Historical earthquakes is a list of significant earthquakes known to have occurred prior to the early 20th century. As the events listed here occurred before routine instrumental recordings – later followed by seismotomography imaging technique, [1] observations using space satellites from outer space, [2] artificial intelligence (AI)-based early earthquake warnings [3] – they rely mainly on the analysis of written sources, observations of shaking objects and/or animal behavior during earthquakes, [4] religious/traditional beliefs about earthquakes (e.g. "God's punishment", "God's rage", "Earth never quiet", "Earth's rage" or "Mother Nature's rage"). [5] There is often significant uncertainty and hypothesis in locations and magnitudes – sometimes dates for each earthquakes. The number of fatalities is also often highly uncertain and hypothetical, particularly for the older events.
Date | Time‡ | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | Mag. | Comments | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1920 BC | Qinghai Jishi Gorge outburst flood | Flood caused by landslide after earthquake | [6] | |||||
1740 BC | Fa of Xia Mount Tai earthquake | N 34.2705° | E 108.92512° | ? | ? | Listed in the Bamboo Annals | [7] [8] | |
479 BC | Aegean Sea 479 BC Potidaea earthquake | N 39.7° | E 23.3° | Many | 7.0 (approx) | Oldest record of a tsunami. Saved Potidaea from an invasion by the Achaemenid Empire. | [9] | |
464 BC | Sparta, Greece 464 BC Sparta earthquake | ? | 7.2 (approx) | Ms Led to a helot uprising and strained relations with Athens, one of the factors that led to the Peloponnesian War | [10] | |||
373 BC | Gulf of Corinth, Greece | Destroyed ancient city of Helike by Tsunami | [11] | |||||
226 BC | Rhodes, Greece 226 BC Rhodes earthquake | ? | – | Destroyed Colossus of Rhodes and city of Kameiros | [12] | |||
60 BC | Portugal and Galicia coasts | ? | 8.5 | Caused a tsunami | [13] | |||
17 AD | At night | Asia minor AD 17 Lydia earthquake | 37.85 | 27.3 | ? | Destroyed 13 cities in Asia (minor) | Described by the historians Tacitus and Pliny the Elder | |
February 5, 62 AD | Bay of Naples, Italy AD 62 Pompeii earthquake | ? | 5–6 | Brought down a large part of Pompeii, caused severe damage in Herculaneum and Nuceria. | Seneca describes it in his "Quaestiones Naturales VI" [14] | |||
89 AD | Baekje, Seoul, Korea | Lots of people | 6.7 | Houses were broken and lots of people died. | [15] | |||
110 AD | Dian Kingdom, Yunnan, southwestern China | probably thousands | – | Flooded administrative centre of the Dian Kingdom | [16] | |||
December 13, 115 AD | Antioch 115 Antioch earthquake | 36.1 | 36.1 | 260,000 (approx) | 7.5 | Ms | [17] | |
141 or 142 AD | Lycia, Caria, Dodecanese 141 Lycia earthquake | 36.7 | 28.0 | ? | 8 | Triggered a severe tsunami that caused inundation at Rhodes | [18] | |
May 18, 363 AD | Syria 363 Galilee earthquake | "thousands" | 7 (approx) | Destruction also in "The Holy Land", Petra | Ammianus Marcellinus [19] and numerous other late Antiquity writers. [20] | |||
July 21, 365 AD | Crete (Greece) 365 Crete earthquake | "thousands" | 8.5+ | Destruction also in Cyrene & Alexandria (by tsunami). Uplifted Crete by 9 metres. | Ammianus Marcellinus [19] and numerous other late Antiquity writers [20] | |||
382 AD | Cape St. Vincent, Portugal | 7.5 | According to Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, the earthquake and corresponding tsunami sank two islets that were situated near Cape St. Vincent. | Ammianus Marcellinus | ||||
May 19, 526 AD | Antioch, Turkey 526 Antioch earthquake | 250,000 | 7.0 | The city of Antioch was greatly damaged, and some decades later the city's population was just 300,000. | Procopius, II.14.6; sources based on John of Ephesus | |||
July 6, 551 AD | Beirut, Tyre, Tripoli 551 Beirut earthquake | 33.9 | 35.5 | 30,000 | 7.5 | Mw Triggered a devastating tsunami, all the cities of the Phoenician coast from Tyre to Tripoli were reduced to ruins | [21] | |
November 26, 684 AD | Shikoku, Japan 684 Hakuhō earthquake | 32.8 | 134.3 | 101–1,000 | 8.4 MK (Kawasumi scale) | Various references estimate the quake's magnitude at 8.0 to 8.4, with damage being "severe". Other dates for the quake are: October 14 (incorrect date) and November 24. [22] | Described in the history book Nihon Shoki | |
