ACTIVE EARTHQUAKE ZONES

Areas marked with red is active zones and has high probability of occuring earthquakes.

Here is a list of countries with most siesmic activty:

  • 1. Japan
  • 2. Indoneisa
  • 3. United States of America
  • 4. New Zealand
  • 5. Fiji
  • 6. Tonga
  • 7. Chile
  • 8. Papua New Guinea
  • 9. Mexico
  • 10. Solomon Islands

History of quakes

history of eathquakes

Here is a world map of earthquakes from 1963-1998, where the black dots are active zones.

A look under the earth

look under the earth

Largest earthquakes by magnitude

Earthquakes of magnitude 8.0 and greater since 1900. The apparent 3D volumes of the bubbles are linearly proportional to their respective fatalities.[1] The colour indicates the continent, and the legend counts the number of quakes for each. Notice the absence of Africa.

Listed below are all known earthquakes with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 or above on the moment magnitude scale (which has replaced the Richter magnitude scale in modern seismology).

This list is biased towards recent years due to development and widespread deployment of seismometers. Also, records that were detailed enough to make magnitude estimates (est.) were not generally available before 1900.[2]

Rank Date Location Event Magnitude
1 May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile 1960 Valdivia earthquake 9.4–9.6
2 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States 1964 Alaska earthquake 9.2
3 December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake 9.1–9.3
4 March 11, 2011 Pacific Ocean, Tohoku region, Japan 2011 Tohoku earthquake 9.1[3]
5 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union 1952 Kamchatka earthquakes 9.0[4]
6 August 13, 1868 Arica, Chile (then Peru) 1868 Arica earthquake 8.5–9.0 (est.)
7 January 26, 1700 Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada (then claimed by the Spanish Empire and the British Empire) 1700 Cascadia earthquake 8.7–9.2 (est.)
8 July 9, 869 Pacific Ocean, Tohoku region, Japan 869 Sanriku earthquake 8.9 (est.)
9 April 2, 1762 Chittagong, Bangladesh (then Kingdom of Mrauk U) 1762 Arakan earthquake 8.8 (est.)
10 November 25, 1833 Sumatra, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies) 1833 Sumatra earthquake 8.8 (est.)
11 January 31, 1906 Ecuador – Colombia 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake 8.8[5]
12 February 27, 2010 Offshore Maule, Chile 2010 Chile earthquake 8.8[5]
13 August 15, 1950 Assam, India – Tibet, China 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake 8.7
14 October 28, 1707 Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan 1707 Hoei earthquake 8.7–9.3 (est.)
15 July 8, 1730 Valparaiso, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1730 Valparaiso earthquake 8.7 (est.)[6]
16 November 1, 1755 Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal 1755 Lisbon earthquake 8.5–9.0
17 February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, United States 1965 Rat Islands earthquake 8.7
18 October 28, 1746 Lima, Peru (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1746 Lima–Callao earthquake 8.6 (est.)
19 March 28, 1787 Oaxaca, Mexico (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1787 Mexico earthquake 8.6 (est.)
20 March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, United States 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake 8.6[5]
21 March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake 8.6[5]
22 April 11, 2012 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia 2012 Aceh earthquake 8.6
23 December 16, 1575 Valdivia, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1575 Valdivia earthquake 8.5 (est.)
24 November 24, 1604 Arica, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1604 Arica earthquake 8.5 (est.)
25 May 13, 1647 Santiago, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1647 Santiago earthquake 8.5 (est.)
26 May 24, 1751 Concepción, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1751 Concepción earthquake 8.5 (est.)
27 November 19, 1822 Valparaíso, Chile 1822 Valparaíso earthquake 8.5 (est.)
28 February 20, 1835 Concepción, Chile 1835 Concepción earthquake 8.5 (est.)
29 February 16, 1861 Sumatra, Indonesia 1861 Sumatra earthquake 8.5
30 May 9, 1877 Iquique, Chile (then Peru) 1877 Iquique earthquake 8.5 (est.)
31 November 10, 1922 Atacama Region, Chile Catamarca Province, Argentina 1922 Vallenar earthquake 8.5[7]
32 February 1, 1938 Banda Sea, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies) 1938 Banda Sea earthquake 8.5[5]
33 October 13, 1963 Kuril Islands, Russia (USSR) 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake 8.5[5]
34 September 12, 2007 Sumatra, Indonesia 2007 Sumatra earthquakes 8.5[5]
35 October 20, 1687 Lima, Peru (then part of the Spanish Empire) 1687 Peru earthquake 8.5 (est.)
36 October 17, 1737 Kamchatka, Russia 1737 Kamchatka earthquakes 8.5 (est.)
37 August 3, 1361 Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan 1361 Shohei earthquake 8.5 (est.)
38 June 15, 1896 Pacific Ocean, Tohoku region, Japan 1896 Sanriku earthquake 8.5 (est.)

