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Lists of earthquakes

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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 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 45, 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 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

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 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 (See 2006 Hawaii earthquake) 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
November 29, 2006 07:22:55 UTC Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 46.48°N 81.17°W 0 Epicentre near Lively. No major damage; reported to have been felt as far as Toronto. 4.1
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

2007

Date Time‡ Place Lat. Long. Fatalities Comments Magnitude
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 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 519 519 people killed with 1,366 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 to hit the San Francisco Bay Area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. 5.4
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
November 14, 2007 15:40:53 UTC Antofagasta, Chile (see 2007 Antofagasta earthquake) 22.189°S 69.843°W 2 Two killed, dozens more injured, at least 4,000 left homeless. A tsunami warning was initially issued for the whole south Pacific, but was lifted within an hour. 7.7
November 25, 2007 16:02:18 UTC Sumbawa, Indonesia 8.294°S 118.360°E 3 Two earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 occurring within hours of each other. At least 3 killed, hundreds injured and many houses destroyed. 6.5 and 6.5
November 29, 2007 19:00:19 UTC Martinique Region, Windward Islands 14.951°N 61.241°W 1 Strongest earthquake to affect the Eastern Caribbean in decades. Widespread moderate to locally severe damage reported throughout Martinique and Dominica with furthest reports of damage coming from Barbados 274 km from the epicenter where landslips caused partial collapse of apartment buildings. Felt from Puerto Rico in the north to as far as Guyana and Venezuela in the south. No tsunami warning issued due to the deep hypocenter of the earthquake [5]. 7.4
December 9, 2007 02:03:29 UTC Minas Gerais, Brazil 15.049°S 44.199°W 1 One killed, six more injured, six houses completely leveled. Sixty residents in two small towns near the epicenter were evacuated. 4.9
December 9, 2007 07:28:24 UTC South of the Fiji Islands 26.156°S 177.453°W 0 7.8
December 19, 2007 09:30:30 UTC Andreanof Islands, Aleutians, Alaska 51.495°N 179.473°W 0 7.2

2008

Date Time‡ Place Lat. Long. Fatalities Comments Magnitude
January 5, 2008 11:01:05 UTC Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada 51.299°N 130.713°W 0 Two earthquakes of magnitude 6.6 and 6.4 occurring within 45 minutes of each other. The first was preceded by a magnitude 5.6 foreshock approx 20 minutes before. Aftershocks of magnitude 5.0. 6.6 and 6.4
January 6, 2008 05:14:17 UTC Athens, Greece 37.150°N 22.934°W 0 6.5 [6]
February 3, 2008 07:34:12 UTC Lac Kivu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2.314°S 28.896°E >39 Main: 2008 Lake Kivu earthquake
At least 39 killed and over 300 injured. Many buildings - commercial, religious, and residential - destroyed. Followed by several destructive aftershocks up to magnitude 5.0.
6.0
February 14, 2008 13:34 UTC Kalamata, Greece 36.646°N 21.833°E 0 6.5 and 6.4 [7]
February 20, 2008 08:08:31 UTC Simeulue, Indonesia 2.751°N 95.966°E 3 Quake lasted for almost a minute. Strongly felt more than 300km (185 miles) away in Banda Aceh, where people left their offices after buildings started shaking. Precautionary tsunami alerts for Indonesia and nearby coastal areas were briefly issued. [8] 7.5
February 20, 2008 15:26:52 UTC Storfjorden, Svalbard (Norway) 77.41°N 14.48°E 0 The quake's epicenter was about 140km south-east of Longyearbyen. The quake may be Norway's biggest quake in a hundred years. 6.2
February 21, 2008 14:16:05 UTC Wells, Nevada, USA 41.076°N 114.771°W 0 Earthquake near Wells, Nevada. It was the largest earthquake in the continental United States since the M6.6 June 17, 2005 earthquake offshore northern California. 6.0
February 27, 2008 00:56:45 UTC Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, UK 53.321°N 0.314°W 0 Main: 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake
Earthquake reported 15km north east of Lincoln. Tremor felt across the UK, as far north as Newcastle-upon-Tyne and south as London. Quake lasted for approximately 20 seconds.[9]
5.2
April 18, 2008 09:36:56 UTC (04:36:56 Central) Southeastern Illinois 38.481°N 87.826°W 0 Main: 2008 Illinois earthquake
Earthquake centered 41 miles NNW of Evansville, Indiana, near the village of West Salem, Illinois. It was felt widespread across southern Illinois and eastern portions of Missouri including St. Louis, 126 miles away. Aftershocks were felt as far south as Tennessee and Georgia in the United States and Ontario in Canada.[10][11][12]
5.2
May 12, 2008 06:28:04 UTC Sichuan Province,China 31.110°N 103.330°E N/A Main: 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake
Earthquake centered centered 92 km northwest of Chengdu. Felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, where office buildings swayed with the impact[13][14]
7.8

Largest earthquakes by magnitude

Pos. Date Location Magnitude
1 May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile (see: 1960 Valdivia earthquake) 9.5
2 December 26, 2004 Off west coast northern Sumatra, Indonesia (see: 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake) 9.31
3 *October 16, 1737 Kamchatka, Russia (see: Kamchatka earthquakes) ~9.3
3 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA (see: Good Friday Earthquake) 9.2
5 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, Russia 9.0
6 January 26, 1700 Cascadia subduction zone (see: 1700 Cascadia earthquake) ~9
7 January 31, 1906 Colombia-Ecuador 8.8
8 February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, USA 8.7
8 November 25, 1833 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.7
10 November 1, 1755 Lisbon, Portugal (see: 1755 Lisbon earthquake) ~8.7
11 March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.6-8.7**
12 March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA (see: 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake) 8.6
12 December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China 8.6
12 August 15, 1950 Assam-Tibet 8.6
15 December 16, 1575 Valdivia, Chile 8.5

** 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 "Indian Ocean" December 26, 2004 Off West coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia ~300,000 dead and missing 9.31 Deaths from earthquake and tsunami.
3 "Tangshan" July 27, 1976 Tangshan, China 255,000 (official) 7.5 Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.
4 "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.
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 [3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ammianus Marcellinus, "Res Gestae", 26.10.15-19
  2. ^ For summaries of the sources, see: Stiros, Stathis C.: “The AD 365 Crete earthquake and possible seismic clustering during the fourth to sixth centuries AD in the Eastern Mediterranean: a review of historical and archaeological data”, Journal of Structural Geology, Vol. 23 (2001), pp. 545-562 (557f., App. A)
  3. ^ "Earthquake Synod." In Cross, F. L. and E. A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. London: Oxford UP, 1974. p. 437
  4. ^ De Hamel, Christopher. The Book. A History of the Bible. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2001. p. 169
  5. ^ http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/caribe/2007/caribe.2007.11.29.190944.txt
  6. ^ "Greece hit by strong earthquake". BBC.com. 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  7. ^ "Strong earthquake strikes Greece". BBC.com. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  8. ^ "Three killed by Indonesian quake". BBC.com. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  9. ^ "Earth tremor felt across England". BBC.com. 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  10. ^ Television reports, KSDK, "Early Today", "Today in St. Louis", April 18, 2008
  11. ^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxPvXBa_kwldln7jw_kNT0EsoE1QD90472KG0
  12. ^ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2008/us2008qza6/
  13. ^ "Strong earthquake hits southwest China", http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSPEK23117420080512, May 12, 2008
  14. ^ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/at00057368.php