Lists of earthquakes
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Map_of_earthquakes_1900-.svg/400px-Map_of_earthquakes_1900-.svg.png)
Earthquakes are caused by movements within the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle. They range from weak events detectable only by seismometers, to sudden and violent events lasting many minutes which have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. Below, earthquakes are listed by period, region or country, year, magnitude, cost, fatalities, and number of scientific studies.
Lists by time period
[edit]By century
[edit]By decade
[edit]By year
[edit]- 1900
- 1901
- 1902
- 1903
- 1904
- 1905
- 1906
- 1907
- 1908
- 1909
- 1910
- 1911
- 1912
- 1913
- 1914
- 1915
- 1916
- 1917
- 1918
- 1919
- 1920
- 1921
- 1922
- 1923
- 1924
- 1925
- 1926
- 1927
- 1928
- 1929
- 1930
- 1931
- 1932
- 1933
- 1934
- 1935
- 1936
- 1937
- 1938
- 1939
- 1940
- 1941
- 1942
- 1943
- 1944
- 1945
- 1946
- 1947
- 1948
- 1949
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
Lists by location
[edit]By country
[edit]- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominican Republic
- East Timor
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- France
- Fiji
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Italy
- Japan
- Kosovo
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Philippines
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Samoa
- Saudi Arabia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Tonga
- Turkey
- United States
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Yemen
By region
[edit]Deadliest earthquakes
[edit]The following is a summary list of earthquakes with over approximately 100,000 deaths.[1] The 893 Ardabil earthquake probably relate to the 893 Dvin earthquake, due to misreading of the Arabic word for Dvin, 'Dabil' as 'Ardabil'.[2] This is regarded as a 'fake earthquake'.[3]
Rank | Event | Date | Location | Fatalities | Magnitude | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1976 Tangshan earthquake | July 28, 1976 | ![]() | 242,769–700,000+ | 7.6 | Official casualty figure is 242,769 deaths. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. 799,000 injured.[4][5] |
2 | 1920 Haiyuan earthquake | December 16, 1920 | ![]() | 273,400 | 7.8 | Previously cited death toll was 230,000 and this figure was revised in 2010.[6][7] |
3 | 526 Antioch earthquake | May 21, 526 | ![]() | 250,000[8] | 7.0[9] | Procopius (II.14.6), sources based on John of Ephesus. |
4 | 1139 Ganja earthquake | September 30, 1139 | Ganja, Seljuk Empire (modern-day ![]() | 230,000–300,000[10] | 7.0 Mw | Death toll may have been a historical conflation with earthquakes on November 1137 in the Jazira plain and the 1138 Aleppo earthquake.[11] |
5 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami | December 26, 2004 | ![]() | 227,898 | 9.1–9.3 | Death toll includes those missing and presumed dead.[10] |
6 | 1138 Aleppo earthquake | October 11, 1138 | Aleppo, Seljuk Empire (modern-day ![]() | 130,000–230,000[12] | 7.1[12] | 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 the 1139 Ganja earthquakein the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. The first mention of a 230,000 death toll was by Ibn Taghribirdi in the fifteenth century.[11] |
7 | 2010 Haiti earthquake | January 12, 2010 | ![]() | 100,000–316,000 | 7.0 | Estimates vary from 316,000 (Haitian government) to 222,570 (UN OCHA estimate)[13] to 158,000 (Medicine, Conflict and Survival) to between 85,000 and 46,000 (report commissioned by USAID).[14][15] |
8 | 1303 Hongdong earthquake | July 25, 1303 | Shanxi, Yuan dynasty (modern-day ![]() | 200,000[16] | 8.0 | Taiyuan and Pingyang were leveled. |
9 | 856 Damghan earthquake | December 22, 856 | Damghan, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day ![]() | 200,000 | 7.9 Ms | |
10 | 533 Aleppo earthquake | November 29, 533 | ![]() | 130,000[17] | Unknown | |
11 | 1948 Ashgabat earthquake | October 6, 1948 | ![]() | 110,000 | 7.3 Ms | Previously cited death toll was 10,000 until a news release on December 9, 1988 advised that the correct death toll was 110,000.[10] |
12 | 1923 Great Kantō earthquake | September 1, 1923 | ![]() | 105,385[18] | 7.9 | This earthquake with an epicenter beneath Izu Ōshima Island in Sagami Bay, shook the Kantō plain on the Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58 am. Shaking duration reported between 4 and 10 minutes, devastating Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka.[19] Shaking slid the 93-ton Great Buddha statue at Kamakura almost 2 feet (0.61 m) forward. Casualty estimates range from 100,000 to 142,800, the latter figure including ≈40,000 missing later presumed dead. |
13 | 1556 Shaanxi earthquake | January 23, 1556 | Shaanxi, China | 100,000+ | 8.0 | Direct deaths thought to be just over 100,000 while about 730,000 people died from famines or migrated elsewhere.[20][21][22][23] |
