The 1991 Racha earthquake occurred in the province of Racha, Georgia, at 9:12 UTC on 29 April. Centered on the districts of Oni and Ambrolauri on the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains, it killed 270, left approximately 100,000 homeless and caused severe damage, including to several medieval monuments. It had a magnitude of 7.0 and was the most powerful earthquake recorded in the Caucasus.
The 1952 Kern County earthquake occurred on July 21 in the southern San Joaquin Valley and measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale. The main shock occurred at 4:52 am Pacific Daylight Time, killed 12 people, injured hundreds more and caused an estimated $60 million in property damage. A small sector of damage near Bealville corresponded to a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), though this intensity rating was not representative of the majority of damage. The earthquake occurred on the White Wolf Fault near the community of Wheeler Ridge and was the strongest to occur in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
The 1968 Belice earthquake sequence took place in Sicily between 14 and 15 January. The largest shock measured 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale, with five others of magnitude 5+. The maximum perceived intensity was X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The earthquake sequence, centred between the towns of Gibellina, Salaparuta and Poggioreale, killed at least 231 people, possibly more than 400, with between 632 and about 1,000 injured and left 100,000 homeless. It is known in Italy as Terremoto del Belice.
The 1990 Vrancea earthquakes were three earthquakes on 30 and 31 May 1990 with magnitudes of 7.0 and 6.2 Mw that struck the Romanian county of Vrancea, on two consecutive days. Severe damage in the Bucharest-Brăila-Brașov area was reported and dozens of casualties in Romania and neighbouring Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
The 1805 Molise earthquake occurred on July 26 at 21:01 UTC. It has an estimated magnitude of 6.6 on the equivalent magnitude scale (Me) and a maximum perceived intensity of X on the Mercalli intensity scale. The area of greatest damage was between the towns of Isernia and Campobasso, while the area of intense damage extended over about 2,000 square kilometres. There were an estimated 5,573 deaths resulting from this earthquake and two of the aftershocks.
The 1992 Murindó earthquake occurred on October 18 at 15:11 UTC with an epicenter in the Department of Chocó, northern Colombia. The shallow magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck northwest of the town of Murindó, killing ten and injured more than a hundred. Thirty-three municipalities were severely damaged.
On May 4, 2018, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck Hawaii island in the Hawaii archipelago at around 12:33 p.m. local time. The earthquake's epicenter was near the south flank of Kīlauea, which has been the site of seismic and volcanic activity since late April of that year. According to the United States Geological Survey the quake was related to the new lava outbreaks at the volcano, and it resulted in the Hilina Slump moving about two feet. It was the largest earthquake to affect Hawaii since the 1975 earthquake, which affected the same region, killing two people and injuring another 28.
On 4 May 2000 at 12:21 WITA, Banggai Islands Regency was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 , followed by a tsunami. The Banggai Islands, an archipelago located at the far eastern end of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was the worst affected by the earthquake. Eighty percent of Banggai's buildings were destroyed. Damage also occurred on Peleng. The earthquake triggered a local tsunami of up to 6 m in height that caused significant damage east of Luwuk on the mainland and on Peleng.
The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes of July 4 and 5 occurred north and northeast of the town of Ridgecrest, California located in Kern County and west of Searles Valley. They included three initial main shocks of magnitudes 6.4, 5.4, and 7.1, and many perceptible aftershocks, mainly within the area of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Eleven months later, a Mw 5.5 aftershock took place to the east of Ridgecrest. The first main shock occurred on Thursday, July 4 at 10:33 a.m. PDT, approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) ENE of Ridgecrest, and 13 km (8.1 mi) WSW of Trona, on a previously unnoticed NE-SW trending fault where it intersects the NW-SE trending Little Lake Fault Zone. This quake was preceded by several smaller earthquakes, and was followed by more than 1,400 detected aftershocks. The M 5.4 and M 7.1 quakes struck on Friday, July 5 at 4:08 a.m. and 8:19 p.m. PDT approximately 10 km (6 miles) to the northwest. The latter, now considered the mainshock, was the most powerful earthquake to occur in the state in 20 years. Subsequent aftershocks extended approximately 50 km (~30 miles) along the Little Lake Fault Zone.
The 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes, also known as the 11.6 earthquakes by the Chinese media were a pair of devastating seismic events that struck Lancang and Gengma counties, Yunnan, near the border with Shan State, Burma. The first earthquake measured magnitude 7.0–7.7 and was followed 13 minutes later by a magnitude 6.8–6.9 shock. Both earthquakes were assigned a maximum China seismic intensity of IX and X, respectively. An estimated 748–939 people were killed and more than 7,700 were injured in Yunnan. Both earthquakes resulted in $US 270 million in damages and economic losses. Moderately large aftershocks continued to rock the region, causing additional casualties and damage.
On January 1, 1996, at 4:05 p.m. Central Indonesia Time, an earthquake with an epicenter in the Makassar Strait struck north of Minahasa on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The earthquake measured 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale and was centered off Tolitoli Regency in Central Sulawesi, or 25 km from the Tonggolobibi village. A tsunami of 2–4 m (6.6–13.1 ft) was triggered by this earthquake as a result. At least 350 buildings were badly damaged, nine people died and 63 people were injured.
