Earth · earthquakes
A year of strong earthquakes
Each spike is a magnitude 5.5+ earthquake of the last twelve months (USGS ComCat); its height follows the magnitude, its colour the depth. Rings mark the strongest. Earthquakes outline the plate boundaries.
- < 70 km (shallow)
- 70–300 km (intermediate)
- > 300 km (deep)
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 4.7
Strongest in the catalogue
M 9.5
Earthquakes M ≥ 7
1,622
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,287
1900 → 2026-10-30
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Current · provisional
Earthquakes M ≥ 7
1,622
including 100 M ≥ 8
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Current · provisional
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 4.7
2026-10-30 09:45 UTC · 42 km SE of Sykiá, Greece
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Strongest in the catalogue
M 9.5
1960-05-22 · 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake)
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 in the last 30 days of the catalogue
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Earthquakes M ≥ 7 and M ≥ 6 per year
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Current · provisional
Show the data as a table
Earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 per year
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
Current · provisional
Show the data as a table
Ten strongest earthquakes in the USGS catalogue (since 1900)
| # | M | Date | Place | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9.5 mw | 1960-05-22 | 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake) | 25 km |
| 2 | 9.2 mw | 1964-03-28 | The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake | 25 km |
| 3 | 9.1 mw | 2004-12-25 | 2004 Sumatra - Andaman Islands Earthquake | 30 km |
| 4 | 9.1 mww | 2011-03-11 | 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan | 29 km |
| 5 | 9.0 mw | 1952-11-04 | 89 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 22 km |
| 6 | 8.8 mw | 1906-01-31 | 1906 Ecuador-Colombia Earthquake | 20 km |
| 7 | 8.8 mww | 2010-02-27 | 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake | 23 km |
| 8 | 8.8 mww | 2025-07-29 | 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake | 35 km |
| 9 | 8.7 mw | 1965-02-04 | 1965 Western Aleutian Islands (Hawadax/Rat Islands) Earthquake | 30 km |
| 10 | 8.6 mw | 1946-04-01 | The 1946 Unimak Island, Alaska Earthquake | 15 km |
Deadliest earthquakes (NCEI significant earthquake database)
NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite NCEI/WDS · 10/30/26
| # | Year | Place | M | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1556 | CHINA: SHAANXI PROVINCE | 8.0 | 830,000 |
| 2 | 2010 | HAITI: PORT-AU-PRINCE tsunami | 7.0 | 316,000 |
| 3 | 115 | TURKEY: ANTAKYA (ANTIOCH) tsunami | 7.5 | 260,000 |
| 4 | 525 | TURKEY: ANTAKYA (ANTIOCH), SAMANDAG | 7.0 | 250,000 |
| 5 | 1976 | CHINA: NE: TANGSHAN | 7.5 | 242,769 |
| 6 | 1920 | CHINA: GANSU PROVINCE, SHANXI PROVINCE tsunami | 8.3 | 235,502 |
| 7 | 1139 | AZERBAIJAN: GYZNDZHA | — | 230,000 |
| 8 | 2004 | INDONESIA: SUMATRA: ACEH: OFF WEST COAST tsunami | 9.1 | 227,899 |
| 9 | 856 | IRAN: DAMGHAN, QUMIS | 7.9 | 200,000 |
