes in several villages 5.1
January 21, 2007 11:27:42 UTC Molucca Sea 1.207°N 126.292°E 4 Preceded by a magnitude 6 foreshock. Several aftershocks up to magnitude 6.2. 7.5
February 12, 2007 11:27:42 UTC Cabo de São Vicente, Portugal (see 2007 Iberian Peninsula earthquake) 36.09°N 10.26°E 6.1
March 6, 2007 05:49:28 UTC Sumatra, Indonesia (see March 2007 Sumatra earthquakes) 0.490°S 100.529°E >60 Followed by a magnitude 6.3 aftershock and several smaller ones. Widespread damage to homes, communication lines, and travel ways in Sumatra. Thousands forced to flee their homes. 6.4
March 25, 2007 00:40:02 (UTC) Vanuatu 20.597°S 169.413°E 0 7.2
March 25, 2007 00:42:02 (UTC) Off the west coast of Honshū, Japan (see 2007 Noto earthquake) 37.537°N 136.438°E 1 110 injured. Tsunami warnings issued for the nearby coastal areas, 6-inch tsunami hit shore closest to epicenter. 6.7
April 1, 2007 20:39:56 (UTC) Solomon Islands (see 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake) 8.474°S 156.950°E >28 Followed by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Tsunami destroyed at least 60 buildings and left at least 2,000 people homeless. 10 to 20 remain missing. 8.1
April 12, 2007 10:32 local time (16.32 GMT) 7 km South-east of Managua In the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Sandino in Nicaragua. 11.706°N 86.381°W 0 The earthquake was said to be caused by the collision of the Cocos Plate and the Caribbean Plate. [1] 5.2
April 13, 2007 05:42:23 (UTC) Guerrero, Mexico 17.353°N 100.101°W 0 Followed by a magnitude 5.4 aftershock. Extensive power outages in Mexico City and Acapulco, but no serious damage. 6.0
April 20, 2007 01:45:56 (UTC) Southwestern Ryukyu Islands, Japan 25.714°N 125.250°E 0 Preceded by a magnitude 6 foreshock, followed by many aftershocks up to magnitude 5.9. 6.1
April 28, 2007 07:18:11 (UTC) Kent, United Kingdom (see 2007 Kent earthquake) 51.080°N 1.170°E 0 474 houses reported as having toppled chimneys and cracked walls; 73 of these were deemed too dangerous for the residents to return. 4.2
May 16, 2007 08:56:18 (UTC) Laos 20.470°N 100.703°E 0 Caused buildings to sway as far away as Bangkok. There were widespread evacuations, but no reports of significant damage. 6.3
June 2, 2007 21:34:58 (UTC) Yunnan, China 23.013°N 101.053°E 2 2 killed, over 200 more injured (15 seriously). Significant damage to some houses and roads, as well as electrical lines, communication lines, and water pipes. 6.2
June 13, 2007 19:29:46 (UTC) Offshore Guatemala 13.628°N 90.732°W 0 Phone communications down throughout Guatemala. Many houses damaged and some people possibly missing. Shaking felt into El Salvador and waveform registered as far away as Midway Island. A magnitude 5.8 quake struck the same area five days beforehand. 6.8
July 6, 2007 01:09:21 (UTC) Chiapas, Mexico 16.678°N 93.479°W 0 Power and phone service knocked out. Buildings and businesses in three Mexican states evacuated. 6.1
July 16, 2007 01:13:28 (UTC) Honshū, Japan (see 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake) 37.574°N 138.440°E 9 Many wooden buildings collapsed. Hundreds of people trapped and injured, with 9 confirmed dead. 50cm waves hit shores near the epicenter. Fires broke out near the Kashiwazaki nuclear power station, causing a small leak of radioactive material into the sea. Aftershocks up to magnitude 5.8; a magnitude 6.8 quake struck further west several hours later, but caused no damage due to its large depth. 6.6
July 18, 2007 20:30:00 (EAT) Nairobi, Kenya

Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania

1°17′0″S, 36°49′0″E 0 The current largest event of an ongoing earthquake swarm, possibly as a result of volcanic activity on Ol Doinyo Lengai volcanic mountain in Northern Tanzania. Tremor occurrences began on July 12, 2007. Shook buildings and caused panic in East Africa 5.9
July 20, 2007 04:40:00 Local San Francisco, California 37°48′4″N, 122°11′3″W 0 Slight damage, no injuries reported. 4.2
August 1, 2007 17:08:54 (UTC) Vanuatu 15.671°S 167.602°E 0 No tsunami threat - while the hypocenter was offshore, it was too deep to cause enough surface displacement for a tsunami. 7.2
August 2, 2007 02:37:43 (UTC) Tatar Strait, Russia 47.259°N 141.750°E 1 Followed by a magnitude 6.1 aftershock and several smaller ones. 12-inch tsunami hit northern Japan. Several injuries and one fatality from a collapsed roof in the Russian town of Nevelsk. 6.2
August 8, 2007 17:04:58 (UTC) Java, Indonesia 5.968°S 107.655°E 0 Felt throughout west and central Java. Hypocenter too deep to set off tsunami warnings. 7.5
August 15, 2007 23:40:58 UTC 40.2 km (25 miles) northwest of Chincha Alta, Peru (see 2007 Peru earthquake) 13.322°S 76.508°W 514 At least 514 people killed with 1,090+ injured. Followed by a large number of aftershocks larger than magnitude 5, the strongest of which measured 6.3. Tsunami warnings for Chile, Peru, Hawaii, other areas of Central and South America were later cancelled. 8.0
September 12, 2007 11:10:23 (UTC) Sumatra, Indonesia (see September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes) 4.517°S 101.382°E 23 Buildings swayed in Jakarta. Many buildings collapsed on the west coast of Sumatra. At least 23 dead, and over a hundred injured. Tsunami alert issued for the entire Indian Ocean region. Followed by two other earthquakes measuring 7.9 and 7.0, and over a hundred aftershocks. 8.4
September 28, 2007 13:38:58 UTC Mariana Islands 21.980°N 142.685°E 0 This was a deep focus earthquake, thus no Tsunami warnings were issued. A magnitude 6.9 occurred further South of the islands on September 30. 7.4
September 30, 2007 5:23:36 UTC Auckland Islands, New Zealand 49.394°S 163.842°E 0 Followed by a magnitude 6.6 aftershock. 7.4
October 15, 2007 12:29 UTC Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand 44.68°S 167.21°E 0 Followed by 7 major aftershocks all being above 4 on the Richter Scale, with the largest being 6.2. 6.7
October 24, 2007 21:02:51 UTC Southern Sumatra, Indonesia 3.909°S 101.061°E 0 Considered to be an aftershock of the magnitude 8.4 quake that struck the same region on September 12, 2007. 6.8
October 31, 2007 03:04:54 UTC Alum Rock, California, USA 37.4325°N 121.7757°W 0 Occurred on the Calaveras Fault. No major damage. Largest quake in the Bay Area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. 5.6
October 31, 2007 03:30:20 UTC Pagan Region, Northern Mariana Islands 18.854°N 145.315°E 0 Deep enough to not warrant a tsunami warning. 7.2

Largest earthquakes by magnitude

Pos. Date Location Magnitude
1 May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile (see: Great Chilean Earthquake) 9.5
2 October 16, 1737 Kamchatka, Russia (see: Kamchatka earthquakes) ~9.3
3 December 26, 2004 Off west coast northern Sumatra, Indonesia (see: 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake) 9.2*
3 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA (see: Good Friday Earthquake) 9.2
5 March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA 9.1
6 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, Russia 9.0
7 January 26, 1700 Cascadia subduction zone (see: Cascadia earthquake) ~9
8 January 31, 1906 Colombia-Ecuador 8.8
9 February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, USA 8.7
10 November 25, 1833 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.7
11 November 1, 1755 Lisbon, Portugal (see: 1755 Lisbon earthquake) ~8.7
12 March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.5-8.7**
13 December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China 8.6
14 August 15, 1950 Assam-Tibet 8.6
15 December 16, 1575 Valdivia, Chile 8.5

*Article on Wikipedia indicates "9.2" is a "good representative value".

** Scientists have not yet agreed on an official magnitude.

Deadliest earthquakes on record

Rank Name Date Location Fatalities Magnitude Comments
1 "Shaanxi" January 23, 1556 Shaanxi, China 830,000 ~8
2 "Tangshan" July 28, 1976 Tangshan, China 255,000 (official) 7.5 Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.
3 "Aleppo" August 9, 1138 Aleppo, Syria 230,000 8.5 Death toll disputed as first mention of 230,000 dead was in the 15th century.
"Indian Ocean" December 26, 2004 Off west coast northern Sumatra, Indonesia 230,000 9.3 Deaths from earthquake and tsunami.[3]
5 "Damghan" December 22, 856 Damghan, Iran 200,000
"Gansu" December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China 200,000 8.6 Major fractures, landslides.
"Tsinghai" May 22, 1927 Tsinghai, China 200,000 7.9 Large fractures.
8 "Ardabil" March 23, 893+ Ardabil, Iran 150,000
9 "Great Kantō" September 1, 1923 Kantō, Japan 143,000 7.9 Great Tokyo fire.
10 "Ashgabat" October 6, 1948 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 110,000 7.3
11 "Kashmir" October 8, 2005 Kashmir & N.W.F.P, Pakistan 100,000 (estimated), 80,000 (official) 7.6 or 7.8 3.5 million people homeless, 100,000 feared dead
Source: USGS [4]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2007/04/12/ultimahora/3010
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lists_of_earthquakes&oldid=168402277"