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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-03-22 20:24 | 6.2 mwc | 146 km WNW of Adak, Alaska | 132 km | 52.18, -178.72 |
| 2008-03-20 21:32 | 7.2 mwc | 226 km SE of Hotan, China | 10 km | 35.49, 81.47 |
| 2008-03-20 13:10 | 6.1 mwb | 85 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines | 45 km | 6.19, 126.93 |
| 2008-03-18 07:22 | 6.2 mwc | Kermadec Islands, New Zealand | 25 km | -29.25, -177.44 |
| 2008-03-15 13:43 | 6.0 mwc | 199 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia | 25 km | 2.71, 94.60 |
| 2008-03-14 21:32 | 6.0 mwc | Bonin Islands, Japan region | 10 km | 26.99, 142.60 |
| 2008-03-13 12:28 | 6.0 mwc | Prince Edward Islands region | 10 km | -45.49, 35.01 |
| 2008-03-12 10:36 | 6.3 mwc | 49 km SSW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu | 10 km | -16.49, 167.18 |
| 2008-03-12 10:23 | 6.4 mwc | 52 km S of Lakatoro, Vanuatu | 13 km | -16.57, 167.34 |
| 2008-03-03 13:11 | 6.9 mwc | Philippine Islands region | 24 km | 13.35, 125.63 |
| 2008-03-03 12:49 | 6.0 mwc | 89 km SW of Basco, Philippines | 10 km | 19.91, 121.33 |
| 2008-03-03 08:31 | 6.5 mwc | Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.41, 153.18 |
| 2008-03-03 01:37 | 6.2 mwc | 148 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia | 25 km | -2.18, 99.82 |
| 2008-02-27 05:54 | 6.2 mwc | Bonin Islands, Japan region | 15 km | 26.82, 142.44 |
| 2008-02-25 20:02 | 6.7 mwc | 155 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia | 25 km | -2.24, 99.81 |
| 2008-02-25 17:06 | 6.6 mwc | 161 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia | 25 km | -2.33, 99.89 |
| 2008-02-25 07:36 | 7.2 mwc | 164 km WSW of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia | 25 km | -2.49, 99.97 |
| 2008-02-24 13:46 | 6.5 mwc | 166 km WSW of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia | 22 km | -2.40, 99.93 |
| 2008-02-23 14:57 | 6.8 mwc | South Sandwich Islands region | 14 km | -57.34, -23.43 |
| 2008-02-21 01:46 | 6.1 mwc | 145 km SSE of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 12 km | 77.08, 18.57 |
| 2008-02-20 17:27 | 6.2 mwc | 58 km SSW of Koróni, Greece | 10 km | 36.29, 21.78 |
| 2008-02-20 07:08 | 7.4 mwc | 56 km NW of Sinabang, Indonesia | 26 km | 2.77, 95.96 |
| 2008-02-16 13:45 | 6.1 mwb | 134 km NNE of Calama, Chile | 130 km | -21.35, -68.38 |
| 2008-02-14 11:08 | 6.5 mwc | 50 km S of Koróni, Greece | 28 km | 36.34, 21.86 |
| 2008-02-14 09:09 | 6.9 mwc | 35 km S of Methóni, Greece | 29 km | 36.50, 21.67 |
| 2008-02-13 18:58 | 6.2 mwc | 185 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor Leste | 19 km | -8.16, 128.64 |
| 2008-02-12 11:50 | 6.5 mwc | 9 km SSW of General Pascual Fentes, Mexico | 83 km | 16.36, -94.30 |
| 2008-02-10 11:22 | 6.6 mwc | South Sandwich Islands region | 8 km | -60.80, -25.59 |
| 2008-02-09 17:34 | 6.0 mwc | 171 km S of Tondano, Indonesia | 38 km | -0.24, 125.08 |
| 2008-02-08 08:38 | 6.9 mwc | northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 9 km | 10.67, -41.90 |
| 2008-02-04 16:01 | 6.3 mwc | 12 km ENE of Iquique, Chile | 35 km | -20.17, -70.04 |
| 2008-02-01 11:10 | 6.0 mwb | Fiji region | 604 km | -21.50, -179.35 |
| 2008-01-30 06:32 | 6.2 mwc | 154 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste | 8 km | -7.30, 127.69 |
| 2008-01-22 16:14 | 6.2 mwb | 146 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia | 20 km | 1.01, 97.44 |
| 2008-01-22 09:49 | 6.1 mwc | 201 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga | 10 km | -15.42, -175.59 |
| 2008-01-22 06:55 | 6.0 mwc | 182 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga | 6 km | -15.28, -175.35 |
| 2008-01-20 19:26 | 6.1 mwc | 149 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia | 35 km | 2.35, 126.82 |
| 2008-01-15 16:52 | 6.5 mwc | Fiji region | 598 km | -21.98, -179.54 |
| 2008-01-10 00:37 | 6.3 mwc | 242 km WNW of Bandon, Oregon | 13 km | 43.78, -127.26 |
| 2008-01-09 13:40 | 6.1 mwc | Haida Gwaii Region, Canada | 10 km | 51.65, -131.18 |
| 2008-01-09 07:26 | 6.4 mwc | western Xizang | 10 km | 32.29, 85.17 |
| 2008-01-06 04:14 | 6.2 mwb | 15 km WNW of Leonídio, Greece | 75 km | 37.22, 22.69 |
| 2008-01-05 10:44 | 6.4 mwc | 251 km WNW of Port McNeill, Canada | 10 km | 51.16, -130.54 |
| 2008-01-05 10:01 | 6.6 mwc | 267 km WNW of Port McNeill, Canada | 15 km | 51.25, -130.75 |
| 2008-01-04 06:29 | 6.0 mwc | 89 km SSW of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia | 35 km | -2.78, 101.03 |
| 2008-01-01 17:54 | 6.3 mwc | eastern New Guinea region, Papua New Guinea | 34 km | -5.88, 146.88 |
| 2007-12-26 21:04 | 6.4 mwc | 60 km SE of Nikolski, Alaska | 25 km | 52.56, -168.22 |
| 2007-12-25 13:04 | 6.1 mwc | 64 km E of Ishinomaki, Japan | 48 km | 38.50, 142.03 |
| 2007-12-22 11:26 | 6.1 mwc | 64 km SE of Sinabang, Indonesia | 23 km | 2.09, 96.81 |
| 2007-12-22 06:11 | 6.2 mwc | 175 km W of Abepura, Indonesia | 20 km | -2.41, 139.07 |
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…