List of earthquakes in 1918

Earthquakes in 1918

class=notpageimage| Approximate epicenters of the earthquakes in 1918 4.0–5.9 magnitude 6.0–6.9 magnitude 7.0–7.9 magnitude 8.0+ magnitude
Strongest magnitude	Philippines, south of Mindanao August 15 (Magnitude 8.3)
Deadliest	China, off the coast of Fujian Province February 13 (Magnitude 7.3) 2,000 deaths
Total fatalities	2,221
Number by magnitude
9.0+	0
←  1917 1919  →

This is a list of earthquakes in 1918. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the list as they wouldn't have generated significant media interest. All dates are listed according to UTC time. A couple of major events capped a fairly active year. The two major events came within weeks of each other. The largest was a magnitude 8.3 in the Philippines in August. In early September a magnitude 8.1 struck Russia. The deadliest event occurred in February in China when a magnitude 7.3 caused 2,000 deaths.

Overall

By death toll

Rank	Death toll	Magnitude	Location	MMI	Depth (km)	Date
1	2,000	7.3	China, Fujian Province	X (Extreme)	15.0	February 13
2	144	7.1-7.3	United States, northwest of Puerto Rico	IX (Violent)	9.3	October 11
3	52	8.3	Philippines, south of Mindanao	X (Extreme)	20.0	August 15
4	23	8.1	Russian SFSR, Kuril Islands	( )	15.0	September 7

• Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank	Magnitude	Death toll	Location	MMI	Depth (km)	Date
1	8.3	52	Philippines, south of Mindanao	X (Extreme)	20.0	August 15
2	8.1	23	Russian SFSR, Kuril Islands	( )	15.0	September 7
= 3	7.8	0	Russian SFSR, east of the Kuril Islands	( )	15.0	November 8
= 3	7.8	1	Chile, Atacama Region	( )	25.0	December 4
= 4	7.5	0	New Guinea, off the north coast of	( )	15.0	July 3
= 4	7.5	0	Dutch East Indies, Babar Islands	( )	35.0	November 18
5	7.4	0	Russia, Primorsky Krai	( )	330.4	January 30
= 6	7.3	2,000	China, Fujian Province	X (Extreme)	15.0	February 13
= 6	7.3	0	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	( )	15.0	May 20
= 7	7.2	0	Bangladesh, Sreemangal Upazila	( )	15.0	July 8
= 7	7.2	0	New Guinea, Mussau Island	( )	15.0	October 27
= 8	7.1	0	Fiji	( )	35.0	May 22
= 8	7.1	144	United States, northwest of Puerto Rico	IX (Violent)	15.0	October 11
= 8	7.1	0	northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge	( )	15.0	December 2
= 9	7.0	0	China, Heilongjiang Province	( )	564.9	April 10
= 9	7.0	0	New Guinea, north of New Ireland (island)	( )	15.0	May 20

• Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

January

January

Strongest magnitude	7.4 Mw   Russia
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
21 [1]	Dutch East Indies, off the north coast of West Papua (province)	6.3	25.0
30 [2]	Russia, Primorsky Krai	7.4	330.4

February

February

Strongest magnitude	7.3 Mw   China
Deadliest	7.3 Mw   China 2,000 deaths
Total fatalities	2,000
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	3

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
7 [3] [4]	Philippines, southeast Mindanao	6.9	35.0	VII
9 [5]	China, Jilin Province	6.5	450.0
13 [6] [7]	China, Shantou City Guangdong Province	7.3	15.0	X	The 1918 Shantou earthquake caused 2,000 deaths. At least more than 1,000 people were injured. Major damage was caused with scores of homes being destroyed. Shantou was hardest hit.	2,000	1,000+
24 [8]	Grenada, southwest of	6.2	35.0

April

April

Strongest magnitude	7.0 Mw   China
Deadliest	6.7 Mw   United States 1 death
Total fatalities	1
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
10 [9]	China, Heilongjiang Province	7.0	564.9
21 [10] [11]	United States, southern California	6.7	10.0		1 person died and several were injured in the 1918 San Jacinto earthquake. Major damage was caused.	1	1+

May

May

Strongest magnitude	7.3 Mw central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	3
6.0–6.9	2

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
20 [12]	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	7.3	15.0
20 [13]	Chile, off the coast of Coquimbo Region	6.8	20.0
20 [14]	New Guinea, north of New Ireland (island)	7.0	15.0
22 [15]	Fiji	7.1	35.0
23 [16]	Mexico, Sonora	6.8	10.0