Largest earthquakes by country

Country Magnitude Date More information
Afghanistan Afghanistan 7.8 15 November 1921 [8]
Albania Albania 6.7 30 November 1967 [9]
Algeria Algeria 7.1 10 October 1980 1980 El Asnam earthquake
Antarctica Antarctica 8.1 25 March 1998 [10]
Armenia Armenia 6.8 Ms 7 December 1988 1988 Armenian earthquake
Argentina Argentina 7.5 27 October 1894 1894 San Juan earthquake
Australia Australia 6.7 22 January 1988 [11]
Austria Austria 5.5–6.0 15 September 1590 1590 Neulengbach earthquake
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 6.9 25 November 1667 1667 Shamakhi earthquake
Bangladesh Bangladesh 8.8 2 April 1762 1762 Arakan earthquake
Belgium Belgium 6.3 18 September 1692 Epicentre: Verviers[12]
Bhutan Bhutan 6.6 21 January 1941 [13]
Bolivia Bolivia 8.2 9 June 1994 1994 Bolivia earthquake
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.4 27 October 1969 Banja Luka earthquake
Botswana Botswana 6.5 3 April 2017 2017 Botswana earthquake
Brazil Brazil 7.6 9 November 1963 [14]
British Indian Ocean Territory British Indian Ocean Territory 6.0 29 April 1952 [15]
Bulgaria Bulgaria 7.2[16] 4 April 1904 see List of earthquakes in Bulgaria
Burundi Burundi 5.3 29 January 1978 [17]
Canada Canada 8.7–9.2 26 January 1700 1700 Cascadia earthquake
Chile Chile 9.4–9.6 22 May 1960 1960 Valdivia earthquake
China China 8.6 15 August 1950 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cocos Islands 7.9 18 June 2000 [18]
Colombia Colombia 8.8 31 January 1906 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake
Comoros Comoros 6.0 29 April 1952 [19]
Costa Rica Costa Rica 7.7 22 April 1991 1991 Limon earthquake
Croatia Croatia 6.3 ML 9 November 1880 1880 Zagreb earthquake
Cuba Cuba 7.5–7.9 Ms[20][21] 21 June 1900 List of earthquakes in Cuba[20]
Cyprus Cyprus 7.0 11 May 1222 1222 Cyprus earthquake
Czech Republic Czech Republic 4.8 23 December 1985 [22]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.8 5 December 2005 2005 Lake Tanganyika earthquake
Denmark Denmark 4.4[23][24][25] 19 February 2010 Jutland
Djibouti Djibouti 6.5 20 August 1989 [26]
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic 8.1 Ms 4 August 1946 1946 Dominican Republic earthquake
Ecuador Ecuador 8.8 31 January 1906 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake
Egypt Egypt 7.3 22 November 1995 1995 Gulf of Aqaba earthquake
El Salvador El Salvador 8.0 19 December 1862 [27]
Eritrea Eritrea 6.2 23 September 1915 [28]
Estonia Estonia 4.7 25 October 1976 1976 Osmussaare earthquake
Ethiopia Ethiopia 6.5 30 June 1919 [29]
Finland Finland 4.7 4 November 1898 Tornio, 66.2°N, 25.0°E[30]
Fiji Fiji 7.8 1 January 1919 [31]
France France 6.2 11 June 1909 1909 Provence earthquake
Gabon Gabon 6.2 23 September 1974 [32]
Germany Germany 6.1 18 February 1756 1756 Düren earthquake
Georgia (country) Georgia 7.0 29 April 1991 1991 Racha earthquake
Ghana Ghana 6.4 22 June 1939 [33]
Greece Greece 8.5+ 21 July 365 365 Crete earthquake
Guam Guam 7.8 8 August 1993 [34]
Guatemala Guatemala 7.7 6 August 1942 1942 Guatemala earthquake
Guyana Guyana 5.3 22 January 1976 [35]
Guinea Guinea 6.3 22 December 1983 [36]
Haiti Haiti 8.1 Ms 7 May 1842 1842 Cap-Haïtien earthquake
Honduras Honduras 7.5 10 January 2018 2018 Swan Islands earthquake
Hungary Hungary 6.3 ML 28 June 1763 1763 Komárom earthquake
Iceland Iceland 6.9 28 March 1963 [37]
India India 8.6 15 August 1950 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake
Indonesia Indonesia 9.1–9.3 26 December 2004 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
Iran Iran 7.9 Ms 22 December 856 856 Damghan earthquake
Iraq Iraq 5.8 18 December 1980 [38]
Israel Israel 6.3 11 July 1927 1927 Jericho earthquake
Italy Italy 7.4 11 January 1693 1693 Sicily earthquake
Japan Japan 9.1 11 March 2011 2011 Tohoku earthquake
Jordan Jordan 6.3 11 July 1927 1927 Jericho earthquake
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 7.7 3 January 1911 1911 Kebin earthquake
Kenya Kenya 7.0 6 January 1928 [39]
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan 7.7 3 January 1911 1911 Kebin earthquake
Laos Laos 6.9 24 June 1983 [40]
Lebanon Lebanon 7.5 9 July 551 551 Beirut earthquake