14 | 1290 Zhili earthquake | September 27, 1290 | Ningcheng, Yuan dynasty (modern-day ![]() | 100,000 | 6.8 Ms | Estimates also suggests lower values of at least 7,000.[24] |
Deadliest earthquakes by year
[edit]Largest earthquakes by magnitude
[edit]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Graph_of_largest_earthquakes_1906-2005.png/400px-Graph_of_largest_earthquakes_1906-2005.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/USGS_magnitude_8_earthquakes_since_1900.svg/400px-USGS_magnitude_8_earthquakes_since_1900.svg.png)
For those which occurred before the development and deployment of seismographs – starting around 1900 – magnitudes are estimated from historical reports of the extent and severity of damage.[33]
Rank | Date | Location | Event | Magnitude |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | May 22, 1960 | ![]() | 1960 Valdivia earthquake | 9.4–9.6 |
2 | March 27, 1964 | ![]() | 1964 Alaska earthquake | 9.2–9.3[34] |
3 | December 26, 2004 | ![]() | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake | 9.2–9.3[35][36] |
4 | March 11, 2011 | ![]() | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake | 9.0–9.1[37][38] |
5 | November 4, 1952 | ![]() | 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake | 9.0 |
6 | January 31, 1906 | ![]() ![]() | 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake | 8.8 |
7 | February 27, 2010 | ![]() | 2010 Chile earthquake | 8.8 |
8 | February 3, 1965 | ![]() | 1965 Rat Islands earthquake | 8.7 |
9 | August 15, 1950 | ![]() ![]() | 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake | 8.6–8.7[39] |
10 | April 1, 1946 | ![]() | 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake | 8.6 |
11 | March 28, 2005 | ![]() | 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake | 8.6 |
12 | March 9, 1957 | ![]() | 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake | 8.6 |
13 | April 11, 2012 | ![]() | 2012 Indian Ocean earthquakes | 8.6 |
14 | November 10, 1922 | ![]() | 1922 Vallenar earthquake | 8.5–8.6 |
15 | February 1, 1938 | ![]() | 1938 Banda Sea earthquake | 8.5–8.6 |
16 | October 13, 1963 | ![]() | 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake | 8.5 |
Pre-instrumental earthquakes
[edit]Date | Location | Event | Magnitude |
---|---|---|---|
July 8, 1730 | ![]() | 1730 Valparaíso earthquake | 9.1–9.3 (est.)[40] |
October 17, 1737 | ![]() | 1737 Kamchatka earthquake | 9.0–9.3 (est.) |
November 17, 1837 | ![]() | 1837 Valdivia earthquake | 8.8–9.5 (est.)[41] |
August 31, 1420 | ![]() | 1420 Caldera earthquake | 8.8–9.4 (est.) |
December 16, 1575 | ![]() | 1575 Valdivia earthquake | 9.0 (est.) |
November 24, 1604 | ![]() | 1604 Arica earthquake | 9.0 (est.) |
October 28, 1707 | ![]() | 1707 Hōei earthquake | 8.7–9.3 (est.) [42] |
November 25, 1833 | ![]() | 1833 Sumatra earthquake | 8.8–9.2 (est.) |
May 17, 1841 | ![]() | 1841 Kamchatka earthquake | 9.0 (est.) |
January 26, 1700 | ![]() ![]() | 1700 Cascadia earthquake | 8.7–9.2 (est.) |
August 13, 1868 | ![]() | 1868 Arica earthquake | 8.5–9.3 (est.) |
July 13, 869 | ![]() | 869 Jōgan earthquake | 8.6–9.0 (est.) |
November 26, 1852 | ![]() | 1852 Banda Sea earthquake | 8.8 (est.)[43] |
May 9, 1877 | ![]() | 1877 Iquique earthquake | 8.7–8.9 (est.) |
November 1, 1755 | ![]() | 1755 Lisbon earthquake | 8.5–9.0 (est.) |
October 20, 1687 | ![]() | 1687 Peru earthquake | 8.7 (est.) |
October 28, 1746 | 1746 Lima–Callao earthquake | 8.6–8.8 (est.) | |
April 2, 1762 | ![]() | 1762 Arakan earthquake | 8.5–8.8 (est.) |
September 20, 1498 | ![]() | 1498 Meiō earthquake | 8.6 (est.) |
March 28, 1787 | ![]() | 1787 New Spain earthquake | 8.6 (est.) |
February 2, 1816 | ![]() | 1816 North Atlantic earthquake | 8.6 (est.) |
July 21, 365 | ![]() | 365 Crete earthquake | 8.5+ (est.) |
August 24, 1356 | ![]() | 1356 Lisbon earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
June 6, 1505 | ![]() | 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake | 8.2–8.8 (est.) |
July 25, 1668 | ![]() | 1668 Shandong earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[44] |
May 24, 1751 | ![]() | 1751 Concepción earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
March 31, 1761 | ![]() | 1761 Lisbon earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[45] |
April 4, 1819 | ![]() | 1819 Copiapó earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[41] |
November 19, 1822 | ![]() | 1822 Valparaíso earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
February 20, 1835 | ![]() | 1835 Concepción earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
February 8, 1843 | ![]() | 1843 Guadeloupe earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[46] |
February 16, 1861 | ![]() | 1861 Sumatra earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
June 15, 1896 | ![]() | 1896 Sanriku earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
List by year
[edit]List by country/territory
[edit]- This list is a work in progress. Information is likely to be changed.