June

June

Strongest magnitude	6.2 Mw   New Guinea
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	0
6.0–6.9	2

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
4 [17]	New Guinea, Morobe Province	6.2	15.0
7 [18]	Australia, Queensland	6.0		VI-VII	–	–	-

July

July

Strongest magnitude	7.5 Mw   New Guinea
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	6

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
1 [19]	Philippines east of Mindanao	6.5	35.0
3 [20]	New Guinea, off the north coast	7.5	15.0
8 [21] [22]	Bangladesh, Netrokona District	7.2	15.0		Some damage was reported.
15 [23]	United States, off the coast of northern California	6.4	15.0
16 [24]	Greece Greece, north of Crete	6.5	150.0
21 [25]	British Solomon Islands	6.7	20.0
25 [26]	Japan, off the east coast of Honshu	6.7	35.0
29 [27]	New Guinea, off the north coast	6.6	15.0

August

August

Strongest magnitude	8.3 Mw Philippines
Deadliest	8.3 Mw Philippines 52 deaths
Total fatalities	52
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	1
7.0–7.9	0
6.0–6.9	5
5.0–5.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
8 [28]	New Guinea, east of New Britain	6.5	35.0
14 [29]	China, Yunnan Province	5.5	0.0	VII	Some damage was reported. Depth unknown.
15 [30] [31] [32]	Philippines, off the south coast of Mindanao	8.3	20.0	X	The 1918 Celebes Sea earthquake caused 52 deaths. 46 were from the shaking and 6 from a major tsunami that washed ashore. Major damage was caused. The wave heights from the tsunami reached 24 feet.	52
15 [33]	Philippines, off the south coast of Mindanao	6.4	35.0		Aftershock.
15 [34]	Philippines, off the south coast of Mindanao	6.9	15.0		Aftershock.
16 [35]	Philippines, off the south coast of Mindanao	6.1	35.0		Aftershock.
23 [36]	British Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands	6.5	15.0

September

September

Strongest magnitude	8.1 Mw Russian SFSR
Deadliest	8.1 Mw Russian SFSR 23 deaths
Total fatalities	23
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	1
7.0–7.9	0
6.0–6.9	4

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
7 [37] [38]	Russian SFSR, Kuril Islands	8.1	15.0		A tsunami struck the area resulting in 23 deaths and 7 injuries. Damage was reported to 19 homes. Some homes were also destroyed.	23	7
13 [39]	Philippines, Batan Island	0.0	0.0	IX	Some homes were destroyed. Magnitude and depth unknown.
22 [40]	Dutch East Indies, off the west coast of Sumatra	6.5	35.0
22 [41]	Russian SFSR, Kuril Islands	6.7	35.0
29 [42]	Syria, off the coast of	6.6	15.0
30 [43]	France, southeast of the Loyalty Islands	6.5	35.0

October

October

Strongest magnitude	7.2 Mw   New Guinea
Deadliest	7.1 Mw   United States 144 deaths
Total fatalities	144
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	2

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
11 [44] [45] [46]	United States, northwest of Puerto Rico	7.1	15.0	IX	The 1918 San Fermin earthquake caused major destruction to Puerto Rico. In total 144 deaths were caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Damage costs amounted to $4 million (1918 rate).	144
14 [47]	Tonga	6.3	30.0
19 [48]	El Salvador, Ahuachapan Department	6.6	35.0
27 [49]	New Guinea, Mussau Island	7.2	15.0

November

November

Strongest magnitude	7.8 Mw Russian SFSR
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	3

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
8 [50]	Russian SFSR, east of the Kuril Islands	7.8	15.0
11 [51]	Japan, Nagano Prefecture, Honshu	6.5	5.0
18 [52]	Dutch East Indies, Babar Islands	7.5	35.0
23 [53]	Dutch East Indies, Banda Sea	6.9	15.0
23 [54]	Russian SFSR, Sakha Republic	6.4	15.0

December

December

Strongest magnitude	7.8 Mw   Chile
Deadliest	7.8 Mw   Chile 1 death
Total fatalities	1+
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	3

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
1 [55]	Turkestan ASSR, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region	6.5	20.0
2 [56]	northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge	7.1	10.0
4 [57] [58]	Chile, Atacama Region	7.8	40.0		Some (at least 1) people were killed and Copiapo suffered major damage.	1+
6 [59]	Canada, Vancouver Island	6.8	15.0		1918 Vancouver Island earthquake.
25 [60]	New Guinea, southeast of New Britain	6.6	458.9