Libya Libya 6.8 19 April 1935 [41]
Republic of Macedonia Macedonia 6.1 26 July 1963 1963 Skopje earthquake
Madagascar Madagascar 5.6 21 April 1991 [42]
Malawi Malawi 6.2 10 March 1989 [43]
Malaysia Malaysia 6.2 26 July 1976 1976 Sabah earthquake
Mauritius Mauritius 6.7 26 July 1976 [44]
Mayotte Mayotte 6.0 29 April 1952 [45]
Mexico Mexico 8.6 28 March 1787 1787 Mexico earthquake
Federated States of Micronesia Micronesia 7.1 15 November 1929 [46]
Mongolia Mongolia 8.4 23 July 1905 1905 Bolnai earthquake
Montenegro Montenegro 6.9 15 April 1979 1979 Montenegro earthquake
Morocco Morocco 6.3 24 February 2004 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake
Mozambique Mozambique 7.0 22 February 2006 2006 Mozambique earthquake
Myanmar Myanmar 8.0 12 September 1946 [47]
Namibia Namibia 5.1 31 July 2009 [48]
Nepal Nepal 8.2 6 June 1505 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake
Netherlands Netherlands 5.3 13 April 1992 1992 Roermond earthquake
New Zealand New Zealand 8.3 23 January 1855 1855 Wairarapa earthquake
Nicaragua Nicaragua 7.7 2 September 1992 1992 Nicaragua earthquake
North Korea North Korea 6.3 19 March 1952 [49]
Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands 7.7 29 July 2016 [50]
Norway Norway 6.2 21 February 2008 2008 Svalbard earthquake (no)
Pakistan Pakistan 8.1 28 November 1945 1945 Balochistan earthquake
Palau Palau 7.8 16 August 1911 [51]
Panama Panama 7.5 18 July 1934 [52]
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea 8.0 16 November 2000 2000 New Ireland earthquakes
Paraguay Paraguay 6.5 28 February 1989 [53]
Peru Peru 8.6 28 October 1746 1746 Lima–Callao earthquake
Philippines Philippines 8.3 15 August 1918 1918 Celebes Sea earthquake
Poland Poland 5.8 6 August 1983 near Glogów [54]
Portugal Portugal 8.5–9.0 1 November 1755 1755 Lisbon earthquake
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico 8.0 2 May 1787 1787 Boricua earthquake
Réunion Réunion 5.3 6 April 2007 [55]
Romania Romania 7.9 26 October 1802 1802 Vrancea earthquake
Rwanda Rwanda 5.9 3 February 2008 [56]
Russia Russia 9.0 4 November 1952 1952 Kamchatka earthquake
Samoa Samoa 8.5 26 June 1917 1917 Samoa earthquake
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 6.2 11 January 1941 Jizan Region
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia 5.5 22 September 1998 1998 Mionica earthquake
Slovenia Slovenia 5.6 12 April 1998 [57]
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands 8.1 1 April 2007 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake
Somalia Somalia 5.6 3 July 1951 [58]
South Africa South Africa 6.3 29 September 1969
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 8.1 27 June 1929 [59]
South Korea South Korea 5.4 12 September 2016 2016 Gyeongju earthquake
South Sudan South Sudan 7.2 20 May 1990 [60]
Spain Spain 7.8 29 March 1954 [61]
Sweden Sweden 4.8 ML 14 July 1986 Skultorp, Västra Götaland[62]
Switzerland Switzerland 6.5 18 October 1356 1356 Basel earthquake
Syria Syria 7.6 20 May 1202 1202 Syria earthquake
Taiwan Taiwan 7.6 21 September 1999 1999 Jiji earthquake
Tajikistan Tajikistan 7.5 10 July 1949 1949 Khait earthquake
Tanzania Tanzania 7.3 13 December 1910 [63]
Thailand Thailand 6.1 5 May 2014 2014 Mae Lao earthquake
Tonga Tonga 8.1 30 April 1919 [64]
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad-and-Tobago 6.7 22 April 1997 [65]
Tunisia Tunisia 5.5 20 February 1957 [66]
Turkey Turkey 7.8 27 December 1939 1939 Erzincan earthquake
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan 7.3 5 October 1948 1948 Ashgabat earthquake
Uganda Uganda 6.5 30 June 1952 [67]
Ukraine Ukraine 6.7 11 September 1927 1927 Crimean earthquakes
United Kingdom United Kingdom 6.1 ML 7 June 1931 1931 Dogger Bank earthquake
United States United States 9.2 27 March 1964 1964 Alaska earthquake
Uruguay Uruguay 5.5 5 June 1888 1888 Rio de la Plata earthquake
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 7.0 19 March 1984 [68]
Vanuatu Vanuatu 8.1 20 September 1920 [69]
Venezuela Venezuela 7.6 29 October 1900 [70]
Vietnam Vietnam 6.7 1 June 1935 [71]
Yemen Yemen 6.3 13 December 1982 1982 North Yemen earthquake
Zambia Zambia 6.7 1 May 1919 [72]

