This is a list of historical earthquakes.
Historical earthquakes are significant earthquakes that occurred before the early 20th century. These events are primarily documented through written sources, observations of shaking objects or animal behavior, [1] religious beliefs (e.g., "God's punishment") [2] or palaeoseismological techniques. Due to the lack of instrumental recordings, there is often significant uncertainty in the locations, magnitudes, and dates of these earthquakes. The number of fatalities is also often uncertain, especially for older events.
| Date | Time‡ | Event | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | ~Mag. | Comments | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 BC | Jishi Gorge outburst flood | Qinghai, China | Flood caused by landslide triggered by earthquake | [3] | |||||
| 1740 BC | Mount Tai earthquake | Fa of Xia | N 34.2705° | E 108.92512° | " Bamboo Annals " [4] [5] | ||||
| 479 BC | 479 BC Potidaea earthquake | Aegean Sea | N 39.7° | E 23.3° | 7.0 | Earliest recorded tsunami; saved Potidaea from invasion by Achaemenid Empire | [6] | ||
| 464 BC | 464 BC Sparta earthquake | Sparta, Greece | 7.2 MS | Led to helot uprising and strained relations with Athens as a factor in the Peloponnesian War | [7] | ||||
| 373 BC | Gulf of Corinth, Greece | Resulting tsunami destroyed the city of Helike | [8] | ||||||
| 226 BC | 226 BC Rhodes earthquake | Rhodes, Greece | Destroyed the Colossus of Rhodes and the city of Kameiros | [9] | |||||
| 60 BC | Portugal and Galicia coasts | 8.5 | Caused tsunami | [10] | |||||
| 17 AD | At night | AD 17 Lydia earthquake | Asia minor | 37.85 | 27.3 | Destroyed 13 cities in Asia Minor | Tacitus and Pliny the Elder | ||
| February 5, 62 AD | AD 62 Pompeii earthquake | Bay of Naples, Italy | 5.0–6.0 | Brought down large part of Pompeii with severe damage in Herculaneum and Nuceria | "Quaestiones Naturales VI" (Seneca) [11] | ||||
| 89 AD | Baekje, Seoul, Korea | 6.0-7.0 | Houses destroyed with many deaths reported | [12] | |||||
| 110 AD | Dian Kingdom, Yunnan, southwestern China | probably thousands | Resulting tsunami inundated administrative centre of Dian Kingdom | [13] | |||||
| December 13, 115 AD | 115 Antioch earthquake | Antioch | 36.1 | 36.1 | 260,000 | 7.5 MS | [14] | ||
| 141 or 142 AD | 141 Lycia earthquake | Lycia, Caria, Dodecanese | 36.7 | 28.0 | 8.0 | Resulting tsunami inundated Rhodes | [15] | ||
| May 18, 363 AD | 363 Galilee earthquake | Syria | "thousands" | 7.0 | Damage also reported in "The Holy Land" and Petra | Ammianus Marcellinus [16] , other writers of late Antiquity [17] | |||
| July 21, 365 AD | 365 Crete earthquake | Crete, Greece | "thousands" | 8.5+ | Resulting tsunami damaged Cyrene and Alexandria with uplift of Crete by 9 metres | Ammianus Marcellinus [16] , other writers of late Antiquity [17] | |||
| 382 AD | Cape St. Vincent, Portugal | 7.5 | According to Marcellinus, the earthquake and resulting tsunami sank two islets near Cape St. Vincent | Ammianus Marcellinus | |||||
| May 19, 526 AD | 526 Antioch earthquake | Antioch, Turkey | 250,000 | 7.0 | Antioch heavily damaged | Procopius, II.14.6; sources based on John of Ephesus | |||
| July 6, 551 AD | 551 Beirut earthquake | Beirut, Tyre, Tripoli | 33.9 | 35.5 | 30,000 | 7.5 Mw | Resulting tsunami largely destroyed Phoenician coastal cities from Tyre to Tripoli | [18] | |