The western coast of West Sulawesi was struck by a major earthquake on 23 February 1969 at 00:36 UTC. It had a magnitude of 7.0 and a maximum felt intensity of VIII on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. It triggered a major tsunami that caused significant damage along the coast of the Makassar Strait. At least 64 people were killed, with possibly a further 600 deaths caused by the tsunami.
The 1902 Turkestan earthquake devastated Xinjiang, China, near the Kyrgyzstan border. It occurred on August 22, 1902, at about 8:00 or 9:00 am local time with an epicenter near the Tien Shan mountains. The thrust earthquake measured 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) and initiated at a depth of 18 km (11 mi). The Tien Shan mountains is situated in a zone of complex convergence caused by the Indian–Eurasian plate interaction. This zone is actively deforming—accommodated by active thrust faults responsible for seismic activity. The mainshock was preceeded by an intense series of foreshocks in the years prior. Many aftershocks followed, several were larger than magnitude 6.0 and one measured magnitude 6.8–7.3. These aftershocks were recorded for three years. Additional shocks were recorded over a decade after the mainshock. An estimated 5,650–10,000 people were killed in the mainshock. Widespread destruction occurred—at least 30,000 homes were destroyed. Shaking was felt across an area of 927,000 km2 (358,000 sq mi). The effects of the earthquake led government officials to relieve victims of taxes and provide compensation.
The 1990 Gonghe earthquake occurred on April 26 at 17:37 China Standard Time in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The mainshock had a surface wave magnitude of 7.0 Ms and a moment magnitude of 6.5 Mw . It was presaged by two foreshocks that struck merely seconds before the main earthquake. On the Mercalli intensity scale, the earthquake had a rating of IX (Violent).
The 1139 Ganja earthquake is one of the worst seismic events in history. It affected the Seljuk Empire and Kingdom of Georgia; modern-day Azerbaijan and Georgia. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.7 , 7.5 and 7.0–7.3 . A controversial death toll of 230,000–300,000 came as a consequence of this event.
The 1995 Menglian earthquake or 1995 Myanmar–China earthquake occurred on 12 July at 05:46:43 local time in the Myanmar–China border region. The earthquake had an epicenter on the Myanmar side of the border, located in the mountainous region of Shan State. It registered 7.3 on the Chinese surface wave magnitude scale (Ms ) and 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ). With a maximum Mercalli intensity assigned at VIII, the quake killed eleven people and left another 136 injured. Over 100,000 homes in both countries were destroyed and 42,000 seriously damaged. Some damage to structures were also reported in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, Thailand. The low death toll from this earthquake was attributed to an early warning issued prior to it happening. Precursor events including foreshocks and some seismic anomalies led to an evacuation of the area before the mainshock struck. It is thought to be one of the few successfully predicted earthquakes in history.
The 1941 Sa'dah earthquake or the Jabal Razih earthquake occurred on January 11 in the Razih District of Yemen. The earthquake had a surface wave magnitude of 5.8–6.5 and a shallow focal depth. Despite the moderate size of this earthquake, an estimated 1,200 people perished and at least 200 injured. With a maximum MSK-64 intensity assigned at VIII, it destroyed many villages and collapsed homes in the region of North Yemen.
The 2016 Alborian Sea earthquake struck offshore, north northeast of Al Hoceïma, Morocco in the Strait of Gibraltar on January 25 at 04:22:02 UTC, or roughly 05:22:02 West Africa Time. The strongest in the Alboran Sea, the earthquake measured 6.3–6.4 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) at a shallow hypocenter depth of 12 km (7.5 mi). Assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli scale intensity of VI (Strong), the earthquake caused one fatality, at least 30 injuries, and moderate damage in Morocco and Spain.
The 1997 Bojnurd earthquake occurred on February 4 at 14:07 IRST in Iran. The epicenter of the Mw 6.5 earthquake was in the Kopet Dag mountains of North Khorasan, near the Iran–Turkmenistan border, ~579 km (360 mi) northeast of Tehran. The earthquake is characterized by shallow strike-slip faulting in a zone of seismically active faults. Seismic activity is present as the Kopet Dag is actively accommodating to tectonic processes through faulting. At least 88 fatalities and 1,948 injuries were reported. One-hundred and seventy-three villages were affected, including four which were destroyed. Damage also occurred in Shirvan and Bojnord. The total cost of damage was estimated to be over US$ 30 million.
The 1970 Dagestan earthquake occurred on May 14 at 21:12 MSK, in the Republic of Dagestan, Soviet Union. It had a moment magnitude of 6.7, and a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). It was preceded by foreshocks a few hours earlier. The epicenter was located on the territory of the Buynaksky District. As a result of the event, 25 percent of the territory of the republic was affected. The earthquake completely destroyed 257 settlements, including the cities of Makhachkala, Buynaksk, Kaspiysk, Khasavyurt and Kizilyurt. It caused at least 31 fatalities and up to 1,000 injured.
