Earthquakes with 1,000 or More Deaths 1900-2014
Earthquakes with 1,000 or More Deaths 1900-2014
This data is current through the end of 2014.
Date UTC
Quezaltenango and San Marcos, Guatemala
14N 91W
2000
7.5
This quake also caused damage in Mexico at Tapachula, Chiapas. It was felt as far away as Jalapa, Veracruz and Mexico City. The duration in Mexico was estimated at one to one and a half minutes. [ 307,308,A-51 ]
1902/12/16
Andijon (Andizhan), Uzbekistan (Turkestan, Russia)
40.8N 72.3E
4700
6.4
Over 41,000 buildings destroyed in the Andijon-Margilan area. A train was "thrown from the tracks" at Andijon station. A strong aftershock about 40 minutes later caused additional damage. [ 233 ]
1903/04/28
3500
7.0
About 12,000 houses destroyed and 20,000 animals killed in the Malazgirt-Patnos area. Slight damage as far away as Erzurum and Bitlis. A strong aftershock on August 6 caused additional casualties. [ 215,71 ]
1903/05/28
1000
5.8
Several villages destroyed. Death toll may be overstated, since Ambraseys said quake "is alleged to have killed over 1000 people. [ 215 ]
1905/04/04
Damage in the Kangra area and at Dehra Dun [ 6,299 ]
1906/01/31
Off coast of Esmeraldas, Ecuador
1N 81.5W
1000
8.8
Damage in the Tumaco, Colombia - Esmeraldas, Ecuador area from the earthquake and tsunami. Earthquake damage occurred as far as 100 km (60 mi) inland, from Cali, Colombia to Otavalo, Ecuador. Felt as far away as Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Tsunami waves as high as 5 m (16 ft) observed at Tumaco, but fortunately some of the waves were dissipated on offshore islands before reaching the city.  About 450 houses destroyed in the Guapi area, Colombia by a series of 6 waves, the largest described as being as high as tall trees. Coastal uplift as high as 1.6 m (5 ft) observed in the harbors of Manta, Ecuador and Buenaventura, Colombia. Submarine cables were broken in several places between Buenaventura and Panama.  Cable breaks also occurred off Puerto Rico, implying there may have been a tsunami generated in the Caribbean Sea as well. [ 207,3,325,312,314 ]
1906/03/16
72000
7.2
Over 40% of the population of Messina and more than 25% of Reggio di Calabria killed by the earthquake and tsunami, as well as by fires in some parts of Messina. Casualty toll is based on census data 1901-1911, some estimates are as high as 110,000. Severe damage in large parts of Calabria and Sicily.  Felt throughout Sicily and north to Naples and Campobasso. Also felt on Malta, in Montenegro and Albania and on the Ionian Islands. Tsunami heights of 6-12 m (20-39 ft) observed on the coast of Sicily south of Messina and heights of 6-10 m (20-33 ft) observed along the coast of Calabria.  Aftershocks continued into 1913. [ 301,299,A-75 ]
1909/01/23
32610
7.0
Severe damage in the Avezzano-Pescina area.  An estimated 3,000 more people died in the next few months from indirect effects of the earthquake.  Felt throughout Central Italy from Veneto to Basilicata. [ 301,321 ]
1917/01/20
9.0S 115.8E
1500
Landslides on Bali caused most of the casualties. Many houses damaged. One source lists casualty toll as 15,000, but that seems high compared to the damage descriptions.