Costliest earthquakes

This is a list or major earthquakes by the dollar value of property (public and private) losses directly attributable to the earthquake. Rank values are assigned based on inflation-adjusted comparison of property damage in US dollars. Wherever possible, indirect and socioeconomic losses are excluded. Please note that damage estimates for particular earthquakes may vary through time as more data becomes available.

Rank Event Location Magnitude Property damage
1 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami Japan 9.1[3] $235 billion[73][74]
2 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake Japan 6.9 $200 billion[75]
3 2008 Sichuan earthquake Sichuan, China 8.0 $86 billion[76]
4 1994 Northridge earthquake Los Angeles, United States 6.7 $13–44 billion
5 1980 Irpinia earthquake Italy 6.9[77] $15 billion[77]
6 1976 Tangshan earthquake Hebei, China 7.8 $10 billion[78]
7 2011 Christchurch earthquake South Island, New Zealand 6.3[79] $15–40 billion[80][81]
8 2004 Chuetsu earthquake Japan 6.8 $28 billion[77][82]
9 1999 Izmit earthquake Turkey 7.6 $20 billion[77]
10 2010 Chile earthquake Chile 8.8[83] $15–30 billion[83]
11 2012 Emilia earthquakes Italy 6.1[84] $15.8 billion[85]
12 1999 Jiji earthquake Taiwan 7.6 $10 billion
13 April 2015 Nepal earthquake Nepal 7.8 $10 billion to rebuild.[86]
14 1906 San Francisco earthquake San Francisco, United States 7.7 to 7.9 (est.)[84] $400 million[84]
15 1923 Great Kanto earthquake Tokyo, Japan 7.9 $600 million[77]
16 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake California, United States 6.9 $5.6–6 billion

