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 4.8
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 · 11/1/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,324
1900 → 2026-11-01
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 11/1/26
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 · 11/1/26
Current · provisional
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 4.8
2026-11-01 11:08 UTC · 203 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 11/1/26
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 · 11/1/26
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 · 11/1/26
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 · 11/1/26
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 · 11/1/26
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 · 11/1/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-10-05 22:16 | 6.3 mw | 260 km ENE of Samarai, Papua New Guinea | 25 km | -9.45, 152.73 |
| 1953-10-05 03:31 | 6.1 mw | 153 km ESE of Mil’kovo, Russia | 35 km | 54.38, 160.93 |
| 1953-09-30 22:04 | 6.8 mw | 116 km SW of Mazatlán, Mexico | 10 km | 22.48, -107.21 |
| 1953-09-26 00:02 | 6.1 mw | 78 km ENE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia | 46 km | 50.84, 157.21 |
| 1953-09-23 01:14 | 6.6 mw | 67 km S of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia | 55 km | 50.08, 156.30 |
| 1953-09-20 17:55 | 6.3 mw | Bouvet Island region | 15 km | -54.47, 1.38 |
| 1953-09-17 20:11 | 6.4 mw | 93 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga | 35 km | -20.57, -173.95 |
| 1953-09-14 10:12 | 6.1 mw | south of Africa | 15 km | -52.82, 25.63 |
| 1953-09-13 23:26 | 6.4 mw | 29 km SSW of Suva, Fiji | 10 km | -18.40, 178.35 |
| 1953-09-10 03:06 | 6.3 mw | 9 km WSW of Paphos, Cyprus | 20 km | 34.74, 32.34 |
| 1953-09-07 02:58 | 6.1 mw | 1 km N of Bayramören, Turkey | 10 km | 40.96, 33.20 |
| 1953-09-05 17:58 | 6.1 mw | 68 km ESE of Ozernovskiy, Russia | 51 km | 51.21, 157.37 |
| 1953-09-04 13:07 | 6.3 mw | 33 km NNW of Valparaíso, Chile | 37 km | -32.74, -71.70 |
| 1953-09-04 06:23 | 6.9 mw | 28 km E of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia | 56 km | 50.64, 156.53 |
| 1953-08-25 01:04 | 6.4 mw | 99 km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea | 30 km | -5.19, 152.58 |
| 1953-08-23 06:18 | 6.0 mw | north of Ascension Island | 15 km | -1.50, -13.55 |
| 1953-08-12 15:53 | 6.3 mw | 23 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga | 25 km | -21.52, -174.83 |
| 1953-08-12 11:05 | 6.2 mw | 10 km NE of Katastárion, Greece | 15 km | 37.90, 20.83 |
| 1953-08-12 08:23 | 6.8 mw | 15 km ENE of Póros, Greece | 10 km | 38.18, 20.94 |
| 1953-08-11 02:32 | 6.5 mw | 13 km ESE of Itháki, Greece | 10 km | 38.30, 20.85 |
| 1953-08-09 06:41 | 6.3 mw | 8 km NE of Póros, Greece | 15 km | 38.22, 20.83 |
| 1953-07-30 22:44 | 6.0 mw | Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands | 200 km | 18.91, 145.30 |
| 1953-07-22 04:11 | 6.4 mw | 74 km ENE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia | 58 km | 50.83, 157.15 |
| 1953-07-21 16:22 | 6.1 mw | 11 km ESE of Ginowan, Japan | 37 km | 26.22, 127.86 |
| 1953-07-12 05:43 | 6.3 mw | 207 km WNW of Abepura, Indonesia | 28 km | -2.09, 138.84 |
| 1953-07-09 20:23 | 6.1 mw | northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 10 km | 29.98, -42.75 |
| 1953-07-09 18:02 | 6.1 mw | southern Xinjiang, China | 10 km | 39.99, 77.97 |
| 1953-07-06 20:55 | 6.1 mw | 30 km S of Lae, Papua New Guinea | 15 km | -7.00, 147.05 |
| 1953-07-02 05:57 | 7.2 mw | 62 km NE of Isangel, Vanuatu | 236 km | -19.09, 169.64 |
| 1953-07-01 01:59 | 6.4 mw | 51 km ENE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia | 53 km | 50.82, 156.82 |
| 1953-06-26 04:42 | 6.8 mw | 92 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor Leste | 25 km | -8.46, 123.99 |
| 1953-06-25 09:45 | 6.8 mw | 89 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor Leste | 25 km | -8.55, 123.90 |
| 1953-06-23 12:53 | 6.1 mw | 67 km E of Ozernovskiy, Russia | 48 km | 51.49, 157.47 |
| 1953-06-18 09:04 | 6.2 mw | 57 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 25 km | -6.64, 155.08 |
| 1953-06-16 08:53 | 6.1 mw | Izu Islands, Japan region | 28 km | 30.89, 141.71 |
| 1953-06-15 16:47 | 6.5 mw | 73 km S of Akhiok, Alaska | 20 km | 56.28, -154.12 |
| 1953-06-10 17:23 | 6.0 mw | 53 km SE of Ambon, Indonesia | 50 km | -4.08, 128.49 |
| 1953-06-09 00:39 | 6.3 mw | 140 km E of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 15 km | 52.84, 160.69 |
| 1953-06-08 10:40 | 6.2 mw | 134 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 50 km | 52.26, 160.10 |
| 1953-06-03 16:51 | 6.0 mw | 116 km SE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 30 km | 52.28, 159.78 |
| 1953-05-31 18:58 | 6.6 mw | 5 km NNW of Salsipuedes, Dominican Republic | 17 km | 19.45, -70.40 |
| 1953-05-26 00:43 | 6.2 mw | 74 km SE of Shizunai-furukawach?, Japan | 49 km | 41.80, 142.90 |
| 1953-05-24 00:19 | 6.3 mw | South Sandwich Islands region | 15 km | -55.64, -28.98 |
| 1953-05-20 06:45 | 6.2 mw | Pacific-Antarctic Ridge | 10 km | -53.79, -133.90 |
| 1953-05-19 02:11 | 6.4 mw | off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia | 14 km | 51.81, 159.37 |
| 1953-05-13 10:53 | 6.1 mw | Kermadec Islands region | 20 km | -28.12, -176.28 |
| 1953-05-11 09:16 | 6.4 mw | 159 km E of Tadine, New Caledonia | 10 km | -21.71, 169.41 |
| 1953-05-06 16:16 | 7.6 mw | 23 km SE of Chiguayante, Chile | 66 km | -37.09, -72.87 |
| 1953-05-04 10:29 | 6.0 mw | 194 km ENE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 30 km | 53.50, 161.45 |
| 1953-05-02 17:38 | 6.3 mw | 206 km SE of Vilyuchinsk, Russia | 38 km | 51.43, 160.17 |
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 Nov 1, 2026 · SHA-256 f37622130d7b… - 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…