1917/07/30
North of Daguan, Yunnan, China
28.0N 104.0E
1800
7.5
Many houses collapsed in the Hengjiang and Daguan River Valleys. An iron chain bridge at Yanjin was turned upside down and several stone bridges collapsed. Rockslides blocked the Daguan River, causing the water to flow back upstream for several kilometers. [ 310,104 ]
1918/02/13
200000
7.8
Total destruction (XII - the maximum intensity on the Mercalli scale) in the Lijunbu-Haiyuan-Ganyanchi area.  Over 73,000 people were killed in Haiyuan County. A landslide buried the village of Sujiahe in Xiji County.  More than 30,000 people were killed in Guyuan County. Nearly all the houses collapsed in the cities of Longde and Huining. Damage (VI-X) occurred in 7 provinces and regions, including the major cities of Lanzhou, Taiyuan, Xi'an, Xining and Yinchuan. It was felt from the Yellow Sea to Qinghai (Tsinghai) Province and from Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia) south to central Sichuan (Szechwan) Province. About 200 km (125 mi) of surface faulting was seen from Lijunbu through Ganyanchi to Jingtai. There were large numbers of landslides and ground cracks throughout the epicentral area. Some rivers were dammed, others changed course. Seiches from this earthquake were observed in 2 lakes and 3 fjords in western Norway.  Although usually called the Kansu (now Gansu) earthquake by Western sources, the epicenter and highest intensities are clearly within Ningxia Autonomous Region. [ 310,92,316 ]
1923/03/24
Near Luhuo, Sichuan (Szechwan), China
31.3N 100.8E
3500
7.3
Severe damage and landslides in the Luhuo-Dawu area. Some damage and casualties occurred at Qianning. [ 310 ]
1923/05/25
142800
7.9
Extreme destruction in the Tokyo - Yokohama area from the earthquake and subsequent firestorms, which burned about 381,000 of the more than 694,000 houses that were partially or completely destroyed. Although often known as the Great Tokyo Earthquake (or the Great Tokyo Fire), the damage was apparently most severe at Yokohama.  Damage also occurred on the Boso and Izu Peninsulas and on O-shima. Nearly 2 m (6 ft) of permanent uplift was observed on the north shore of Sagami Bay and horizontal displacements of as much as 4.5 m (15 ft) were measured on the Boso Peninsula. A tsunami was generated in Sagami Bay with wave heights as high as 12 m (39 ft) on O-shima and 6 m (20 ft) on the Izu and Boso Peninsulas. Sandblows were noted at Hojo which intermittently shot fountains of water to a height of 3 m (10 ft). [ 303,6,312,321 ]
1925/03/16
Near Dali (Talifu, Ta-li), Yunnan, China
25.7N 100.2E
5800
7.0
More than 76,000 houses collapsed or burned in the Dali area, where over 3,600 people were killed and 7,200 injured. (There is a slight possibility that these are the total figures for the earthquake, not just Dali). Damage and casualties also occurred in Fengyi, Midu, Binchuan and Dengchuan Counties.  It was felt at Kunming. [ 310,92 ]
1927/03/07
40900
7.6
Extreme damage in the Gulang-Wuwei area. Landslides buried a town near Gulang and dammed a stream in Wuwei County, creating a new lake. Large fissures and sandblows occurred in the area. Damage occurred from Lanzhou through Minqin and Yongchang to Jinta.  It was felt at Xi'an and as far as 700 km (440 mi) from the epicenter. This area along the base of the Qilian Shan (formerly named Nan Shan, which is why this is sometimes called the Nan Shan earthquake) was part of the Silk Road connecting China with Central Asia.  Some sources list the death toll as high as 200,000, but this may be a confusion with the much-bigger Ningxia quake of 1920. Also, Gu et al. report that over 250,000 livestock were killed by this earthquake. [ 310,311,92,3 ]
1929/05/01
2500
7.2
About 60 villages destroyed in the Salmas Plain and surrounding mountains.  The town of Dilman (population 18,000) was completely destroyed, but there were only 1,100 deaths because a magnitude 5.4 foreshock had occurred at 07:03 UTC. Although the foreshock killed 25 people, it probably saved thousands of lives since many people chose to sleep outdoors that night.  Faulting was observed on the Salmas and Derik Faults, with the maximum offsets 5 m (16 ft) vertically and 4 m (13 ft) horizontally on the Salmas Fault. Dilman was rebuilt west of the ruins and named Shahpur, now Salmas. [ 191,92,A-138 ]
