This is a list of earthquakes in 1963. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the list as they wouldn't have generated significant media interest. All dates are listed according to UTC time. Maximum intensities are indicated on the Mercalli intensity scale and are sourced from United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap data. A fairly active year with 17 events reaching above magnitude 7.0. The intensity of the events was stronger with 2 measuring above magnitude 8. Both events came within 3 weeks of each other. The strongest of 1963 was in the Kuril Islands, Russia and was magnitude 8.5. Macedonia had by far the most of the 1,488 fatalities. A fairly modest magnitude 6.0 event in July resulted in 1,070 deaths and substantial destruction. Libya had one of the worst events in its history in February. Again a fairly moderate magnitude 5.6 ended up with 300 deaths in the area.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Araucania Region, Chile, on February 5 at a depth of 25.0 km.[8]
A magnitude 6.0 aftershock struck Araucania Region, Chile, on February 6 at a depth of 25.0 km.[9]
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the east coast of Taiwan on February 13 at a depth of 30.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong).[10] 15 people were killed and another 18 were injured. Some homes were destroyed.[11]
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the Solomon Islands on February 13 at a depth of 20.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VI (Strong).[12]
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, on February 14 at a depth of 64.7 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VI (Strong).[14]
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Marj District, Libya, on February 21 at a depth of 25.0 km.[15] 300 people died and another 375 were injured. Many homes were damaged or destroyed. Property damages reached around $5 million (1963 rate).[16]
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the east coast of Taiwan on March 4 at a depth of 20.0 km.[18]
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the north coast of Peru on March 4 at a depth of 15.0 km.[19]
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the east coast of Taiwan on March 10 at a depth of 15.0 km.[20]
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck east of the Kuril Islands, Russia, on March 16 at a depth of 15.0 km.[21]
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northeast of Sumba, Indonesia, on March 24 at a depth of 20.0 km.[22]
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Kermanshah Province, Iran, on March 24 at a depth of 20.0 km.[23] 100 people were killed and major damage was caused.[24]
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the west coast of Honshu, Japan, on March 26 at a depth of 15.0 km.[27]
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the north coast of Iceland on March 28 at a depth of 10.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong).[28]
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck south of Halmahera, Indonesia, on April 16 at a depth of 30.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong).[35]
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck south of Halmahera, Indonesia, on April 16 at a depth of 30.0 km. This came within 30 minutes of the previous event and is an example of a doublet earthquake.[36]
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck southern Qinghai Province, China, on April 19 at a depth of 20.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe).[37] A few homes were damaged or destroyed.[38]
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Yunnan Province, China, on April 23 at a depth of 30.0 km.[39] Some homes were destroyed.[40]
A magnitude 6.0 aftershock struck Halmahera, Indonesia, on April 27 at a depth of 28.8 km.[41]
A magnitude 6.3 aftershock struck southeast of Halmahera, Indonesia, on April 30 at a depth of 60.0 km.[42]
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck south of Fiji on July 4 at a depth of 181.3 km.[61]
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the south coast of Costa Rica on July 9 at a depth of 35.0 km.[62]
, A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Abkhazia on July 16 at a depth of 30.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity VII (Very strong).[63]
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Ligurian Sea on July 19 at a depth of 15.0 km.[64]
A magnitude 6.1 aftershock struck the Ligurian Sea on July 19 at a depth of 15.0 km. This came around a minute after the previous event.[65]
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Skopje, Macedonia, on July 26 at a depth of 15.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of IX (Violent).[66] 1,070 people died and 3,300 were injured. The city suffered extensive damage. Property damage costs were $1 billion (1963 rate).[67]
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan, on August 15 at a depth of 35.0 km.[71]
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Puno Region, Peru, on August 15 at a depth of 550.0 km.[72] Some damage was reported.[73]
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck south of Kyushu, Japan on August 17 at a depth of 35.0 km.[74]
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Fiji on August 25 at a depth of 570.0 km.[75]
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck southern Xinjiang Province, China on August 29 at a depth of 15.0 km.[76] 1 person died and 40 homes were destroyed.[77]
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off the coast of northern Peru on August 29 at a depth of 25.0 km.[78]
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands on September 15 at a depth of 35.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of IX (Violent).[80]
A magnitude 6.0 foreshock struck off the coast of central Peru on September 17 at a depth of 68.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VI (Strong).[81]
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands on September 17 at a depth of 45.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe). This came two days after a slightly larger event and is an example of a doublet earthquake.[82]
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the eastern Sea of Marmara, Turkey on September 18 at a depth of 30.0 km.[83] 1 person was killed and at least 51 people were hurt. 7 homes were destroyed and 163 were damaged.[84]
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on September 24 at a depth of 64.1 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VI (Strong).[85] 1 person was killed and some damage was caused.[86]
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Amazonas Region, Peru on November 3 at a depth of 25.0 km.[95]
A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck the Banda Sea, Indonesia on November 4 at a depth of 65.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe).[96] Some damage was reported.[97]
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Papua (province), Indonesia on November 6 at a depth of 25.0 km. The shock had a maximum intensity of VI (Strong).[98]
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Acre (state), Brazil on November 9 at a depth of 590.7 km.[99]
A magnitude 6.3 aftershock struck Acre (state), Brazil on November 10 at a depth of 593.9 km.[100]
A magnitude 6.5 aftershock struck the Kuril Islands, Russia on November 10 at a depth of 21.2 km.[101]