January 18, 749 AD | The Levant 749 Galilee earthquake | "tens of thousands" | 7.0–7.5 (approx) | The cities of Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos and Pella were largely destroyed while many other cities across the Levant region were heavily damaged. | [23] [24] | |||
April 29, 801 AD | Central Italy 801 Apennine earthquake | 41.896 | 12.482 | 5.4 Me | There was severe damage in Rome. The quake was also felt in Spoleto. | [25] | ||
November 24, 847 AD | Damascus, Syria 847 Damascus earthquake | 33.5 | 36.3 | 70,000 | 7.3 | [21] [26] | ||
December 856 AD | Corinth, Greece | 37.9 | 22.9 | 45,000 | – | [26] [27] | ||
December 22, 856 AD (aftershocks for about a year) | Qumis, Iran. From Khuvar to Bustam and Gurgan. The town of Qumis (Hecatompylos) hardest hit. 856 Damghan earthquake | 36.23 | 54.14 | 200,000 | 7.9 (approx) | The city of Qumis was half destroyed and had 45,096 casualties. | [26] [28] | |
July 13, 869 AD | Sendai, Japan 869 Jōgan earthquake | 38.5 | 143.8 | 1,000 (approx) | 8.6–9.0 Mw | [29] [30] | ||
March 23, 893 AD | Ardabil, Iran 893 Ardabil earthquake | 38.28 | 48.30 | 150,000 | – | – | Regarded as a 'fake earthquake', due to misunderstanding of original Armenian sources for the 893 Dvin event. [31] [32] [33] [34] | |
December 28, 893 AD | Dvin, Armenia 893 Dvin earthquake | 40.0 | 44.6 | 30,000 | 6 (approx) | Mislocated in India | [35] |
Date | Time‡ | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | Mag. | Comments | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 1033 | Jordan Valley, Levant, Israel & the State of Palestine 1033 Jordan Valley earthquake | 32.5 | 35.5 | 70,000 | 7.3 | Mw . Triggered a tsunami. | [36] | |
December 1037 | Taizhou, Jiangsu, China | 32.0 | 119.0 | 22,391 | [37] [38] | |||
August 12, 1042 | Palmyra, Baalbek, Syria, Lebanon | 35.1 | 38.9 | 50,000 | 7.2 (>VIII) | [21] [26] | ||
March 18, 1068 | Near East 1068 Near East earthquake | 20,000 | ≥7.0 | [39] [40] | ||||
October 11, 1138 | Aleppo, Syria 1138 Aleppo earthquake | 36.1 | 36.8 | 230,000 | 7.1 | [21] [41] | ||
September 30, 1139 | Ganja, Azerbaijan 1139 Ganja earthquake | 40.3 | 46.2 | 230,000–300,000 | 7.7 | Ms . Resulted in the total destruction of Ganja. | [42] | |
August 12, 1157 | 08:15 | Hama, Syria 1157 Hama earthquake | 35.1 | 36.3 | 8,000 | 7.2 | Ms Largest in a sequence lasting from late 1156 to early 1159 | [21] [41] [43] |
February 4, 1169 | Sicily 1169 Sicily earthquake | 37.3 | 15.0 | 15,000 | 6.4–7.3 | [44] | ||
June 29, 1170 | 06:29 | Eastern Mediterranean 1170 Syria earthquake | 34.4 | 36.4 | 5,000–80,000 in Aleppo [45] 25,000 in Hama | 7.3–7.5 [46] 7.7 [47] | Syria, Lebanon, central southern Turkey | Numerous sources from Crusader times. [41] [43] |
July 5, 1201 and/or May 20, 1202 | Eastern Mediterranean; 1202 Syria earthquake | 1,100,000 (includes famine/disease deaths) | 7.6 | Damage across a wide area from Syria to Upper Egypt | – | |||
May 11, 1222 | 06:15 | Cyprus 1222 Cyprus earthquake | 34.7 | 32.6 | 7.0–7.5 | Caused damage at Paphos, Limassol and Nicosia | [48] | |
1269 | Cilicia, Anatolia (Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia) 1269 Cilicia earthquake | 37.5 | 35.5 | 60,000 | 7 (approx) | |||
September 27, 1290 | Zhili (Hebei), China 1290 Zhili earthquake | 41.5 | 119.3 | 100,000 | 6.8 | Ms | [49] | |
May 26, 1293 | Kamakura, (now in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kantō region,) Japan 1293 Kamakura earthquake | 35.2 | 139.4 | 23,024 | 7.1 | [50] | ||
August 8, 1303 | 06:00 | 1303 Crete earthquake, Greece | 35 | 27 | up to 10,000 | ~8 | Triggered a major tsunami that devastated Alexandria in Egypt | [51] |
September 25, 1303 | 1303 Hongdong earthquake, China | 36.3 | 111.7 | 270,000 | Mw 7.2–7.6 | Taiyuan and Pingyang (modern Linfen) were leveled. | [52] | |
January 1, 1341 | Crimea, Ukraine | Not known | 6 | [53] | ||||
January 25, 1348 | 15:00 | Friuli, Venice, Rome 1348 Friuli earthquake | 46.37 | 13.58 | 10,000 | 6.9 | [26] | |
August 24, 1356 | Lisbon, Portugal 1356 Lisbon earthquake | 8.5 | Mw | [54] [55] | ||||
October 18, 1356 | Basel, Switzerland 1356 Basel earthquake | 47.5 | 07.6 | 1,000 | 6.2 | Mw | [56] | |
May 21, 1382 | Canterbury, UK 1382 Dover Straits earthquake | ? | 5.8 | Struck during synod – later called "Earthquake Synod" – called to condemn heresy of John Wycliffe – some saw as portentous | [57] [58] | |||
