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 5.7
Strongest in the catalogue
M 9.5
Earthquakes M ≥ 7
1,620
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/23/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,027
1900 → 2026-10-23
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/23/26
Earthquakes M ≥ 7
1,620
including 100 M ≥ 8
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/23/26
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 5.7
2026-10-23 08:19 UTC · 61 km WNW of Leni, Italy
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/23/26
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 · 10/23/26
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 · 10/23/26
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 · 10/23/26
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/23/26
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 · 10/23/26
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 · 10/23/26
| # | 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 · 10/23/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-05-05 04:19 | 6.1 mww | 64 km NNW of Pandan, Philippines | 18 km | 14.57, 123.92 |
| 2018-05-04 20:32 | 6.9 mw | 18 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii | 6 km | 19.32, -155.00 |
| 2018-05-02 04:32 | 6.0 mww | Easter Island region | 10 km | -24.27, -111.63 |
| 2018-04-19 19:09 | 6.0 mww | Prince Edward Islands region | 10 km | -42.78, 42.19 |
| 2018-04-15 17:30 | 6.0 mww | 88 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia | 34 km | 1.41, 126.88 |
| 2018-04-10 08:19 | 6.2 mww | 56 km SW of Ovalle, Chile | 66 km | -31.03, -71.53 |
| 2018-04-07 03:48 | 6.3 mww | 45 km W of Tari, Papua New Guinea | 18 km | -5.84, 142.53 |
| 2018-04-05 01:53 | 6.0 mww | 43 km ESE of Tarragona, Philippines | 34 km | 6.83, 126.78 |
| 2018-04-02 11:40 | 6.8 mww | 38 km SE of Boyuibe, Bolivia | 559 km | -20.66, -63.01 |
| 2018-04-02 03:57 | 6.1 mww | south of the Fiji Islands | 92 km | -24.72, -176.89 |
| 2018-03-29 19:25 | 6.9 mww | 150 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 35 km | -5.53, 151.50 |
| 2018-03-26 07:51 | 6.7 mww | 140 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 40 km | -5.50, 151.40 |
| 2018-03-25 18:14 | 6.4 mww | Banda Sea | 169 km | -6.63, 129.82 |
| 2018-03-24 18:58 | 6.0 mww | southeast Indian Ridge | 10 km | -45.78, 96.07 |
| 2018-03-24 10:23 | 6.3 mww | 150 km E of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 33 km | -5.50, 151.50 |
| 2018-03-08 16:39 | 6.8 mww | 103 km E of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea | 23 km | -4.38, 153.20 |
| 2018-03-06 13:13 | 6.7 mww | 62 km SW of Tari, Papua New Guinea | 20 km | -6.30, 142.61 |
| 2018-03-04 18:56 | 6.0 mww | 66 km SW of Tari, Papua New Guinea | 10 km | -6.33, 142.60 |
| 2018-02-28 01:45 | 6.1 mww | 63 km SW of Tari, Papua New Guinea | 16 km | -6.17, 142.47 |
| 2018-02-27 16:29 | 6.1 mww | west of Macquarie Island | 10 km | -60.25, 150.78 |
| 2018-02-26 14:18 | 6.3 mww | 59 km SW of Mendi, Papua New Guinea | 19 km | -6.51, 143.26 |
| 2018-02-26 12:34 | 6.1 mww | 194 km WNW of Ambon, Indonesia | 9 km | -2.78, 126.69 |
| 2018-02-25 16:44 | 7.5 mww | 32 km SW of Tari, Papua New Guinea | 25 km | -6.07, 142.75 |
| 2018-02-16 22:39 | 7.2 mww | 4 km S of Pinotepa de Don Luis, Mexico | 22 km | 16.39, -97.98 |
| 2018-02-11 22:14 | 6.0 mww | 154 km SE of San Jose Village, Northern Mariana Islands | 10 km | 13.82, 146.44 |
| 2018-02-09 10:43 | 6.0 mww | 215 km E of Levuka, Fiji | 557 km | -17.87, -178.66 |
| 2018-02-06 14:50 | 6.4 mww | 18 km NNE of Hualien City, Taiwan | 17 km | 24.13, 121.66 |
| 2018-02-04 12:56 | 6.1 mww | 22 km NNE of Hualien City, Taiwan | 12 km | 24.16, 121.71 |
| 2018-02-01 10:05 | 6.0 mww | 254 km SSE of Alo, Wallis and Futuna | 10 km | -16.52, -177.46 |
| 2018-01-31 06:07 | 6.2 mww | 37 km S of Jurm, Afghanistan | 194 km | 36.53, 70.85 |
| 2018-01-28 15:03 | 6.6 mww | southwest of Africa | 10 km | -53.06, 9.68 |
| 2018-01-26 21:47 | 6.3 mww | 188 km N of Madang, Papua New Guinea | 10 km | -3.51, 145.85 |
| 2018-01-25 01:10 | 6.2 mww | 259 km ESE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, Russia | 11 km | 55.54, 166.45 |
| 2018-01-24 09:51 | 6.3 mww | 99 km ENE of Misawa, Japan | 31 km | 41.10, 142.43 |
| 2018-01-23 08:31 | 7.9 mww | 261 km SE of Chiniak, Alaska | 14 km | 56.00, -149.17 |
| 2018-01-21 00:06 | 6.3 mww | 100 km ESE of Arica, Chile | 116 km | -18.88, -69.44 |
| 2018-01-19 15:17 | 6.3 mww | 79 km NNE of Loreto, Mexico | 10 km | 26.69, -111.08 |
| 2018-01-14 08:18 | 7.1 mww | 37 km W of Atiquipa, Peru | 39 km | -15.77, -74.71 |
| 2018-01-11 17:26 | 6.0 mww | 40 km WSW of Pyu, Myanmar | 9 km | 18.37, 96.07 |
| 2018-01-10 01:51 | 7.5 mww | 203 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras | 19 km | 17.48, -83.52 |
| 2017-12-15 15:47 | 6.5 mww | 12 km SSW of Kawalu, Indonesia | 90 km | -7.49, 108.17 |
| 2017-12-13 17:03 | 6.5 mww | Bouvet Island region | 17 km | -54.22, 2.16 |
| 2017-12-12 20:41 | 6.0 mww | 63 km NNE of Kerman, Iran | 8 km | 30.83, 57.30 |
| 2017-12-12 07:43 | 6.0 mww | 53 km NNE of Kerman, Iran | 12 km | 30.74, 57.28 |
| 2017-12-09 14:14 | 6.1 mww | 50 km NW of Fais, Micronesia | 10 km | 10.09, 140.20 |
| 2017-12-08 08:51 | 6.3 mww | 45 km NW of Fais, Micronesia | 8 km | 10.01, 140.19 |
| 2017-12-07 23:22 | 6.4 mww | 50 km NW of Fais, Micronesia | 13 km | 10.12, 140.22 |
| 2017-12-03 10:19 | 6.1 mww | 18 km NE of Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador | 17 km | -0.47, -80.31 |
| 2017-12-01 01:49 | 6.0 mww | 51 km NNW of Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea | 34 km | -6.13, 147.66 |
| 2017-12-01 01:32 | 6.1 mww | 55 km NNE of Kerman, Iran | 9 km | 30.75, 57.31 |
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 23, 2026 · SHA-256 c1e3c08c2c8f… - 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 23, 2026 · SHA-256 f99e14bcd8f1…