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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-01-09 04:51 | 6.2 mwc | 142 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 12 km | -9.13, 157.63 |
| 2010-01-05 12:11 | 6.0 mwc | 155 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 35 km | -9.05, 157.89 |
| 2010-01-05 11:15 | 6.8 mwc | 127 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 15 km | -9.02, 157.55 |
| 2010-01-05 03:55 | 6.8 mwc | east of the South Sandwich Islands | 13 km | -58.17, -14.70 |
| 2010-01-03 21:36 | 7.1 mwc | 94 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 10 km | -8.78, 157.35 |
| 2010-01-03 20:48 | 6.6 mwc | 98 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 10 km | -8.73, 157.49 |
| 2010-01-02 07:45 | 6.1 mwb | Mariana Islands region | 8 km | 12.42, 141.95 |
| 2009-12-31 08:23 | 6.0 mwc | Pacific-Antarctic Ridge | 10 km | -59.40, -150.98 |
| 2009-12-26 07:57 | 6.1 mwc | 171 km W of Tual, Indonesia | 85 km | -5.53, 131.20 |
| 2009-12-23 23:23 | 6.3 mwc | 98 km SE of Preobrazheniye, Russia | 392 km | 42.24, 134.72 |
| 2009-12-23 00:11 | 6.0 mwc | 119 km WSW of Padang, Indonesia | 19 km | -1.43, 99.39 |
| 2009-12-19 22:19 | 6.0 mwc | 23 km SSW of Karonga, Malawi | 6 km | -10.11, 33.82 |
| 2009-12-19 12:02 | 6.4 mwc | 20 km S of Hualien City, Taiwan | 43 km | 23.80, 121.60 |
| 2009-12-14 07:54 | 6.0 mwc | 121 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 39 km | -5.96, 154.44 |
| 2009-12-10 01:30 | 6.3 mwc | Sea of Okhotsk | 656 km | 53.42, 152.76 |
| 2009-12-09 20:29 | 6.0 mwc | 60 km WNW of Sinabang, Indonesia | 21 km | 2.76, 95.91 |
| 2009-12-09 15:00 | 6.4 mwc | central Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 10 km | -0.64, -21.07 |
| 2009-12-09 08:46 | 6.4 mwc | southeast of the Loyalty Islands | 45 km | -22.15, 170.96 |
| 2009-12-03 05:12 | 6.0 mwc | southern East Pacific Rise | 10 km | -56.48, -122.32 |
| 2009-11-28 17:10 | 6.1 mwc | 91 km E of Sarangani, Philippines | 39 km | 5.33, 126.29 |
| 2009-11-28 08:21 | 6.0 mwc | Kermadec Islands, New Zealand | 28 km | -29.22, -177.02 |
| 2009-11-28 05:04 | 6.0 mwc | 172 km WSW of Waingapu, Indonesia | 15 km | -10.40, 118.88 |
| 2009-11-24 11:47 | 6.8 mwc | 104 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga | 18 km | -20.71, -174.04 |
| 2009-11-22 21:47 | 6.2 mwc | Kermadec Islands region | 436 km | -31.57, 179.47 |
| 2009-11-22 06:48 | 6.4 mwb | 241 km E of Levuka, Fiji | 523 km | -17.79, -178.42 |
| 2009-11-17 14:30 | 6.6 mwc | 254 km SSW of Prince Rupert, Canada | 17 km | 52.12, -131.40 |
| 2009-11-14 18:44 | 6.2 mwc | 100 km WSW of Abra Pampa, Argentina | 220 km | -22.96, -66.64 |
| 2009-11-13 02:05 | 6.5 mwc | 92 km N of Iquique, Chile | 27 km | -19.39, -70.32 |
| 2009-11-10 01:48 | 6.0 mwc | Nicobar Islands, India region | 23 km | 8.08, 91.90 |
| 2009-11-09 09:44 | 7.3 mwc | 77 km ENE of Ba, Fiji | 595 km | -17.24, 178.33 |
| 2009-11-08 18:41 | 6.6 mwc | 29 km NNW of Bima, Indonesia | 18 km | -8.21, 118.63 |
| 2009-11-05 08:43 | 6.0 mwc | Macquarie Island region | 10 km | -52.29, 160.70 |
| 2009-11-02 09:47 | 6.2 mwb | south of Tonga | 9 km | -24.12, -175.17 |
| 2009-10-30 06:03 | 6.8 mwc | 98 km NNE of Naze, Japan | 34 km | 29.22, 129.78 |
| 2009-10-29 16:44 | 6.2 mwc | 53 km S of Jurm, Afghanistan | 210 km | 36.39, 70.72 |
| 2009-10-26 23:04 | 6.0 mwc | Drake Passage | 10 km | -59.96, -65.16 |
| 2009-10-25 06:53 | 6.0 mwc | south of the Fiji Islands | 418 km | -23.09, -179.20 |
| 2009-10-24 12:40 | 6.9 mwc | 268 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia | 130 km | -6.13, 130.38 |
| 2009-10-23 13:14 | 6.0 mwc | 164 km S of Lata, Solomon Islands | 31 km | -12.20, 166.05 |
| 2009-10-22 17:51 | 6.2 mwb | 39 km SSE of Jurm, Afghanistan | 186 km | 36.52, 70.95 |
| 2009-10-21 22:51 | 6.0 mwc | 147 km SSE of Punta de Burica, Panama | 18 km | 6.73, -82.58 |
| 2009-10-19 20:49 | 6.0 mwc | 159 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa | 18 km | -15.36, -172.26 |
| 2009-10-16 07:52 | 6.1 mwc | 69 km WSW of Labuan, Indonesia | 38 km | -6.53, 105.22 |
| 2009-10-15 15:48 | 6.0 mwc | Galapagos Triple Junction region | 10 km | 3.27, -103.82 |
| 2009-10-15 10:11 | 6.0 mwc | 131 km WSW of Abepura, Indonesia | 106 km | -3.06, 139.54 |
| 2009-10-14 16:00 | 6.3 mwc | 159 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga | 10 km | -14.91, -174.82 |
| 2009-10-13 18:21 | 6.4 mwc | 123 km ESE of Nikolski, Alaska | 14 km | 52.60, -167.12 |
| 2009-10-13 09:38 | 6.0 mwc | 135 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia | 32 km | 2.93, 128.23 |
| 2009-10-13 03:37 | 6.5 mwc | 127 km E of Nikolski, Alaska | 24 km | 52.75, -167.00 |
| 2009-10-12 07:37 | 6.2 mwc | 198 km NW of Sola, Vanuatu | 42 km | -12.41, 166.50 |
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…