| November 26, 684 AD | 684 Hakuhō earthquake | Shikoku, Japan | 32.8 | 134.3 | 101–1,000 | 8.0-8.4 M(K) | Damage described as "severe"; other dates given as October 14 (incorrect) and November 24 | " The Chronicles of Japan " | |
| January 18, 749 AD | 749 Galilee earthquake | The Levant | "tens of thousands" | 7.0–7.5 | Cities including Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos and Pella largely destroyed with many other settlements across the Levant heavily damaged | [19] [20] | |||
| April 29, 801 AD | 801 Apennine earthquake | Central Italy | 41.896 | 12.482 | 5.4 Me | Rome greatly damaged with the quake also felt in Spoleto | [21] | ||
| November 24, 847 AD | 847 Damascus earthquake | Damascus, Syria | 33.5 | 36.3 | 70,000 | 7.3 | [18] [22] | ||
| December 856 AD | Corinth, Greece | 37.9 | 22.9 | 45,000 | [22] [23] | ||||
| December 22, 856 AD | 856 Damghan earthquake | Qumis, Iran from Khuvar to Bustam and Gurgan | 36.23 | 54.14 | 200,000 | 7.9 | City of Qumis (Hecatompylos) partially destroyed with 45,096 casualties reported; aftershocks continued for about one year | [22] [24] | |
| July 13, 869 AD | 869 Jōgan earthquake | Sendai, Japan | 38.5 | 143.8 | 1,000 | 8.6–9.0 | [25] [26] | ||
| March 23, 893 AD | 893 Ardabil earthquake | Ardabil, Iran | 38.28 | 48.30 | 150,000 | Regarded as "fake earthquake", due to misunderstanding of original Armenian sources for the 893 Dvin event | [27] [28] [29] | ||
| December 28, 893 AD | 893 Dvin earthquake | Dvin, Armenia | 40.0 | 44.6 | 30,000 | 6.0 | Later shown mislocated in India | [30] |
| Date | Time‡ | Event | Place | Lat | Long | Fatalities | ~Mag. | Comments | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1033 | 1033 Jordan Valley earthquake | Jordan Valley, Levant, Israel, State of Palestine | 32.5 | 35.5 | 70,000 | 7.3 Mw | Caused tsunami | [31] | |
| December 1037 | Taizhou, Jiangsu, China | 32.0 | 119.0 | 22,391 | [32] [33] | ||||
| August 12, 1042 | Palmyra, Baalbek, Syria, Lebanon | 35.1 | 38.9 | 50,000 | 7.2 (>VIII) | [18] [22] | |||
| March 18, 1068 | 1068 Near East earthquake | Near East | 20,000 | 7.0+ | [34] [35] | ||||
| October 11, 1138 | 1138 Aleppo earthquake | Aleppo, Syria | 36.1 | 36.8 | 230,000 | 7.1 | [18] [36] | ||
| September 30, 1139 | 1139 Ganja earthquake | Ganja, Azerbaijan | 40.3 | 46.2 | 230,000–300,000 | 7.7 Ms | Resulted in total destruction of Ganja | [37] | |
| August 12, 1157 | 08:15 | 1157 Hama earthquake | Hama, Syria | 35.1 | 36.3 | 8,000 | 7.2 Ms | Largest in sequence of earthquakes from late 1156 to early 1159 | [18] [36] [38] |
| February 4, 1169 | 1169 Sicily earthquake | Sicily | 37.3 | 15.0 | 15,000 | 6.4–7.3 | [39] | ||
| June 29, 1170 | 06:29 | 1170 Syria earthquake | Syria, Lebanon, central southern Turkey | 34.4 | 36.4 | 5,000–80,000 in Aleppo [40] 25,000 in Hama | 7.3–7.5 [41] 7.7 [42] | Numerous Crusader-era sources [36] [38] | |
| July 5, 1201 and/or May 20, 1202 | 1202 Syria earthquake | Eastern Mediterranean from Syria to Upper Egypt | 1,100,000 (includes famine/disease deaths) | 7.6 | |||||
| May 11, 1222 | 06:15 | 1222 Cyprus earthquake | Cyprus | 34.7 | 32.6 | 7.0–7.5 | Damage in Paphos, Limassol and Nicosia | [43] | |
| 1269 | 1269 Cilicia earthquake | Cilicia, Anatolia, (Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia) | 37.5 | 35.5 | 60,000 | 7 | |||
| September 27, 1290 | 1290 Zhili earthquake | Zhili (Hebei), China | 41.5 | 119.3 | 100,000 | 6.8 MS | [44] | ||