February 2, 1428 | Catalonia (now Spain) 1428 Catalonia earthquake | 42.4 | 2.2 | 1,000s | 6.7 | Sometimes called the terratrèmol de la candelera because it took place during the Candlemas. | [26] [59] [60] | |
December 5, 1456 | Province of Benevento, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) 1456 Central Italy earthquakes | 41.3 | 14.7 | 30,000–70,000 | 7.2 | The largest and most widespread earthquake on the Italian Peninsula. Was followed by another Mw 7.0 shock on December 30. | ||
May 3, 1481 | 03:00 | Rhodes 1481 Rhodes earthquake | 36.0 | 28.0 | 30,000 | 7.1 | Largest of a series that lasted 10 months | [61] |
September 20, 1498 | 08:00 local time | Honshu 1498 Meiō earthquake | 34.0 | 138.1 | 31,000 | 8.6 | Ms | [62] |
June 6, 1505 | Nepal 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake | 29.5 | 83.0 | 30% of Nepalese population | 8.2–8.8 | |||
September 10, 1509 | 22:00 | Istanbul, Turkey 1509 Constantinople earthquake | 40.9 | 28.7 | 10,000 | 7.2 | Ms | [63] |
January 26, 1531 | 04:30 | Lisbon, Portugal 1531 Lisbon earthquake | 38.9 | −09.0 | 30,000 | 6.9 | [64] | |
January 23, 1556 | Shaanxi, China 1556 Shaanxi earthquake | 34.5 | 109.7 | 830,000+ | 8.2–8.3 | Deadliest earthquake in recorded history | USGS | |
November 16–17, 1570 | 19:10 | Ferrara, Italy 1570 Ferrara earthquake | 44.817 | 11.633 | 70–200 | 5.5 | Azariah de Rossi's Kol Elohim [26] [65] | |
December 16, 1575 | 18:30 | Valdivia, Chile 1575 Valdivia earthquake | −39.8 | −73.2 | ? | 8.5 | [26] [66] | |
June 10–11, 1585 | Unk | Aleutian Islands, Alaska 1585 Aleutian Islands earthquake | Unk | Unk | Unk | 9.25 | Mw On June 11, 1585, a moderate tsunami struck the Sanriku coast of Japan. At the same time, a number of Hawaiian natives died after their settlements was struck by a tsunami-like event described in oral traditions. Paleotsunami evidence was also found in the Hawaiian Islands corresponding to a large tsunami in the 16th century. Modelling of a magnitude 9.25 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands matched the descriptions and geological evidences in Japan and Hawaii. | [67] |
January 18, 1586 | 23:00 | Chūbu region, Japan 1586 Tenshō earthquake | 36.0 | 136.9 | 8,000 | 7.9 | MJMA | [68] |
Date | Time‡ | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | Mag. | Comments | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 24, 1604 | 12:30 local time | Arica, Chile 1604 Arica earthquake | -18.500 | -70.400 | ? | 8.5 | MI | [69] |
February 3, 1605 | 20:00 local time | Shikoku, Honshu, Japan 1605 Keichō earthquake | 33.5 | 138.5 | thousands | 7.9 | Ms | [70] |
July 13, 1605 | Qiongshan, Hainan, China 1605 Guangdong earthquake | 19.9 | 110.5 | 3,000 | 7.5 (X) | [71] | ||
December 11, 1611 | 10:30 | Sanriku, Japan 1611 Sanriku earthquake | 39.0 | 144.4 | ~5,000 | 8.1 | Ms | [72] |
October 25, 1622 | Ningxia, China 1622 North Guyuan earthquake | 36.5 | 106.3 | 12,000 | 7.0 | Ms | [73] | |
May 11, 1624 | 03:00–04:00 | Fez, Morocco 1624 Fez earthquake | 34.1 | -5.1 | thousands | 6.0 | Mw | [74] |
August 1, 1629 | Banda Sea, Indonesia 1629 Banda Sea earthquake | -4.6 | 129.9 | 0 | 8.2-8.8 | Mw | [75] | |
March 27, 1638 | Calabria, Kingdom of Sicily (present-day Italy) 1638 Calabrian earthquakes | 38.64 | 15.78 | 9,581–30,000 | 7.1 | A sequence of four earthquakes. | [76] | |
March 27, 1638 | night | Tabriz, Iran 1641 Tabriz earthquake | 37.9 | 46.1 | 12,613–30,000 | 6.8 | Ms | |
February 5, 1663 | 17:30 local time | Quebec, Canada 1663 Charlevoix earthquake | 47.6 | 70.1 | 0 | 7.3–7.9 | Landslides were the primary feature. | [77] |
April 6, 1667 | Dubrovnik, Croatia 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake | 42.3 | 18.1 | 3,000 | 7.2 | [78] | ||
November 25, 1667 | Shamakhi, Azerbaijan 1667 Shamakhi earthquake | 40.6 | 48.6 | 80,000 | 6.9 | Ms | [49] | |
July 25, 1668 | Shandong, China 1668 Shandong earthquake | 35.3 | 118.6 | 42,578 | 8.5 | Largest earthquake in East China. | [79] | |
August 17, 1668 | Anatolia, Turkey 1668 North Anatolia earthquake | 40 | 36 | 8,000 | 8 | Largest earthquake in Turkey. | USGS | |