- The list refers to current country boundaries rather than those at the date of the earthquake.
- Please note, multiple countries could have the same earthquake listed, such as the 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake being listed for both Ecuador and Colombia.
- Unless otherwise noted, magnitudes are reported on the Moment magnitude scale (Mw).
Costliest earthquakes
[edit]This is the top ten major earthquakes by the dollar value of property (public and private) losses directly attributable to the earthquake.
Rank | Event | Location | Magnitude | Property damage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | ![]() | 9.1 | $360 billion[179][180] |
2 | 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake | ![]() | 6.9 | $200 billion[181] |
3 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes | ![]() ![]() Syria | 7.8 | $163.6 billion[182][183] |
4 | 2008 Sichuan earthquake | ![]() | 7.9 | $150 billion[184] |
5 | 2011 Christchurch earthquake | ![]() | 6.3 | $40 billion[185] |
6 | 2004 Chūetsu earthquake | ![]() | 6.6 | $28 billion[186][187] |
7 | 2011 Sikkim earthquake | ![]() | 6.9 | $22.3 billion[188] |
8 | 1999 İzmit earthquake | ![]() | 7.6 | $20 billion[186] |
9 | 2009 L'Aquila earthquake | ![]() | 6.3 | $16 billion[189] |
10 | 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes | ![]() | 6.1 | $15.8 billion[190] |
Most studied earthquakes
[edit]The 50 most studied earthquakes according to the International Seismological Centre (ISC), based on a count of scientific papers (mostly in English) that discuss that earthquake. The "Event #" is linked to the ISC Event Bibliography for that event.
Rank | Event origin time | ISC Event # | Papers | ISC code | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2011-03-11 05:46:23 | 16461282 | 2069 | TOHOKU2011 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami |
2 | 2008-05-12 06:28:00 | 13228121 | 1706 | WENCHUAN2008 | 2008 Sichuan earthquake |
3 | 2004-12-26 00:58:52 | 7453151 | 967 | SUMATRA2004 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami |
4 | 1999-09-20 17:47:16 | 1718616 | 771 | CHI-CHI1999 | 1999 Jiji earthquake |
5 | 1995-01-16 20:46:51 | 124708 | 558 | SHYOGO1995 | Great Hanshin earthquake |
6 | 2010-02-27 06:34:13 | 14340585 | 551 | MAULE2010 | 2010 Chile earthquake |
7 | 1994-01-17 12:30:54 | 189275 | 548 | NORTHRIDGE1994 | 1994 Northridge earthquake |
8 | 2009-04-06 01:32:42 | 13438018 | 525 | LAQUILA2009 | 2009 L'Aquila earthquake |
9 | 1989-10-18 00:04:14 | 389808 | 520 | LOMAPRIETA1989 | 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake |
10 | 2015-04-25 06:11:26 | 607208674 | 516 | GORKHA2015 | April 2015 Nepal earthquake |
11 | 1992-06-28 11:57:35 | 289086 | 440 | LANDERS1992 | 1992 Landers earthquake |
12 | 1999-08-17 00:01:38 | 1655218 | 428 | IZMIT1999 | 1999 İzmit earthquake |
13 | 2016-04-15 16:25:06 | 610289055 | 366 | KUMAMOTO2016 | 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes |
14 | 2013-04-20 00:02:47 | 607304721 | 342 | ALASKA1964 | 2013 Lushan earthquake |
15 | 1964-03-28 03:36:13 | 869809 | 333 | LUSHAN2013 | 1964 Alaska earthquake |
16 | 1960-05-22 19:11:20 | 879136 | 290 | VALDIVIA1960 | 1960 Valdivia earthquake |
17 | 2023-02-06 01:17:34 | 625613033 | 277 | TURKYIE-SYRIA2023 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes |
18 | 2016-08-24 01:36:33 | 611462212 | 259 | AMATRICE2016 | August 2016 Central Italy earthquake |
19 | 2010-09-03 16:35:46 | 15155483 | 257 | DARFIELD2010 | 2010 Canterbury earthquake |
20 | 2001-01-26 03:16:40 | 1763683 | 256 | BHUJ2001 | 2001 Gujarat earthquake |
21 | 1985-09-19 13:17:50 | 516095 | 253 | MEXICOCITY1985 | 1985 Mexico City earthquake |
22 | 2022-01-15 04:14:45 | 621831271 | 252 | HUNGATONGAHUNGAAPAI2022 | 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami |
23 | 2016-11-13 11:02:59 | 615035032 | 251 | KAIKOURA2016 | 2016 Kaikōura earthquake |
24 | 1971-02-09 14:00:40 | 787038 | 244 | SANFERNANDO1971 | 1971 San Fernando earthquake |
25 | 1976-07-27 19:42:53 | 711732 | 235 | TANGSHAN1976 | 1976 Tangshan earthquake |
26 | 2003-09-25 19:50:07 | 7134409 | 221 | TOKACHI-OKI2003 | 2003 Tokachi earthquake |
27 | 2019-07-06 03:19:55 | 616203758 | 221 | RIDGECREST2019B | 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes |
28 | 1980-11-23 18:34:52 | 635924 | 212 | IRPINIA1980 | 1980 Irpinia earthquake |
29 | 2004-10-23 08:55:58 | 7421058 | 205 | MID-NIIGATA2004 | 2004 Chūetsu earthquake |
30 | 2012-05-20 02:03:53 | 601025379 | 205 | EMILIA2012A | 2012 Northern Italy earthquakes |
31 | 2011-02-21 23:51:42 | 16168897 | 204 | CHRISTCHURCH2011 | 2011 Christchurch earthquake |
32 | 1976-05-06 20:00:12 | 713583 | 199 | FRIULI1976 | 1976 Friuli earthquake |
33 | 2005-03-28 16:09:35 | 7486110 | 197 | NIAS2005 | 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake |
34 | 2004-09-28 17:15:24 | 7406045 | 197 | PARKFIELD2004 | Parkfield earthquake |
35 | 2023-02-06 10:24:50 | 625614289 | 195 | TURKYIE-SYRIA2023A | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes |
36 | 2016-10-30 06:40:19 | 609624987 | 194 | NORCIA2016 | October 2016 Central Italy earthquakes |
37 | 1923-09-01 02:58:35 | 911526 | 193 | KANTO1923 | 1923 Great Kantō earthquake |
34 | 1999-10-16 09:46:45 | 1643776 | 184 | HECTOR-MINE1999 | 1999 Hector Mine earthquake |
35 | 2005-10-08 03:50:37 | 7703077 | 181 | KASHMIR2005 | 2005 Kashmir earthquake |
38 | 2017-08-08 13:19:49 | 610874246 | 178 | JUIZHAIGOU2017 | 2017 Jinghe earthquake |
39 | 2001-11-14 09:26:12 | 2331800 | 176 | KUNLUN2001 | 2001 Kunlun earthquake |
40 | 2015-09-16 22:54:30 | 611531714 | 175 | ILLAPEL2015 | 2015 Illapel earthquake |
41 | 2014-04-01 23:46:47 | 610102185 | 167 | IQUIQUE2014 | 2014 Iquique earthquake |
42 | 2021-05-21 18:04:13 | 620437814 | 166 | MADUO2021 | 2021 Maduo earthquake |
43 | 1979-10-15 23:16:57 | 657282 | 165 | IMPERIAL1979 | 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake |
44 | 2002-11-03 22:12:41 | 6123395 | 164 | DENALI2002 | 2002 Denali earthquake |
45 | 1999-11-12 16:57:19 | 1650092 | 162 | DUZCE1999 | 1999 Düzce earthquake |
46 | 2010-04-04 22:40:43 | 600257057 | 158 | EL-MAYOR-CUCAPAH2010 | 2010 Baja California earthquake |
47 | 2019-07-04 17:33:50 | 616217956 | 158 | RIDGECREST2019A | 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes |
48 | 2010-01-12 21:53:10 | 14226221 | 157 | HAITI2010 | 2010 Haiti earthquake |
Modified from figure 2, "The most studied events", at the ISC's Overview of the ISC Event Bibliography.
International Seismological Centre. Event Bibliography. Thatcham, United Kingdom. 2018.
See also
[edit]- List of deadly earthquakes since 1900
- List of historical earthquakes
- List of megathrust earthquakes
- List of natural disasters by death toll