1930/07/23
3000
8.4
Because this earthquake occurred about 290 km (180 mi) off the coast of Honshu, most of the casualties and damage were caused by the large tsunami that was generated, instead of directly from the earthquake itself. About 5,000 houses in Japan were destroyed, of which nearly 3,000 were washed away.  Maximum wave heights of 28.7 m (94 ft) were observed at Ryori Bay, Honshu.  The tsunami also caused slight damage in Hawaii, where a 2.9-meter (9.5-foot) was recorded at Napoopoo. [ 312,322,8f,321 ]
1933/08/25
North of Maowen, Sichuan (Szechwan), China
32.0N 103.7E
9300
7.5
The city of Diexi and about 60 villages in the area were completely destroyed.  Damage and casualties also occurred at Chengdu. Felt at Chongqing and Xi'an.  Landslides created 4 lakes on the Min Jiang River. Over 2,500 of the casualties occurred 45 days after the earthquake, when the lakes broke through the slides and inundated the valley. [ 310 ]
1934/01/15
10700
8.1
Extreme damage (X) in the Sitamarhi-Madhubani, India area, where most buildings tilted or sank up to 1 m (3 ft) into the thick alluvium. Sand covered the sunken floors up to 1 m deep. This liquefaction damage extended eastward through Supaul to Purnia, India.  In the Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga area south of the zone of liquefaction most buildings were shaken apart by "typical" severe earthquake damage. Two other areas of extreme damage (X) from shaking occurred in the Munger (Monghyr) area along the Ganges River, India and in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Large fissures occurred in the alluvial areas [ 6,3,330 ]
1935/04/20
32700
7.8
Extreme damage in the Erzincan Plain and the Kelkit River Valley. Damage (VII) occurred from near Turcan, where a strong earthquake (possibly a fore- shock) had occurred on Nov 21, west to Amasya and from Sivas north to the Black Sea coast. The quake was felt strongly at Larnaca, Cyprus. Over 300 km (190 mi) of surface faulting was observed in the North Anatolian Fault Zone between Erzincan and Niksar, with as much as 3.7 m (2.5 ft) of horizontal displacement and 2.0 m (1.2 ft) of vertical offset. A small tsunami was observed at Fatsa on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. It was recorded by tide stations from Tuapse, Russia to Sevastopol, Ukraine. [ 71,306,92,6,322,A-138 ]
1940/11/10
2790
7.4
About 50,000 houses destroyed or heavily damaged in the North Anatolian Fault Zone from Bolu through Gerede to Kursunlu. Damage (VI) occurred in the Sakarya-Zonguldak-Kastamonu area. The quake was felt strongly at Ankara.  Surface faulting was observed from Bayramoren to Abant Lake with maximum horizontal offset of 3.5 m (11 ft) and up to 1 m (3 ft) vertical displacement.  This rupture zone is immediately to the west of the 1943 Ladik earthquake. In total, about 800 km (500 mi) of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, from Erzincan to Abant Lake, ruptured during a time interval of slightly more than 4 years. [ 71,306,A-138 ]
1945/01/12
1961
7.1
More than 17,000 houses destroyed or seriously damaged, primarily in Aichi (Aiti) and Gifu (Gihu) Prefectures. It was felt from Fukushima (Hukusima) to Shimane Prefectures, Honshu and on Shikoku. Surface faulting observed with up to 2 m (6 ft) vertical displacement. [ 313,6,228af ]
1945/11/27
Makran Coast, Pakistan (Baluchistan, India)
24.9N 63.5E
4000
8.0
Severe damage at Pasni and Ormara. A large tsunami was generated that caused damage at Karachi and damage and casualties in the Mumbai (Bombay) area, India. Four new islands appeared off the coast near Hinglaj. The quake was felt as far away as Dera Ismail Khan and Sahiwal. [ 228af,8p,92 ]
1946/05/31
3769
7.3