February 17, 1674 | 19:30 | Ambon, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) 1674 Ambon earthquake and megatsunami | 3.75 | 127.75 | 2,347 | 6.8 | Major tsunami up to 100 meters high. First and largest ever documented tsunami in Indonesia. | |
November 4, 1677 | 20:00 | Bōsō Peninsula, Japan 1677 Bōsō earthquake | 35.0 | 141.5 | 569 | 8.3–8.6 | Mw | [80] |
October 20, 1687 | 11:30 | Lima, Peru 1687 Peru earthquake | −15.2 | −75.9 | 5,000 | 8.2 | [26] | |
June 5, 1688 | Province of Benevento, Italy 1688 Sannio earthquake | 41.3 | 14.6 | est. 10,000 | 7 | Completely destroyed Cerreto Sannita and Guardia Sanframondi, heavily damaged Benevento. | [81] | |
September 13, 1692 | 11:00 | Salta Province, Argentina 1692 Salta earthquake | −25.40 | −64.80 | ~13 | 7.0 | The small village of Talavera del Esteco was completely destroyed. | [82] |
June 7, 1692 | 11:43 local time | Port Royal, Jamaica 1692 Jamaica earthquake | 17.9 | −76.8 | 2,000+ | 7 (approx) (X) | [83] [84] | |
January 11, 1693 | Catania Province, Sicily 1693 Sicily earthquake | 60,000 | 7.5 | |||||
September 5, 1694 | 11:40 | Irpinia, Italy 1694 Irpinia–Basilicata earthquake | 40.88 | 15.35 | 6,000 | 6.9 | Mw | [85] |
May 18, 1695 | 12:00 | Shanxi, Qing dynasty 1695 Linfen earthquake | 36.0 | 111.5 | 52,600–176,365 | 7.8 | Mw | [86] |
January 5, 1699 | Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia) 1699 Java earthquake | 6.078 | 105.913 | 128 | 7.4–8.0 | Mw |
Date | Time‡ | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | Mag. | Comments | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 26, 1700 | ~21:00 | Cascadia subduction zone 1700 Cascadia earthquake Source of "Orphan Tsunami," which struck Japan hours later. The Japanese were caught off-guard, not knowing the origin of the wave, until geologist Brian Atwater's research confirmed it. | 9.0 | M (Satake et al., 1996) | USGS | |||
January 14, 1703 | 18:00 | Norcia, Italy 1703 Apennine earthquakes | 42.7 | 13.07 | 6,240–9,761 | 6.7 | Mw | [26] [87] |
February 2, 1703 | 11:05 | L'Aquila, Italy 1703 Apennine earthquakes | 42.43 | 13.3 | 2,500–5,000 | 6.7 | Mw | [26] [87] |
December 31, 1703 | 17:00 | Kantō region, Japan 1703 Genroku earthquake | 35.0 | 140.0 | 10,000 | 8.2 | Ms | [88] |
November 3, 1706 | 13:00 | Abruzzo, Italy 1706 Abruzzo earthquake | 42.1 | 14.1 | 2,400 | 6.8 | Mw | [88] |
October 28, 1707 | 14:00 local time | Japan 1707 Hōei earthquake | 33.0 | 136.0 | 5,000+ | 8.6 | [89] | |
October 14, 1709 | Zhongwei, China 1709 Zhongwei earthquake | 37.4 | 105.3 | 2,000+ | 7.5 | Mw | [90] [91] | |
February 3, 1716 | Algiers, Algeria 1716 Algiers earthquake | 36.8 | 3.0 | 20,000 | IX–X European macroseismic scale | |||
June 19, 1718 | Gansu, China 1718 Tongwei–Gansu earthquake | 35.0 | 105.2 | 73,000 | 7.5 | Ms | [92] | |
April 26, 1721 | Tabriz, Iran 1721 Tabriz earthquake | 37.9 | 46.7 | ~80,000 | 7.7 | [88] | ||
July 8, 1730 | 08:45 | Valparaíso, Chile 1730 Valparaíso earthquake | −32.5 | −71.5 | ? | 8.7 | [93] | |
September 30, 1730 | 10:00 local time | Beijing, China | 40.0 | 116.2 | 100s | 6.5 | [94] [95] | |
November 29, 1732 | 8:40 local time | Irpinia, Italy 1732 Irpinia earthquake | 41.0727 | 15.0623 | 6.6 | Ms | [96] | |
October 16, 1737 | 15:30 local time | Kamchatka, Russia 1737 Kamchatka earthquake | 51.1 | 158.0 | 8.3 | Ms | [97] [98] | |
January 4, 1739 | 18:00 UTC | Ningxia, China 1739 Yinchuan–Pingluo earthquake | 38.9 | 106.5 | >50,000 | 8.0 | ||
October 28, 1746 | 22:30 local time | Lima & Callao, Peru 1746 Lima–Callao earthquake | −11.35 | −77.28 | 4,000–5,000 | 8.6–8.8 | Mw | [99] |
May 25, 1751 | 1:00 local time | Concepción, Chile 1751 Concepción earthquake | −36.830 | −73.030 | 8.5 | MI | USGS | |
June 7, 1755 | Northern Persia | 34.0 | 51.5 | 1,200 40,000 [100] | 5.9 | [95] [101] | ||
November 1, 1755 | 10:16 | Lisbon, Portugal 1755 Lisbon earthquake | 36 | −11 | 80,000 | 8.5 | Caused a huge tsunami | USGS |
November 18, 1755 | 09:11 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States 1755 Cape Ann earthquake | 42.7 | −70.2 | 0 | 5.9 | Mw | [102] [103] |
November 27, 1755 | Fez and Meknes, Morocco 1755 Meknes earthquake | 34 | −5 | 15,000 | 6.5–7.0 | Mw | [104] [105] | |
November 25, 1759 | 19:23 local time | Eastern Mediterranean 1759 Near East earthquakes | 33.7 | 35.9 | 1,000s | 7.4 | Ms Earthquake in same area on October 30 considered to be a foreshock. | [21] |
