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 5.0
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 · 10/28/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,222
1900 → 2026-10-28
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/28/26
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 · 10/28/26
Current · provisional
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 5.0
2026-10-28 11:47 UTC · Reykjanes Ridge
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/28/26
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 · 10/28/26
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 · 10/28/26
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 · 10/28/26
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 · 10/28/26
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 · 10/28/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-06-01 03:34 | 6.4 mwc | 96 km E of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 44 km | 52.89, 160.07 |
| 1998-05-30 16:18 | 6.2 mwc | 137 km ESE of Yamada, Japan | 33 km | 39.03, 143.44 |
| 1998-05-30 04:22 | 6.6 mwb | 24 km E of Rust?q, Afghanistan | 33 km | 37.11, 70.11 |
| 1998-05-27 18:41 | 6.0 mwc | 107 km SSE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 60 km | 52.24, 159.53 |
| 1998-05-27 13:27 | 6.0 mwc | 43 km NNE of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea | 33 km | -5.84, 149.70 |
| 1998-05-23 15:44 | 6.0 mwc | 6 km WNW of Tabid, Philippines | 658 km | 8.14, 123.73 |
| 1998-05-22 02:48 | 6.6 mwb | 25 km NNW of Mizque, Bolivia | 24 km | -17.73, -65.43 |
| 1998-05-21 20:31 | 6.3 mwc | Prince Edward Islands region | 10 km | -43.40, 41.39 |
| 1998-05-21 03:34 | 6.7 mwb | 127 km NNW of Palu, Indonesia | 33 km | 0.21, 119.58 |
| 1998-05-16 00:22 | 6.9 mwc | south of the Fiji Islands | 586 km | -22.23, -179.52 |
| 1998-05-15 03:58 | 6.0 mwc | 71 km N of Yigo Village, Guam | 154 km | 14.18, 144.88 |
| 1998-05-14 16:56 | 6.0 mwb | 130 km ENE of Miyako, Japan | 33 km | 40.25, 143.25 |
| 1998-05-13 21:02 | 6.6 mwc | 108 km SW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea | 61 km | -5.15, 151.71 |
| 1998-05-10 04:05 | 6.3 mwc | 28 km S of Iztapa, Guatemala | 33 km | 13.68, -90.75 |
| 1998-05-03 21:30 | 7.5 mwb | 254 km SSE of Ishigaki, Japan | 33 km | 22.31, 125.31 |
| 1998-04-27 16:40 | 6.2 mwb | 95 km ENE of Nabire, Indonesia | 53 km | -3.00, 136.28 |
| 1998-04-25 04:07 | 6.3 mwc | southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 10 km | -35.27, -17.33 |
| 1998-04-20 20:59 | 6.0 mwb | 17 km ENE of Aratichanguío, Mexico | 67 km | 18.52, -101.20 |
| 1998-04-14 01:41 | 6.1 mwc | south of the Fiji Islands | 499 km | -23.82, -179.87 |
| 1998-04-10 22:44 | 6.2 mwc | 281 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga | 33 km | -23.64, -176.11 |
| 1998-04-10 14:40 | 6.2 mwb | north of Ascension Island | 10 km | -1.32, -15.65 |
| 1998-04-03 20:01 | 6.6 mwc | 43 km NE of San Fernando, Peru | 165 km | -8.15, -74.24 |
| 1998-04-01 20:42 | 6.7 mwc | 131 km WSW of Corral, Chile | 9 km | -40.32, -74.87 |
| 1998-04-01 15:56 | 7.0 mwc | 95 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia | 56 km | -0.54, 99.26 |
| 1998-03-29 17:48 | 7.2 mwc | 178 km ENE of Levuka, Fiji | 537 km | -17.55, -179.09 |
| 1998-03-29 05:14 | 6.1 mwc | north of Ascension Island | 10 km | -0.24, -17.93 |
| 1998-03-25 11:17 | 6.4 mwc | south of Australia | 10 km | -63.61, 147.94 |
| 1998-03-25 02:12 | 8.1 mwc | 1998 Balleny Islands Earthquake | 10 km | -62.88, 149.53 |
| 1998-03-22 00:08 | 6.1 mwc | Mid-Indian Ridge | 10 km | -11.43, 66.24 |
| 1998-03-21 15:33 | 6.2 mwc | Greenland Sea | 10 km | 79.89, 1.86 |
| 1998-03-20 20:08 | 6.7 mwc | Auckland Islands, New Zealand region | 10 km | -50.01, 163.11 |
| 1998-03-14 18:40 | 6.6 mwc | 52 km ESE of Kerman, Iran | 9 km | 30.15, 57.60 |
| 1998-03-03 01:24 | 6.1 mwc | 9 km SSW of San José El Ídolo, Guatemala | 63 km | 14.38, -91.47 |
| 1998-02-20 11:18 | 6.4 mwb | 46 km WSW of Ashk?sham, Afghanistan | 236 km | 36.48, 71.09 |
| 1998-02-19 13:14 | 6.5 mwc | 126 km S of Amahai, Indonesia | 33 km | -4.48, 129.08 |
| 1998-02-16 22:53 | 6.8 mwc | Reykjanes Ridge | 10 km | 52.72, -33.68 |
| 1998-02-07 00:18 | 6.4 mwc | Volcano Islands, Japan region | 525 km | 24.82, 141.75 |
| 1998-02-03 02:02 | 6.4 mwb | 2 km E of Benito Juárez, Mexico | 33 km | 15.88, -96.30 |
| 1998-01-31 22:30 | 6.0 mwc | West Chile Rise | 10 km | -35.76, -97.06 |
| 1998-01-30 11:16 | 7.1 mwc | 34 km SSE of Antofagasta, Chile | 42 km | -23.91, -70.21 |
| 1998-01-27 20:05 | 6.5 mwb | south of the Fiji Islands | 610 km | -22.41, 179.04 |
| 1998-01-27 18:55 | 6.3 mwc | south of the Fiji Islands | 611 km | -22.54, 179.05 |
| 1998-01-27 01:14 | 6.0 mwc | Fiji region | 643 km | -20.77, -179.18 |
| 1998-01-19 17:23 | 6.2 mwc | Off the coast of Aisen, Chile | 10 km | -44.97, -79.49 |
| 1998-01-14 17:53 | 6.0 mwc | Carlsberg Ridge | 10 km | -2.11, 68.09 |
| 1998-01-14 16:24 | 6.6 mwb | 159 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji | 33 km | -15.73, -179.33 |
| 1998-01-12 15:36 | 6.7 mwc | 149 km ENE of Labasa, Fiji | 23 km | -15.85, -179.38 |
| 1998-01-12 09:14 | 6.6 mwc | 47 km SSW of Ovalle, Chile | 35 km | -30.98, -71.41 |
| 1998-01-10 07:20 | 6.6 mwc | 10 km SSW of San José El Ídolo, Guatemala | 33 km | 14.37, -91.47 |
| 1998-01-10 03:54 | 6.4 mwb | 101 km E of Pangoa, Peru | 33 km | -12.03, -72.07 |
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 28, 2026 · SHA-256 5570a63d6fc4… - 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…