| May 26, 1293 | 1293 Kamakura earthquake | Kamakura, Japan, (now in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kantō region) | 35.2 | 139.4 | 23,024 | 7.1 | [45] | ||
| August 8, 1303 | 06:00 | 1303 Crete earthquake | Crete | 35 | 27 | up to 10,000 | 8 | Caused tsunami that devastated Alexandria, Egypt | [46] |
| September 25, 1303 | 1303 Hongdong earthquake | China | 36.3 | 111.7 | 270,000 | 7.2–7.6 Mw | Destroyed Taiyuan and Pingyang (modern Linfen) | [47] | |
| January 1, 1341 | Crimea, Ukraine | 6 | [48] | ||||||
| January 25, 1348 | 15:00 | 1348 Friuli earthquake | Friuli, Venice, Rome | 46.37 | 13.58 | 10,000 | 6.9 | [22] | |
| August 24, 1356 | 1356 Lisbon earthquake | Lisbon, Portugal | 8.5 Mw | [49] [50] | |||||
| October 18, 1356 | 1356 Basel earthquake | Basel, Switzerland | 47.5 | 07.6 | 1,000 | 6.2 Mw | [51] | ||
| May 21, 1382 | 1382 Dover Straits earthquake | Canterbury, England | 5.8 | " Earthquake Synod " that struck during synod called to condemn heresy of John Wycliffe with some viewing event as portentous | [52] [53] | ||||
| February 2, 1428 | 1428 Catalonia earthquake | Catalonia (now Spain) | 42.4 | 2.2 | 1,000s | 6.7 | Sometimes called "terratrèmol de la candelera" because it took place during Candlemas | [22] [54] [55] | |
| December 5, 1456 | 1456 Central Italy earthquakes | Province of Benevento, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) | 41.3 | 14.7 | 30,000–70,000 | 7.2 Mw | Largest and most widespread earthquake on Italian Peninsula with another 7.0 shock on December 30 | ||
| May 3, 1481 | 03:00 | 1481 Rhodes earthquake | Rhodes | 36.0 | 28.0 | 30,000 | 7.1 | Largest in series of earthquakes that lasted 10 months | [56] |
| September 20, 1498 | 08:00 local time | 1498 Meiō earthquake | Honshu | 34.0 | 138.1 | 31,000 | 8.6 Ms | [57] | |
| June 6, 1505 | 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake | Nepal | 29.5 | 83.0 | 30% of Nepalese population | 8.2–8.8 | |||
| September 10, 1509 | 22:00 | 1509 Constantinople earthquake | Istanbul, Turkey | 40.9 | 28.7 | 10,000 | 7.2 Ms | [58] | |
| January 26, 1531 | 04:30 | 1531 Lisbon earthquake | Lisbon, Portugal | 38.9 | −09.0 | 30,000 | 6.9 | [59] | |
| 1548 | 1548 Bengal earthquake | Sylhet, Bangladesh | 7.1+ Mw | Felt over large area with water and mud ejected from ground due to liquefaction causing extensive damage | [60] | ||||
| January 23, 1556 | 1556 Shaanxi earthquake | Shaanxi, China | 34.5 | 109.7 | 830,000+ | 8.2–8.3 | Deadliest earthquake in recorded history | USGS | |
| November 16–17, 1570 | 19:10 | 1570 Ferrara earthquake | Ferrara, Italy | 44.817 | 11.633 | 70–200 | 5.5 | Azariah de Rossi's "Kol Elohim" [22] [61] | |
| December 16, 1575 | 18:30 | 1575 Valdivia earthquake | Valdivia, Chile | −39.8 | −73.2 | 8.5 | [22] [62] | ||
| June 10–11, 1585 | 1585 Aleutian Islands earthquake | Aleutian Islands, Alaska | 9.25 Mw | Moderate tsunami struck Sanriku coast of Japan on June 11; Hawaiian oral traditions report deaths after tsunami-like event; paleotsunami evidence in Hawaiian Islands consistent with large 16th-century tsunami with modelling of 9.25 Aleutian Islands earthquake | [63] | ||||
| January 18, 1586 | 23:00 | 1586 Tenshō earthquake | Chūbu region, Japan | 36.0 | 136.9 | 8,000 | 7.9 MJMA | [64] |
| 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 | [65] |
| February 3, 1605 | 20:00 local time | Shikoku, Honshu, Japan 1605 Keichō earthquake | 33.5 | 138.5 | thousands | 7.9 | Ms | [66] |