References

1. "M 6.3 – near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. January 21, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
2. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. January 30, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
3. "M 6.9 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. February 7, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
4. "Significant Earthquake: PHILIPPINES: MINDANAO". National Geophysical Data Center. February 7, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
5. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. February 9, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
6. "M 7.3 – near the coast of Fujian, China". United States Geological Survey. February 13, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
7. "Significant Earthquake: CHINA: GUANGDONG PROVINCE". National Geophysical Data Center. February 13, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
8. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. February 24, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
9. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. April 10, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
10. "M 6.7 – Southern California". United States Geological Survey. April 21, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
11. "San Jacinto Earthquake". Caltech. April 21, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
12. "M 7.3 – central Mid-Atlantic Ridge". United States Geological Survey. May 20, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
13. "M 6.8 – offshore Coquimbo, Chile". United States Geological Survey. May 20, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
14. "M 7.0 – New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. May 20, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
15. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. May 22, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
16. "M 6.8 – Sonora, Mexico". United States Geological Survey. May 23, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
17. "M 6.2 – eastern New Guinea region, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. June 4, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
18. "M 6.0 – Queensland, Australia". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. June 7, 1918. doi:10.1785/0120240029 . Retrieved July 29, 2024.
19. "M 6.5 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. July 1, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
20. "M 7.5 – near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. July 3, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
21. "M 7.2 – Bangladesh". United States Geological Survey. July 8, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
22. "Significant Earthquake: BANGLADESH: SRIMANGAL". National Geophysical Data Center. July 8, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
23. "M 6.4 – offshore Northern California". United States Geological Survey. July 15, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
24. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. July 16, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
25. "M 6.7 – Solomon Islands". United States Geological Survey. July 21, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
26. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. July 25, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
27. "M 6.6 – near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. July 29, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
28. "M 6.5 – New Britain region, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. August 8, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
29. "Significant Earthquake: CHINA: YUNNAN PROVINCE". National Geophysical Data Center. August 14, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
30. "M 8.3 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. August 15, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
31. "Significant Earthquake: PHILIPPINES: MINDANAO: COTABATO". National Geophysical Data Center. August 15, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
32. "Tsunami Event: CELEBES SEA". National Geophysical Data Center. August 15, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
33. "M 6.4 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. August 15, 1918. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
34. "M 6.9 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. August 15, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
35. "M 6.1 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. August 16, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
36. "M 6.5 – Santa Cruz Islands region". United States Geological Survey. August 23, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
37. "M 8.1 – Kuril Islands". United States Geological Survey. September 7, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
38. "Tsunami Event: S. KURIL ISLANDS". National Geophysical Data Center. September 7, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
39. "Significant Earthquake: PHILIPPINES: BATANES: IVANA,SABTAN,SAN VICENTE". National Geophysical Data Center. September 13, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
40. "M 6.5 – southern Sumatra, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. September 22, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
41. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 22, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
42. "M 6.6 – near the coast of Syria". United States Geological Survey. September 29, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
43. "M 6.5 – southeast of the Loyalty Islands". United States Geological Survey. September 30, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
44. "M 7.1 – Puerto Rico region". United States Geological Survey. October 11, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
45. "Significant Earthquake: PUERTO RICO: MONA PASSAGE". National Geophysical Data Center. October 11, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
46. "Tsunami Event: PUERTO RICO: MONA PASSAGE". National Geophysical Data Center. October 11, 1918. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
47. "M 6.3 – Tonga". United States Geological Survey. October 14, 1918. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
48. "M 6.6 – El Salvador". United States Geological Survey. October 19, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
49. "M 7.2 – New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. October 27, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
50. "M 7.8 – east of the Kuril Islands". United States Geological Survey. November 8, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
51. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. November 11, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
52. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. November 18, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
53. "M 6.9 – Banda Sea". United States Geological Survey. November 23, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
54. "M 6.4 – northwestern Sakha, Russia". United States Geological Survey. November 30, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
55. "M 6.5 – Tajikistan". United States Geological Survey. December 1, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
56. "M 7.1 – northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge". United States Geological Survey. December 2, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
57. "M 7.8 – Atacama, Chile". United States Geological Survey. December 4, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
58. "Significant Earthquake: CHILE: COPIAPO". National Geophysical Data Center. December 4, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
59. "M 6.8 – Vancouver Island, Canada region". United States Geological Survey. December 6, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
60. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. December 25, 1918. Retrieved December 8, 2015.