Earthquakes are caused by movements within the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle. They range from events too weak to be detectable except by sensitive instrumentation, to sudden and violent events lasting many minutes which have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. Below, earthquakes are listed by period, region or country, year, magnitude, cost, fatalities and number of scientific studies.
The 1868 Hayward earthquake occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States on October 21. With an estimated moment magnitude of 6.3–6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), it was the most recent large earthquake to occur on the Hayward Fault Zone. It caused significant damage and a number of deaths throughout the region, and was known as the "Great San Francisco earthquake" prior to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.
The 1980 Oaxaca earthquake occurred on October 24 at with a moment magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). This dip-slip shock left up to 300 dead, many injured, and about 150,000 homeless. While it was felt throughout southern Mexico and in Guatemala, damage was focused in the Huajuapan de León region of the state of Oaxaca.
This list of 20th-century earthquakes is a list of earthquakes of magnitude 6 and above that occurred in the 20th century. Sone smaller events which nevertheless had a significant impact are also included. After 1900 most earthquakes have some degree of instrumental records and this means that the locations and magnitudes are more reliable than for earlier events.
The 1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake occurred at 12:50 UTC on 21 November in French Haiti, followed by a tsunami. Another earthquake was reported at the same location on 15 September of the same year and it is uncertain whether the two reports refer to the same event.
The 1293 Kamakura earthquake in Japan occurred at about 06:00 local time on 27 May 1293. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.1–7.5 and triggered a tsunami. The estimated death toll was 23,024. It occurred during the Kamakura period, and the city of Kamakura was seriously damaged.
The 1615 Arica earthquake was a major earthquake centered near Arica in the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of Peru, within the present day Arica y Parinacota Region of northwestern Chile.
The 1989 Gissar earthquake occurred at 23:02 UTC on 22 January near Gissar in Tajikistan. The shock had a body wave magnitude of 5.3 and a maximum felt intensity of VII on the Mercalli intensity scale. The National Geophysical Data Center reported that the death toll from the event amounted to about 274, and the National Earthquake Information Center stated there were many injured. Nearly all the casualties were caused by mudslides which buried Sharora and two nearby villages. The earthquake was the deadliest in 1989.
The 2004 Nabire earthquake occurred on November 26 in Nabire Regency, Central Papua, Indonesia. The strike-slip event had a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Total deaths for the event amounted to 32, and the total number of injured was 130–213.
The 1976 Sabah earthquake occurred at 10:56 am on 26 July near Lahad Datu in the eastern portion of Sabah, Malaysia. The moment magnitude 6.3 earthquake is one of the strongest in Malaysia to be recorded by seismic instruments. It had a focal mechanism corresponding to strike-slip faulting. While slightly larger than the 2015 Sabah earthquake, the 1976 event caused less extensive damage, in the form of cracks on several buildings and ground cracks.
During April 1819, the area around Copiapó in northern Chile was struck by a sequence of earthquakes over a period of several days. The largest of these earthquakes occurred on 11 April at about 15:00 local time, with an estimated magnitude of 8.5. The other two events, on 3 April between 08:00 and 09:00 local time and on 4 April at 16:00 local time, are interpreted as foreshocks to the mainshock on 11 April. The mainshock triggered a tsunami that affected 800 km of coastline and was also recorded at Hawaii. The city of Copiapó was devastated.
On 29 November, at 14:10 UTC, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Taliabu Island Regency in North Maluku, Indonesia. At least 41 people were killed on the nearby islands and a tsunami was triggered. Several hundred homes, buildings and offices were damaged or destroyed.
Ottoman Empire,, Tekirdağ Province August 9 (Magnitude 7.1) 3,000 deaths