| July 13, 1605 | Qiongshan, Hainan, China 1605 Guangdong earthquake | 19.9 | 110.5 | 3,000 | 7.5 (X) | [67] | ||
| December 11, 1611 | 10:30 | Sanriku, Japan 1611 Sanriku earthquake | 39.0 | 144.4 | ~5,000 | 8.1 | Ms | [68] |
| October 25, 1622 | Ningxia, China 1622 North Guyuan earthquake | 36.5 | 106.3 | 12,000 | 7.0 | Ms | [69] | |
| May 11, 1624 | 03:00–04:00 | Fez, Morocco 1624 Fez earthquake | 34.1 | -5.1 | thousands | 6.0 | Mw | [70] |
| August 1, 1629 | Banda Sea, Indonesia 1629 Banda Sea earthquake | -4.6 | 129.9 | 0 | 8.2-8.8 | Mw | [71] | |
| 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. | [72] | |
| February 5, 1641 | 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. | [73] |
| April 6, 1667 | Dubrovnik, Croatia 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake | 42.3 | 18.1 | 3,000 | 7.2 | [74] | ||
| November 25, 1667 | Shamakhi, Azerbaijan 1667 Shamakhi earthquake | 40.6 | 48.6 | 80,000 | 6.9 | Ms | [44] | |
| July 25, 1668 | Shandong, China 1668 Shandong earthquake | 35.3 | 118.6 | 42,578 | 8.5 | Largest earthquake in East China. | [75] | |
| 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 | [76] |
| October 20, 1687 | 11:30 | Lima, Peru 1687 Peru earthquake | −15.2 | −75.9 | 5,000 | 8.2 | [22] | |
| 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. | [77] | |
| 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. | [78] |
| June 7, 1692 | 11:43 local time | Port Royal, Jamaica 1692 Jamaica earthquake | 17.9 | −76.8 | 2,000+ | 7 (approx) (X) | [79] [80] | |
| 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 | [81] |
| May 18, 1695 | 12:00 | Shanxi, Qing dynasty 1695 Linfen earthquake | 36.0 | 111.5 | 52,600–176,365 | 7.8 | Mw | [82] |
| 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 | [22] [83] |
| February 2, 1703 | 11:05 | L'Aquila, Italy 1703 Apennine earthquakes | 42.43 | 13.3 | 2,500–5,000 | 6.7 | Mw | [22] [83] |
| December 31, 1703 | 17:00 | Kantō region, Japan 1703 Genroku earthquake | 35.0 | 140.0 | 10,000 | 8.2 | Ms | [84] |
| November 3, 1706 | 13:00 | Abruzzo, Italy 1706 Abruzzo earthquake | 42.1 | 14.1 | 2,400 | 6.8 | Mw | [84] |
| October 28, 1707 | 14:00 local time | Japan 1707 Hōei earthquake | 33.0 | 136.0 | 5,000+ | 8.6 | [85] | |
| October 14, 1709 | Zhongwei, China 1709 Zhongwei earthquake | 37.4 | 105.3 | 2,000+ | 7.5 | Mw | [86] [87] | |
| 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 | [88] | |
| April 26, 1721 | Tabriz, Iran 1721 Tabriz earthquake | 37.9 | 46.7 | ~80,000 | 7.7 | [84] | ||
| July 8, 1730 | 08:45 | Valparaíso, Chile 1730 Valparaíso earthquake | −32.5 | −71.5 | ? | 8.7 | [89] | |
| September 30, 1730 | 10:00 local time | Beijing, China | 40.0 | 116.2 | 100s | 6.5 | [90] [91] | |
| November 29, 1732 | 8:40 local time | Irpinia, Italy 1732 Irpinia earthquake | 41.0727 | 15.0623 | 6.6 | Ms | [92] | |
| October 16, 1737 | 15:30 local time | Kamchatka, Russia 1737 Kamchatka earthquake | 51.1 | 158.0 | 8.3 | Ms | [93] [94] | |
| 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 | [95] |
| 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 [96] | 5.9 | [91] [97] | ||
| 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 | [98] [99] |
| November 27, 1755 | Fez and Meknes, Morocco 1755 Meknes earthquake | 34 | −5 | 15,000 | 6.5–7.0 | Mw | [100] [101] | |
| 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. | [18] |