March 31, 1761 | 13:01 local time | Lisbon, Portugal 1761 Lisbon earthquake | 34.5 | 13.0 | Unknown | 8.5 | Ms Second major earthquake in Europe in six years. | |
April 2, 1762 | Northeastern Bay of Bengal [106] 1762 Arakan earthquake | 22.0 | 92.0 | 200 | up to 8.8 | Mw | [107] | |
June 28, 1763 | 05:28 | Komárom, Kingdom of Hungary 1763 Komárom earthquake | 47.73 | 18.15 | 83 | 6.2–6.5 | Mw | [108] |
May 22, 1766 | 05:10 | Istanbul, Turkey 1766 Istanbul earthquake | 40.8 | 29.0 | 4,000 | 7.1 | Ms | [109] |
October 21, 1766 | 04:30 local time | Saint Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela 1766 Southeastern Caribbean earthquake | 11.0 | −62.5 | 6.5–7.5 | Ms Destroyed Spanish colonial capital of San Jose, Trinidad (now St. Joseph). | [110] [111] | |
June 3, 1770 | 19:15 local time | Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1770 Port-au-Prince earthquake | 18.7 | −72.63 | 200+ | 7.5 | Mw | [112] |
July 29, 1773 | Guatemala 1773 Guatemala earthquake | 14.6 | -90.7 | 5–600 | 7.5 | |||
January 8, 1780 | Tabriz, Iran 1780 Tabriz earthquake | 38.0 | 46.2 | 40,000–200,000 | 7.4 | Ms | [113] [114] | |
February 4–5, 1783; March 28, 1783 | 12:00 | Calabria, Italy 1783 Calabrian earthquakes | 38.15 | 15.70 | 35,000 | 6.9 | Mw First in a sequence of five earthquakes Mw ≥ 5.9 to hit Calabria in less than two months. | [115] |
June 1, 1786 | 04:00 local time | Sichuan, China 1786 Kangding-Luding earthquake | 29.9 | 102.0 | ~100,000 | 7.75 | Mw Triggered a landslide that blocked the Dadu river – the collapse of the dam during an aftershock and subsequent flood caused most of the casualties. | [116] |
March 28, 1787 | 11:30 local time | Oaxaca, Mexico 1787 New Spain earthquake | 16.5 | -98.5 | 11+ | 8.6 | Mw | |
February 4, 1797 | 12:30 | Quito, Ecuador & Cuzco, Peru 1797 Riobamba earthquake | 41,000 | 7.3 | Mw | [117] | ||
February 10, 1797 | Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) 1797 Sumatra earthquake | −1.0 | 99.0 | 300 | 8.4 | [118] [119] [120] |
Date | Time‡ | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | Mag. | Comments | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 26, 1802 | 10:55 | Vrancea region, Moldavia, now Romania 1802 Vrancea earthquake | 45.7 | 26.6 | 3 in Bucharest | 7.9 | Serious damage in the area. All church steeples in Bucharest collapsed, as well as many houses and Colţea bell tower. | [121] [122] |
February 16, 1810 | 22:15 | Crete, Heraklion 1810 Crete earthquake | 35.5 | 25.6 | 2,000 | 7.5 | Mw | [123] |
December 16, 1811 | 08:00 | New Madrid, Missouri, United States 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes | 36.6 | −89.6 | 8.1 | MI | USGS | |
January 23, 1812 | 15:00 | New Madrid, Missouri, United States 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes | 36.6 | −89.6 | 7.8 | MI | USGS | |
February 7, 1812 | 09:45 | New Madrid, Missouri, United States 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes | 36.6 | −89.6 | 8 | MI (Johnston, 1996) | USGS | |
March 26, 1812 | 16:37 | Caracas, La Guaira, El Tocuyo, San Felipe, Barquisimeto, Mérida, La Victoria, Valencia, Venezuela 1812 Caracas earthquake | 15,000–20,000 | 7.7–8.0 | ||||
December 8, 1812 | 7:00 a.m. local time | Alta California 1812 San Juan Capistrano earthquake | 40 | 6.9–7.5 | Destroyed the "Great Stone Church" at Mission San Juan Capistrano | |||
December 21, 1812 | 11:00 a.m. local time | Santa Barbara Channel, California, United States | 34.12 | −119.54 | 1–2 | 7.1–7.5 | Destroyed the church at Mission Santa Barbara, caused near-total destruction at Mission La Purísima Concepción, and considerable damage at Mission Santa Inés | Southern California Earthquake Data Center |
June 16, 1819 | 18:45–18:50 local time | Gujarat, India 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake | 23.0 | 71.0 | >1,543 | 7.7–8.2 | Mw Formed an 80 km long ridge, the Allah Bund ('Dam of God') | [124] |
June 2, 1823 | 08:00 | south flank of Kīlauea, Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii | 19.3 | −155 | 7 | MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) | USGS | |
August 26, 1833 | Himalayas, Nepal–India–Tibet region 1833 Bihar–Nepal earthquake | 28.3 | 85.5 | ~500 | 7.7–7.9 | Mw | [125] | |
