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 4.6
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 · 10/27/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,191
1900 → 2026-10-27
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/27/26
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 · 10/27/26
Current · provisional
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 4.6
2026-10-27 11:01 UTC · 5 km ENE of Tierra y Libertad, Mexico
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/27/26
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 · 10/27/26
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 · 10/27/26
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 · 10/27/26
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 · 10/27/26
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 · 10/23/26
| # | 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 · 10/27/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-12-26 11:26 | 7.1 mwb | 30 km SW of Hengchun, Taiwan | 10 km | 21.80, 120.55 |
| 2006-12-22 18:50 | 6.2 mwc | Andaman Islands, India region | 24 km | 10.65, 92.36 |
| 2006-12-12 14:48 | 6.3 mwb | 203 km SSW of Sarangani, Philippines | 214 km | 3.73, 124.68 |
| 2006-12-07 18:10 | 6.4 mwc | east of the Kuril Islands | 16 km | 46.15, 154.39 |
| 2006-12-03 19:52 | 6.0 mwc | 19 km WSW of La Gomera, Guatemala | 61 km | 13.99, -91.21 |
| 2006-12-01 13:01 | 6.3 mwc | 22 km N of Bima, Indonesia | 19 km | -8.26, 118.75 |
| 2006-12-01 02:58 | 6.3 mwb | northern Sumatra, Indonesia | 204 km | 3.39, 99.08 |
| 2006-11-30 20:20 | 6.2 mwb | Pacific-Antarctic Ridge | 10 km | -53.84, -134.36 |
| 2006-11-30 10:33 | 6.0 mwb | 28 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga | 14 km | -21.30, -174.68 |
| 2006-11-29 00:32 | 6.2 mwb | 92 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia | 39 km | 2.52, 128.28 |
| 2006-11-19 17:57 | 6.1 mwc | central East Pacific Rise | 10 km | -4.52, -104.83 |
| 2006-11-17 17:03 | 6.2 mwc | Ryukyu Islands, Japan | 22 km | 28.59, 129.90 |
| 2006-11-16 19:29 | 6.1 mwb | western Indian-Antarctic Ridge | 10 km | -52.00, 139.47 |
| 2006-11-16 05:20 | 6.0 mwc | east of the Kuril Islands | 9 km | 46.36, 154.47 |
| 2006-11-15 18:25 | 6.0 mwc | Kuril Islands | 10 km | 47.01, 154.98 |
| 2006-11-15 10:40 | 6.7 mwc | east of the Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.48, 154.73 |
| 2006-11-15 10:34 | 6.4 mb | east of the Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.65, 155.30 |
| 2006-11-15 10:29 | 6.2 mb | east of the Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.37, 154.48 |
| 2006-11-15 10:28 | 6.0 mb | east of the Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.09, 154.10 |
| 2006-11-15 10:25 | 6.0 mb | Kuril Islands | 10 km | 47.52, 152.65 |
| 2006-11-15 10:14 | 8.3 mwc | 2006 Kuril Islands Earthquake | 10 km | 46.59, 153.27 |
| 2006-11-14 13:21 | 6.1 mwb | 260 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste | 345 km | -6.39, 128.00 |
| 2006-11-13 15:12 | 6.2 mwc | 151 km SE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 11 km | -6.38, 151.23 |
| 2006-11-13 00:26 | 6.8 mwb | 48 km S of Taco Pozo, Argentina | 572 km | -26.05, -63.28 |
| 2006-11-12 17:21 | 6.2 mwc | 125 km SE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 12 km | -6.22, 151.05 |
| 2006-11-07 16:38 | 6.6 mwc | 155 km SE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 11 km | -6.48, 151.20 |
| 2006-11-06 19:56 | 6.0 mwc | 97 km ESE of Madang, Papua New Guinea | 133 km | -5.45, 146.64 |
| 2006-10-26 20:54 | 6.0 mwc | 41 km SW of San Vicente de Cañete, Peru | 28 km | -13.37, -76.62 |
| 2006-10-24 01:03 | 6.1 mwb | 58 km SSW of Sarangani, Philippines | 10 km | 4.90, 125.30 |
| 2006-10-23 19:17 | 6.4 mwb | Izu Islands, Japan region | 11 km | 29.35, 140.27 |
| 2006-10-22 06:55 | 6.1 mwc | southeast Indian Ridge | 10 km | -45.73, 95.99 |
| 2006-10-20 08:48 | 6.7 mwc | 52 km SW of San Vicente de Cañete, Peru | 23 km | -13.46, -76.68 |
| 2006-10-18 08:45 | 6.4 mwc | 20 km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu | 115 km | -15.05, 167.27 |
| 2006-10-16 23:25 | 6.7 mwc | 100 km ESE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea | 32 km | -5.88, 150.98 |
| 2006-10-15 15:14 | 6.0 md | 20 km SW of Hawi, Hawaii | 16 km | 20.13, -155.98 |
| 2006-10-15 15:07 | 6.7 md | 14 km SW of Puako, Hawaii | 38 km | 19.88, -155.93 |
| 2006-10-12 16:05 | 6.4 mwc | 45 km NNW of Illapel, Chile | 31 km | -31.26, -71.37 |
| 2006-10-10 21:58 | 6.0 mwb | 150 km ESE of Namie, Japan | 9 km | 37.20, 142.66 |
| 2006-10-10 06:02 | 6.0 mwc | southern East Pacific Rise | 10 km | -56.10, -122.37 |
| 2006-10-09 08:01 | 6.3 mwc | 167 km SSW of Hengchun, Taiwan | 14 km | 20.65, 120.02 |
| 2006-10-03 16:03 | 6.3 mwb | 83 km NNW of Isangel, Vanuatu | 161 km | -18.84, 169.00 |
| 2006-10-01 07:06 | 6.5 mwb | Kuril Islands | 19 km | 46.47, 153.24 |
| 2006-09-30 15:56 | 6.0 mwc | Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.18, 153.17 |
| 2006-09-30 15:50 | 6.6 mwb | Kuril Islands | 11 km | 46.35, 153.17 |
| 2006-09-30 14:26 | 6.0 mwb | 26 km W of Chichas, Peru | 107 km | -15.59, -73.16 |
| 2006-09-29 11:08 | 6.1 mwc | 30 km NW of Petit Valley, Trinidad and Tobago | 53 km | 10.88, -61.76 |
| 2006-09-28 04:22 | 6.9 mwc | 201 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga | 28 km | -16.59, -172.03 |
| 2006-09-22 00:32 | 6.0 mwb | 19 km NNE of El Hoyo, Argentina | 598 km | -26.87, -63.15 |
| 2006-09-21 16:54 | 6.0 mwc | 121 km S of Pundong, Indonesia | 25 km | -9.05, 110.36 |
| 2006-09-17 07:34 | 6.2 mwb | 108 km E of Caucete, Argentina | 137 km | -31.73, -67.14 |
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 27, 2026 · SHA-256 2a082d988a24… - 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…