| 10 | 893 | ARMENIA: DVIN; IRAN: ARDABIL | — | 150,000 |
Filterable USGS catalogue
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/30/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-04-05 08:34 | 6.1 ms | 19 km NW of Quíbor, Venezuela | 33 km | 10.04, -69.76 |
| 1975-03-30 21:32 | 6.4 mw | Bouvet Island region | 19 km | -54.21, 8.39 |
| 1975-03-28 01:31 | 6.1 mb | 17 km NE of Snowville, Utah | 5 km | 42.06, -112.55 |
| 1975-03-27 04:15 | 6.7 ms | 31 km NE of Gökçeada, Turkey | 5 km | 40.42, 26.14 |
| 1975-03-23 06:32 | 6.6 ms | 184 km SE of Hualien City, Taiwan | 21 km | 22.74, 122.80 |
| 1975-03-18 16:21 | 6.2 mb | 76 km NNW of Barranca, Peru | 98 km | -4.23, -77.02 |
| 1975-03-17 21:11 | 6.0 ms | 267 km W of Abepura, Indonesia | 33 km | -2.55, 138.22 |
| 1975-03-13 17:45 | 6.1 mb | 275 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia | 85 km | -21.78, 170.53 |
| 1975-03-13 14:26 | 6.9 ms | 1 km N of Coquimbo, Chile | 4 km | -29.94, -71.34 |
| 1975-03-07 06:04 | 6.1 ms | 34 km N of Bandar Abbas, Iran | 27 km | 27.50, 56.26 |
| 1975-03-04 23:22 | 6.6 ms | 265 km WNW of Ambon, Indonesia | 33 km | -2.44, 126.14 |
| 1975-02-22 21:04 | 6.2 mb | south of the Fiji Islands | 375 km | -24.89, -179.06 |
| 1975-02-22 07:36 | 6.5 ms | 200 km WSW of Adak, Alaska | 48 km | 51.38, -179.42 |
| 1975-02-07 03:51 | 6.4 ms | 119 km S of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea | 33 km | -7.29, 149.51 |
| 1975-02-04 10:36 | 7.0 mw | 6 km E of Dashiqiao, China | 33 km | 40.64, 122.58 |
| 1975-02-02 07:43 | 7.6 ms | 36 km NE of Attu Station, Alaska | 10 km | 53.11, 173.50 |
| 1975-01-25 01:08 | 6.5 ms | 12 km N of Juradó, Colombia | 36 km | 7.22, -77.77 |
| 1975-01-19 07:12 | 6.0 mb | 84 km NE of Sar?han, India | 33 km | 31.95, 78.52 |
| 1975-01-19 07:02 | 6.8 ms | 120 km E of Man?li, India | 33 km | 32.46, 78.43 |
| 1975-01-15 10:34 | 6.0 ms | 70 km SSW of Kangding, China | 33 km | 29.41, 101.71 |
| 1975-01-14 18:48 | 6.5 ms | 214 km SSE of Amahai, Indonesia | 33 km | -4.96, 129.99 |
| 1975-01-12 16:47 | 6.0 ms | south of the Kermadec Islands | 23 km | -33.51, -178.09 |
| 1975-01-08 00:58 | 6.0 mb | 98 km WNW of Curup, Indonesia | 95 km | -3.00, 101.78 |
| 1974-12-31 19:21 | 6.1 ms | 20 km SSE of Champerico, Guatemala | 39 km | 14.13, -91.82 |
| 1974-12-28 11:11 | 6.2 ms | 42 km NNW of Shingli Bala, Pakistan | 22 km | 35.05, 72.87 |
| 1974-12-24 05:55 | 6.8 ms | 209 km SW of Padang, Indonesia | 33 km | -2.31, 99.04 |
| 1974-12-21 07:28 | 6.1 ms | 174 km SE of Mata-Utu, Wallis and Futuna | 33 km | -14.56, -175.23 |
| 1974-12-05 10:57 | 6.0 mb | 73 km ESE of Contamana, Peru | 162 km | -7.69, -74.45 |
| 1974-12-04 02:07 | 6.9 ms | 181 km SW of Sibolga, Indonesia | 20 km | 0.39, 97.84 |
| 1974-12-03 02:06 | 6.5 ms | 208 km SSE of Amahai, Indonesia | 33 km | -5.01, 129.78 |
| 1974-11-29 21:05 | 6.1 mb | Izu Islands, Japan region | 419 km | 30.70, 138.32 |
| 1974-11-27 17:45 | 6.1 mb | 148 km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 49 km | -6.10, 154.16 |
| 1974-11-20 12:21 | 6.0 mb | southwestern Atlantic Ocean | 33 km | -53.57, -28.34 |
| 1974-11-20 03:14 | 6.9 ms | 7 km ENE of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | 33 km | -15.02, 167.14 |