November 25, 1833 | Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) 1833 Sumatra earthquake | −2.5 | 100.5 | "numerous victims" | 8.8–9.2 | Mw Huge tsunami flooded all southern part of western Sumatra | [118] [120] [126] | |
June 10, 1836 | 15:30 | south San Francisco Bay region, California, Mexico (now United States) | 36.9 | −121.5 | 6.5 | MI (Bakun, 1999) Reports probably refer to the 1838 San Andreas earthquake, misreported in 1868 following the Hayward earthquake of that year | USGS, [127] | |
January 1, 1837 | 16:00 local time | Galilee, Palestine 1837 Galilee earthquake | 33.0 | 35.5 | 6,000–7,000 | >7.0 | Ms | [21] [128] |
June 1838 | San Francisco Peninsula, California, Mexico (now United States) 1838 San Andreas earthquake | 37.3 | −123.2 | 6.8 | MI (Bakun, 1999) | USGS | ||
January 11, 1839 | 06:00 local time | Offshore Martinique, France 1839 Martinique earthquake | 14.5 | –60.5 | 700–4,000 | 7.8–8.0 | Severe damage in Martinique, and felt throughout most of the Lesser Antilles | |
March 23, 1839 | 04:00 | Inwa, Kingdom of Burma (present day Myanmar) | 21.9 | 96.0 | 300–500 | 8.1–8.2 | Destroyed the city of Amarapura, Mandalay and the former capital Inwa. | [129] |
January 5, 1843 | 02:45 | Marked Tree, Arkansas, United States | 35.5 | −90.5 | 6.3 | MI (Johnston, 1996) | USGS | |
February 8, 1843 | 10:37 local time | Guadeloupe, France | 16.5 | 62.2 | 1,500–5,000 | 8.5 | ||
May 8, 1847 | Around Zenkō-ji Temple, (now in Nagano Prefecture, Chūbu region,) Japan 1847 Zenkoji earthquake | 36.7 | 138.2 | >8,600 | 7.4 | 2,094 houses lost by fire with quake at Nagano. | [130] | |
November 26, 1852 | Banda Sea, Dutch East Indies 1852 Banda Sea earthquake | 5.24 | 129.75 | 60+ | 7.5–8.8 | Mw Major tsunami. | ||
December 23, 1854 | 09:00 | Honshu, Japan 1854 Tōkai earthquake | 34.0 | 137.8 | 2,000 | 8.4 | Major tsunami. | [131] |
December 24, 1854 | 16:00 | Honshu, Japan 1854 Nankai earthquake | 33.0 | 135.0 | thousands | 8.4 | Major tsunami | [131] |
January 23, 1855 | 21:11 local time | Wairarapa, New Zealand 1855 Wairarapa earthquake | −41.4 | 174.5 | 4 | 8.0 (approx) | Raised sections of Wellington coastline by 2 metres. | – |
November 11, 1855 | 22:00 local time | Edo (now Tokyo, Kantō region), Japan 1855 Edo earthquake | 35.65 | 139.8 | ~ 7,000 | 7.0 | Ms 10,000 houses destroyed in Edo. | 安政の大地震 in Japanese |
October 12, 1856 | 02:38 or 02:24 local time | Crete-Rhodes, Greece (then the Ottoman Empire) | 35.5 | 26.0 | 600+ | 7.7–8.3 Mw | Widespread damage to Greece, Malta, Anatolia and the Middle East. | |
January 9, 1857 | 16:24 | Fort Tejon, California, United States (San Andreas Fault from Parkfield to Wrightwood) 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake | 1 | 7.9 | M (Grant and Sieh, 1993; Stein and Hanks, 1998) | USGS | ||
December 16, 1857 | 21:00 | Naples, Italy 1857 Basilicata earthquake | 40.3 | 16 | 11,000 | 6.9 | MI | USGS |
February 16, 1861 | Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) 1861 Sumatra earthquake | 1.0 | 97,5 | 905 | 8.5 | Caused a major tsunami. | [132] [133] | |
March 20, 1861 | 20:36 | Mendoza Province, Argentina 1861 Mendoza earthquake | -32.9 | -68.9 | 5,235 | 7.2 | Strongest earthquake in Mendoza Province and proportional most deadly in Argentinean history. | INPRES |
October 8, 1865 | 20:46 | San Jose, California, United States | 37.2 | −121.9 | 6.5 | MI (Bakun, 1999) | USGS | |
April 14, 1867 | 14:30 | Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas 1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake | 39.2 | –96.3 | 5.1 | Mfa | ||
June 10, 1867 | 21:09 | Central Java, Dutch East Indies 1867 Java earthquake | -8.7 | 110.6 | 700 | 7.8 | Mw | |
November 18, 1867 | 18:45 | Anegada Passage, between the British Virgin Islands and Danish West Indies (present-day US Virgin Islands) 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami | 18.2 | –65.0 | ~30 | 7.3–7.5 | NGDC | |
December 18, 1867 | 09:00 | New Taipei City, Taiwan 1867 Keelung earthquake | 25.34 | 121.91 | 580 | 7.0 | Mw . Thought to be the only destructive tsunami (15 meters) in Taiwan. | |
April 3, 1868 | 02:25 | Kau, southeast Hawaii, Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii 1868 Hawaii earthquake | 19.2 | −155.5 | 77 | 7.9 | MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) | USGS |
