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
1,620
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/24/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,089
1900 → 2026-10-24
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/24/26
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 · 10/24/26
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 4.7
2026-10-24 09:48 UTC · 72 km S of Basco, Philippines
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/24/26
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 · 10/24/26
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 · 10/24/26
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 · 10/24/26
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/24/26
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 · 10/24/26
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 · 10/24/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-18 02:13 | 6.1 mww | 116 km WSW of Lata, Solomon Islands | 10 km | -11.14, 164.81 |
| 2014-04-17 13:06 | 6.2 mww | Balleny Islands region | 21 km | -62.87, 155.74 |
| 2014-04-15 01:57 | 6.8 mww | Bouvet Island region | 11 km | -53.50, 8.72 |
| 2014-04-13 11:24 | 6.6 mww | 75 km S of Kirakira, Solomon Islands | 10 km | -11.13, 162.05 |
| 2014-04-13 10:36 | 7.4 mww | 112 km S of Kirakira, Solomon Islands | 39 km | -11.46, 162.05 |
| 2014-04-12 18:14 | 7.6 mww | 93 km SSE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands | 23 km | -11.27, 162.15 |
| 2014-04-12 03:24 | 6.1 mww | 91 km SSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 20 km | -7.10, 155.24 |
| 2014-04-11 18:29 | 6.6 mww | 15 km N of Belén, Nicaragua | 135 km | 11.64, -85.88 |
| 2014-04-11 06:16 | 6.5 mww | 78 km SW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 20 km | -6.79, 154.95 |
| 2014-04-11 05:07 | 7.1 mww | 56 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 61 km | -6.59, 155.05 |
| 2014-04-10 22:01 | 6.2 mww | 71 km SW of Iquique, Chile | 14 km | -20.66, -70.65 |
| 2014-04-10 21:27 | 6.1 mww | 16 km SW of Valle San Francisco, Nicaragua | 13 km | 12.40, -86.38 |
| 2014-04-04 09:40 | 6.0 mww | 25 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands | 57 km | -10.54, 161.70 |
| 2014-04-03 23:37 | 6.3 mww | 70 km SW of Iquique, Chile | 14 km | -20.64, -70.65 |
| 2014-04-03 03:26 | 6.4 mww | 79 km SW of Iquique, Chile | 25 km | -20.80, -70.59 |
| 2014-04-03 00:43 | 7.7 mww | 53 km SW of Iquique, Chile | 22 km | -20.57, -70.49 |
| 2014-04-02 23:58 | 6.5 mww | 45 km WSW of Iquique, Chile | 24 km | -20.31, -70.58 |
| 2014-04-02 14:13 | 6.0 mww | 33 km SSW of Boca Chica, Panama | 25 km | 7.94, -82.34 |
| 2014-04-01 21:57 | 6.9 mww | 90 km WNW of Iquique, Chile | 28 km | -19.89, -70.95 |
| 2014-04-01 21:46 | 8.2 mww | 93 km NW of Iquique, Chile | 25 km | -19.61, -70.77 |
| 2014-03-27 02:49 | 6.0 mww | 174 km SSE of Lata, Solomon Islands | 98 km | -12.10, 166.59 |
| 2014-03-26 02:29 | 6.3 mww | south of the Fiji Islands | 495 km | -26.17, 179.29 |
| 2014-03-23 17:20 | 6.3 mww | 93 km NW of Iquique, Chile | 21 km | -19.69, -70.85 |
| 2014-03-22 11:59 | 6.2 mww | 90 km WNW of Iquique, Chile | 20 km | -19.76, -70.87 |
| 2014-03-21 12:41 | 6.4 mww | 232 km NNW of Sabang, Indonesia | 22 km | 7.74, 94.33 |
| 2014-03-17 04:11 | 6.4 mww | 79 km WNW of Iquique, Chile | 21 km | -20.02, -70.88 |
| 2014-03-16 20:16 | 6.7 mww | 63 km WNW of Iquique, Chile | 20 km | -19.98, -70.70 |
| 2014-03-15 22:51 | 6.3 mww | 16 km W of Sechura, Peru | 29 km | -5.57, -80.97 |
| 2014-03-15 07:59 | 6.1 mww | 24 km SSW of Paracas, Peru | 20 km | -14.08, -76.31 |
| 2014-03-13 16:06 | 6.3 mww | 32 km SSW of Hikari, Japan | 79 km | 33.68, 131.82 |
| 2014-03-11 21:03 | 6.1 mww | 183 km SE of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea | 7 km | -3.09, 148.55 |
| 2014-03-11 01:44 | 6.4 mww | east of the South Sandwich Islands | 10 km | -60.86, -19.98 |
| 2014-03-10 04:18 | 6.8 mw | 77 km WNW of Indianola, California | 16 km | 40.83, -125.13 |
| 2014-03-05 08:56 | 6.3 mww | 262 km ESE of Sola, Vanuatu | 638 km | -14.74, 169.82 |
| 2014-03-02 21:17 | 6.0 mww | 98 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico | 18 km | 14.18, -93.15 |
| 2014-03-02 19:11 | 6.5 mww | 109 km NW of Nago, Japan | 119 km | 27.43, 127.37 |
| 2014-03-02 08:37 | 6.2 mww | 33 km SW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua | 60 km | 12.56, -87.69 |
| 2014-02-26 20:13 | 6.1 mww | 210 km WNW of Nikolski, Alaska | 265 km | 53.60, -171.82 |
| 2014-02-18 08:27 | 6.5 mww | 171 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados | 15 km | 14.67, -58.93 |
| 2014-02-12 08:19 | 6.9 mww | 272 km ESE of Hotan, China | 10 km | 35.91, 82.59 |
| 2014-02-09 13:56 | 6.0 mww | 122 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 42 km | -5.97, 154.44 |
| 2014-02-07 07:40 | 6.5 mww | 32 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | 122 km | -15.07, 167.37 |
| 2014-02-03 02:08 | 6.0 mww | 8 km NNW of Lixoúri, Greece | 5 km | 38.26, 20.39 |
| 2014-02-02 08:26 | 6.5 mww | south of the Kermadec Islands | 44 km | -32.91, -177.88 |
| 2014-02-01 02:58 | 6.1 mww | South Sandwich Islands region | 130 km | -56.83, -27.34 |
| 2014-01-26 12:55 | 6.1 mww | 1 km ENE of Lixoúri, Greece | 8 km | 38.21, 20.45 |
| 2014-01-25 04:14 | 6.1 mww | 39 km S of Kroya, Indonesia | 66 km | -7.99, 109.27 |
| 2014-01-21 00:29 | 6.1 mww | 130 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga | 6 km | -15.14, -174.68 |
| 2014-01-20 01:52 | 6.1 mww | 35 km NNE of Masterton, New Zealand | 28 km | -40.66, 175.81 |
| 2014-01-13 03:01 | 6.4 mww | 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico | 20 km | 19.04, -66.81 |
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 24, 2026 · SHA-256 10108b8ff56e… - 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…