| 1974-11-19 03:58 | 6.1 ms | New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea | 18 km | -3.19, 150.64 |
| 1974-11-10 03:25 | 6.1 ms | 176 km SSW of Alo, Wallis and Futuna | 33 km | -15.86, -178.51 |
| 1974-11-09 18:10 | 6.1 mb | 55 km WSW of Labuan, Indonesia | 51 km | -6.50, 105.34 |
| 1974-11-09 11:59 | 7.2 ms | 87 km SW of Callao, Peru | 6 km | -12.50, -77.79 |
| 1974-11-09 09:30 | 6.3 mw | 60 km N of Puerto Colombia, Colombia | 10 km | 11.53, -74.98 |
| 1974-11-08 20:23 | 6.0 mb | 21 km SE of Tomakomai, Japan | 132 km | 42.49, 141.78 |
| 1974-11-02 03:59 | 6.7 mb | Novaya Zemlya, Russia | 0 km | 70.82, 54.06 |
| 1974-10-29 02:14 | 6.5 mb | Banda Sea | 117 km | -6.88, 129.46 |
| 1974-10-27 09:30 | 6.3 mb | 8 km N of Luganville, Vanuatu | 36 km | -15.45, 167.18 |
| 1974-10-23 05:14 | 7.2 ms | 282 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 48 km | -8.42, 154.03 |
| 1974-10-21 03:12 | 6.0 mb | 220 km E of Levuka, Fiji | 602 km | -17.91, -178.61 |
| 1974-10-16 04:45 | 6.9 ms | Reykjanes Ridge | 33 km | 52.64, -32.07 |
| 1974-10-12 05:14 | 6.0 ms | 168 km NE of Miyako, Japan | 24 km | 40.51, 143.58 |
| 1974-10-11 07:33 | 6.1 ms | west of Macquarie Island | 33 km | -60.75, 153.93 |
| 1974-10-10 20:32 | 6.0 mb | 48 km WSW of Pagar Alam, Indonesia | 21 km | -4.14, 102.83 |
| 1974-10-10 05:56 | 6.2 ms | 144 km ENE of Hachinohe, Japan | 45 km | 40.93, 143.11 |
Method and sources
The USGS ComCat (ANSS) catalogue is read through the FDSN web service, one request per calendar year since 1900 for magnitudes ≥ 4.5; the last two years are re-read on each update because solutions are revised. Magnitudes are those published (mb, Ms, Mw, ml…) and are not converted; depth is the hypocentre depth in km.
Yearly counts are computed on the server from imported events of type “earthquake” (explosions and other types are kept but excluded from counts). Historical earthquakes and their tolls come from the NCEI/WDS significant earthquake database, dated to the year when the day is unknown.
Reading these data
The global catalogue is homogeneous neither in time nor in magnitude: completeness at M 4.5 is only reached after 1973 and still improves afterwards. Magnitudes of different types are not comparable; the great historical earthquakes (e.g. Valdivia 1960, M 9.5) are re-evaluations. No link with solar activity or tides is established; see the Correspondences pages.
SOURCES OF THIS PAGE
- USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service)
-
U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program (2017). Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Comprehensive Catalog of Earthquake Events and Products. Accessed through the FDSN event web service.
· doi:10.5066/F7MS3QZH · source page ↗
Licence : U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · retrieved on Oct 30, 2026 · SHA-256 cc1f6109be1e… - NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database
-
National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
· doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K · source page ↗
Licence : U.S. Government work, public domain; cite NCEI/WDS · retrieved on Oct 30, 2026 · SHA-256 d5b49c593d3a…