August 13, 1868 | 16:45 local time | Arica, Chile 1868 Arica earthquake | −18.500 | −70.350 | 25,000 | 8.5-9.3 | Mw, Okal et al. (2006) gives upper end magnitude | USGS |
October 21, 1868 | 15:53 | Hayward, California, United States, Hayward Fault Zone 1868 Hayward earthquake | 37.7 | −122.1 | 30 | 6.8 | MI (Bakun, 1999) | USGS |
February 20, 1871 | 08:42 | Molokai, Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii 1871 Lānaʻi earthquake | 21.2 | −156.9 | 6.8 | MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) | USGS | |
March 26, 1872 | 10:30 | Owens Valley, California, United States 1872 Owens Valley earthquake | 36.5 | −118 | 27 | 7.6 | M (Beanland and Clark, 1994) | USGS |
December 15, 1872 | 05:40 | North Cascades, Washington, United States 1872 North Cascades earthquake | 47.9 | −120.3 | 7.3 | MI (Malone and Bor, 1979; Rogers et al., 1983) | USGS | |
May 10, 1877 | 21:16 local time | Iquique, Chile 1877 Iquique earthquake | −19.600 | −70.230 | 2,541 | 8.8 | Mw | USGS |
November 9, 1880 | 7:04 local time | Zagreb, Croatia 1880 Zagreb earthquake | 45.9 | 16.1 | 1 | 6.2 | Ms | [134] |
April 3, 1881 | 11:30 | Chios, Çeşme, Alaçatı 1881 Chios earthquake | 38.25 | 26.25 | 7,866 | 6.5 | Mw | [135] |
December 31, 1881 | 01:49 | India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1881 Nicobar Islands earthquake | 8.52 | 92.43 | 0 | 7.9 | Mw | [136] |
September 7, 1882 | 3:50 local time | San Blas Islands, Panama 1882 Panama earthquake | 10.0 | 79.0 | 250 | 8.3 | Ms Largest earthquake in Panamanian history | [137] |
December 25, 1884 | 09:18 | Andalusia, Spain 1884 Andalusian earthquake | -36.96 | 4.07 | 1,200 | 6.5 | Mw | |
August 27, 1886 | 21:32 | Filiatra, western Peloponnese, Greece 1886 Peloponnese earthquake | 37.1 | 21.5 | 600 | 7.5 | unknown | [138] |
August 31, 1886 | 02:51 | Charleston, South Carolina, United States 1886 Charleston earthquake | 32.9 | −80 | 60 | 7.3 | MI (Johnston, 1996) Believed to be the largest earthquake ever to strike the east coast. | USGS |
February 23, 1887 | 06:30 local time | Liguria, Italy | 43.78 | 8.07 | 600–3,000 | 6.3–7.5 | Mw The earthquake caused severe damage along the Ligurian coast and caused the town of Bussana Vecchia to be abandoned. | [139] [140] |
September 1, 1888 | 04:10 local time | North Canterbury, New Zealand 1888 North Canterbury earthquake | −42.6 | 172.4 | 7.0–7.3 | First earthquake observed to be associated with mainly horizontal fault displacement. | – | |
July 28, 1889 | 23:40 | Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan 1889 Kumamoto earthquake | 32.8 | 130.7 | 20 | 6.3 | [26] | |
October 27, 1891 | 21:38 | Mino-Owari (Gifu-Aichi Prefectures), Tōkai region, Japan 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake | 35.6 | 136.6 | 7,273 | 8 | MS | USGS |
April 19, 1892 | 10:50 | Vacaville, California, United States 1892 Vacaville–Winters earthquakes | 38.5 | −121.8 | 1 | 6.4 | MI (Bakun, 1999) | USGS |
April 21, 1892 | 17:43 | Winters, California, United States 1892 Vacaville–Winters earthquakes | 38.6 | −122 | 6.4 | MI (Bakun, 1999) | USGS | |
November 17, 1893 | 15:06 | Quchan, Iran 1893 Quchan earthquake | 37.2 | 58.4 | 18,000 | 6.6 | Ms | [141] |
October 31, 1895 | 11:08 | Charleston, Missouri, United States 1895 Charleston earthquake | 37 | −89.4 | 6.6 | MI (Johnston, 1996) | USGS | |
June 15, 1896 | 19:32 | Off the Pacific coast of Sanriku, Iwate Prefecture, Tōhoku region, Japan 1896 Sanriku earthquake | 39.5 | 144 | 22,000+ | 8.0–8.1 (approx) | Mw | USGS |
June 12, 1897 | 11:06 | Assam, India 1897 Assam earthquake | 26 | 91 | 1,500 | 8.3 | USGS | |
September 21, 1897 | 05:12 | Mindanao, Philippines 1897 Mindanao earthquakes | 6.0 | 122.0 | 13 | 7.5 | MS | [142] [143] |
September 4, 1899 | 00:22 | Cape Yakataga, Alaska, United States 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes | 60 | -142 | 7.9 | MS | USGS | |
September 10, 1899 | 21:41 | Yakutat Bay, Alaska, United States 1899 Yakutat Bay earthquakes | 60 | −142 | 8 | MS | USGS | |
September 20, 1899 | 04:00 | Ottoman Empire 1899 Aydın–Denizli earthquake | 37.9 | 28.1 | 1,117 | 7.1 | Mw | NGDC |
October 9, 1900 | 12:28 | Kodiak Island, Alaska, United States | 57.1 | −153.5 | 7.7 | MS | USGS | |
October 28, 1900 | 09:11 | offshore Miranda, Venezuela 1900 San Narciso earthquake | 11.0 | −66.0 | 140 | 7.7 | Ms | USGS |