Deadliest earthquakes

Deadliest earthquakes[87]
Rank Event Date Location Fatalities Magnitude Notes
1 1556 Shaanxi earthquake January 23, 1556 Shaanxi, China 820,000–830,000 [88] 8.0 Estimated death toll in Shaanxi, China.
2 1976 Tangshan earthquake July 28, 1976 Hebei, China 242,769–700,000+ [89][90][91] 7.8
3 1920 Haiyuan earthquake December 16, 1920 Ningxia–Gansu, China 273,400[89][92] 7.8 Major fractures, landslides.
4 526 Antioch earthquake May 21, 526 Antioch, Turkey (then Byzantine Empire) 240,000[93] 7.0 [94] Procopius (II.14.6), sources based on John of Ephesus.
5 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia 230,210+[95] 9.1–9.3 Deaths from earthquake and resulting tsunami.
6 1138 Aleppo earthquake October 11, 1138 Aleppo, Syria 230,000 Unknown The figure of 230,000 dead is based on a historical conflation of this earthquake with earthquakes in November 1137 on the Jazira plain and on September 30, 1139 in the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. The first mention of a 230,000 death toll was by Ibn Taghribirdi in the fifteenth century.[96]
7 2010 Haiti earthquake January 12, 2010 Haiti 100,000–316,000 7.0 Estimates vary from 316,000 (Haitian government) to 222,570 (UN OCHA estimate)[97] to 158,000 (Medicine, Conflict and Survival) to between 85,000 and 46,000 (report commissioned by USAID).[98][99]
8 1303 Hongdong earthquake September 25, 1303 Shanxi, China 200,000 [100] 8.0 Taiyuan and Pingyang were leveled.
9 856 Damghan earthquake December 22, 856 Damghan, Iran 200,000 7.9 Ms
10 893 Ardabil earthquake March 22, 893 Ardabil, Iran 150,000 Unknown Reports probably relate to the 893 Dvin earthquake, due to misreading of the Arabic word for Dvin, ‘Dabil’ as ‘Ardabil’.[101] This is regarded as a ‘fake earthquake’.[102]
11 533 Aleppo earthquake November 29, 533 Syria 130,000[103] Unknown
12 1908 Messina earthquake December 28, 1908 Messina, Italy 123,000[104] 7.1 The ground shook for 30 to 40 seconds around 5:20 am, and destruction occurred within a 300 km radius. 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed and ~70,000 residents died. Rescuers searched for weeks, and whole families were pulled out alive days later. A 40-foot (12 m) tsunami struck nearby coasts. Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland also suffered heavy damage.
13 1948 Ashgabat earthquake October 6, 1948 Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR (modern-day Turkmenistan) 10,000–110,000 7.3 Ms
14 1923 Great Kanto earthquake September 1, 1923 Kanto region, Japan 105,385[105] 7.9 This earthquake with an epicenter beneath Izu Oshima Island in Sagami Bay, shook the Kanto plain on the Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58 am. Shaking duration reported between 4 and 10 minutes, devastating Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka.[106] Shaking slid the 93-ton Great Buddha statue at Kamakura almost two feet forward.[107] Casualty estimates range from 100,000 to 142,800, the latter figure including ~40,000 missing later presumed dead.
15 1290 Chihli earthquake September 27, 1290 Ningcheng, China 100,000[108] 6.8 Ms
16 2005 Kashmir earthquake October 8, 2005 Muzaffarabad, Pakistan 86,000–87,351 7.6 Mw Affecting an area (mostly rugged terrain) of about 30,000 km2 [11,600 sq mi], this earthquake damaged about 6,440 km [4,000 mi] of roads, and 50–70% of services, including power, water and sanitation. Approximately 400,153 houses, 6,298 schools and 796 health facilities were damaged or destroyed (UN 2006). Approximately 138,000 were seriously injured and 3.5 million people were displaced.