| 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 [102] 1762 Arakan earthquake | 22.0 | 92.0 | 200 | up to 8.8 | Mw | [103] | |
| June 28, 1763 | 05:28 | Komárom, Kingdom of Hungary 1763 Komárom earthquake | 47.73 | 18.15 | 83 | 6.2–6.5 | Mw | [104] |
| May 22, 1766 | 05:10 | Istanbul, Turkey 1766 Istanbul earthquake | 40.8 | 29.0 | 4,000 | 7.1 | Ms | [105] |
| 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). | [106] [107] | |
| June 3, 1770 | 19:15 local time | Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1770 Port-au-Prince earthquake | 18.7 | −72.63 | 200+ | 7.5 | Mw | [108] |
| 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 | [109] [110] | |
| 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. | [111] |
| 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. | [112] |
| 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 | [113] | ||
| February 10, 1797 | Sumatra, East Indies (now Indonesia) 1797 Sumatra earthquake | −1.0 | 99.0 | 300 | 8.4 | [114] [115] [116] |
| 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. | [117] [118] |
| February 16, 1810 | 22:15 | Crete, Heraklion 1810 Crete earthquake | 35.5 | 25.6 | 2,000 | 7.5 | Mw | [119] |
| 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') | [120] |
| June 2, 1823 | 08:00 | south flank of Kīlauea, Hawaii, Kingdom of Hawaii | 19.3 | −155 | 7 | MI (Klein and Wright, 2000) | USGS | |
| June, 1833 | Kodiak Island, Ukamok Island, Tugidak Island, Barren Islands, Nushagak, Nuchek | [121] | ||||||
| August 26, 1833 | Himalayas, Nepal–India–Tibet region 1833 Bihar–Nepal earthquake | 28.3 | 85.5 | ~500 | 7.7–7.9 | Mw | [122] | |
| 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 | [114] [116] [123] | |
| 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, [124] | |
| January 1, 1837 | 16:00 local time | Galilee, Palestine 1837 Galilee earthquake | 33.0 | 35.5 | 6,000–7,000 | >7.0 | Ms | [18] [125] |
| 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. | [126] |
| 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 | ||
| April 25, 1843 | 06:00 local time | Hokkaido, Japan | 42.0 | 146.0 | 91 | 8.0 | Triggered a large tsunami that affected the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast of Honshu | [127] |
| 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. | [128] | |
| 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. | [129] |
| December 24, 1854 | 16:00 | Honshu, Japan 1854 Nankai earthquake | 33.0 | 135.0 | thousands | 8.4 | Major tsunami | [129] |
| 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. | [130] [131] | |
| 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 | [132] |
| April 3, 1881 | 11:30 | Chios, Çeşme, Alaçatı 1881 Chios earthquake | 38.25 | 26.25 | 7,866 | 6.5 | Mw | [133] |
| December 31, 1881 | 01:49 | India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1881 Nicobar Islands earthquake | 8.52 | 92.43 | 0 | 7.9 | Mw | [134] |
| 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 | [135] |
| 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 | [136] |
| 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. | [137] [138] |
| 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 | [22] | |
| 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 | [139] |
| 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 | [140] [141] |
| 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.