Source for all events with 'USGS' labelled as the source United States Geological Survey (USGS) Note: Magnitudes are generally estimations from intensity data. When no magnitude was available, the maximum intensity, written as a Roman numeral from I to XII, is given.
Earthquakes are caused by movements within the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle. They range from weak events detectable only by seismometers, 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 1703 Genroku earthquake occurred at 02:00 local time on December 31. The epicenter was near Edo, the forerunner of present-day Tokyo, in the southern part of the Kantō region, Japan. An estimated 2,300 people were killed by the destruction and subsequent fires. The earthquake triggered a major tsunami which caused many additional casualties, giving a total death toll of at least 5,233, possibly up to 200,000. Genroku is a Japanese era spanning from 1688 through 1704.
The 1946 Nankai earthquake was a great earthquake in Nankaidō, Japan. It occurred on December 21, 1946, at 04:19 JST. The earthquake measured between 8.1 and 8.4 on the moment magnitude scale, and was felt from Northern Honshū to Kyūshū. It occurred almost two years after the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, which ruptured the adjacent part of the Nankai megathrust.
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 1303 Crete earthquake occurred at about dawn on 8 August. It had an estimated magnitude of about 8, a maximum intensity of IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale, and triggered a major tsunami that caused severe damage and loss of life on Crete and at Alexandria. It badly damaged the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The 1877 Iquique earthquake occurred at 21:16 local time on 9 May. It had a magnitude of 8.5 on the surface-wave magnitude scale. Other estimates of its magnitude have been as high as 8.9 Mw and 9.0 Mt. It had a maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale and triggered a devastating tsunami. A total of 2,385 people died, mainly in Fiji from the tsunami.
The 1941 Andaman Islands earthquake struck the Andaman Islands on June 26 with a magnitude of 7.7 to 8.1. Details of this event are poorly known as much of Southeast Asia was in the turmoil of World War II. The quake caused severe damage in the Andaman Islands. The tsunami it triggered was reported along the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India and British Ceylon. There may have been damage and deaths in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand due to the tsunami.
The area around Constantinople was affected by a major earthquake in AD 447. It caused serious damage to the recently completed Theodosian Walls in Constantinople, destroying 57 towers and large stretches of the walls. The historical records contain no mention of casualties directly associated with this earthquake, although many thousands of people were reported to have died in the aftermath due to starvation and a "noxious smell".
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 Mw 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.
The 1979 Yapen earthquake occurred on September 12 at 05:17:51 UTC. It had an epicenter near the coast of Yapen Island in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Measuring 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale and having a depth of 20 km (12 mi), it caused severe damage on the island. At least 115 were killed due to shaking and a moderate tsunami.
The 1941 Hyūga-nada earthquake occurred off the coast of Kyushu, Japan at 19:02 local time on November 19. The earthquake measured 8.0 Mw and had a depth of 35 km (22 mi). A JMA seismic intensity of 5 was observed in Miyazaki City and Nobeoka City in Miyazaki Prefecture, and Hitoyoshi City in Kumamoto Prefecture. Due to the earthquake, a tsunami with a maximum wave height of 1.2 m was observed in Kyushu and Shikoku. The tsunami washed away many ships. Twenty-seven homes were destroyed and two people were killed. In Miyazaki, Ōita and Kagoshima prefectures, telephone services were disrupted. Subsidence by 8 cm (3.1 in) was recorded at Hyūga, Miyazaki. At Nobeoka, stone walls and embankments were damaged while roads cracked. It was felt as far as central Honshu.