Nearly 67,000 houses destroyed in the Fukui area by the earthquake and fires.  Damage was especially severe in areas of alluvium. Some ground fissures were observed in the area. It was felt from Ibaraki and Niigata Prefectures, Honshu to Uwajima, Shikoku. More than 550 aftershocks were felt in the month following the quake. Some sources list the death toll as high as 5,390. [ 228ai,6,A-152,3 ]
1948/10/05
Ashgabat (Ashkhabad), Turkmenistan (Turkmeniya, USSR)
37.95N 58.32E
110000
7.3
Extreme damage in Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) and nearby villages, where almost all brick buildings collapsed, concrete structures were heavily damaged and freight trains were derailed. Damage and casualties also occurred in the Darreh Gaz area, Iran. Surface rupture was observed both northwest and southeast of Ashgabat. Many sources list the casualty total at 10,000, but a news release on 9 Dec 1988 advised that the correct death toll was 110,000. [ 233,191 ]
1949/07/10
5050
6.8
Guano, Patate, Pelileo and Pillaro were completely destroyed, as was about one-third of the city of Ambato. Damage occurred in Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi Provinces. Landslides blocked roads and streams in the area. It was felt (IV) at Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito. [ 207,228aj,A-47 ]
1950/08/15
Near Zhamo (Rima), Xizang (Tibet), China
"Assam-Tibet" Earthquake
1526
8.6
At least 780 people killed and many buildings collapsed in the Nyingchi-Qamdo-Zhamo (Rima, Zayu) area of eastern Tibet. Sandblows, ground cracks and large landslides occurred in the area. In the Medog area, the village of Yedong slid into the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) River and was washed away. The quake was felt at Lhasa and in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, China.  Severe damage (X) also occurred in the Sibsagar-Sadiya area of Assam, India and in the surrounding hills. About 70 villages were destroyed in the Abor Hills, mostly by landslides. Large landslides blocked the Subansiri River.  This natural dam broke 8 days later, creating a wave 7 m (23 ft) high which innundated several villages and killed 536 people. The quake was felt (VI) as far away as Calcutta. Seiches were observed in many lakes and fjords of Norway and in at least 3 reservoirs in England. Many sources call this the Assam-Tibet earthquake or even the Assam earthquake, even though nearly all place the epicenter in Tibet. Thus it is possible that the casualties for Tibet are not included in the total, as well as those from the Subansiri River flood. Furthermore, Gu et al. do not give casualty totals for Yedong or other areas of the most severe damage in Tibet. Therefore, the actual casualty toll may be much higher than the value given. [ 228ak,310,316,6 ]
1951/08/02
1070
7.3
Several thousand buildings damaged in the Can-Yenice-Gonen area. Felt (VI) at Sakarya (Adapazari), Bursa, Edirne, Istanbul and Izmir. Felt throughout the Aegean Islands and in much of mainland Greece. Also felt in Bulgaria. About 50 km (30 mi) of surface faulting with as much as 4.3 m (14 ft) of strike-slip (horizontal) offset observed east of Yenice. Damage estimated at $3,570,000. [ 306,228an,8x,92,A-138 ]
1954/09/09
Chlef (Orleansville, El Asnam), Algeria
36.28N 1.47E
1250
6.8
Severe damage and about 3,000 people injured in the Orleansville area, which was rebuilt and renamed El Asnam (now Chlef). Felt from Mostaganem east to Tizi Ouzou and south to Tiaret. Faults and fissures occurred in a 16-km (10-mi) zone at the southern edge of the Dahra Massif. Undersea cables in the Mediterranean broke several hours after the earthquake. There were many aftershocks  - a strong one on Sep 16 at 22:18 caused additional damage. See also the El Asnam earthquake of 1980 Oct 10. [ 302,3,6 ]
1957/07/02
Near Sang Chai, Mazandaran, Iran
36.14N 52.70E
1200
7.1
Nearly all villages destroyed in the Ab-e Garm-Mangol-Zirab area on the north side of the Elburz Mountains.  Many landslides and rockslides blocked the Amol-Tehran Road and caused nearly as much damage in some villages as had been caused by shaking. It was felt strongly at Tehran. [ 336,191,92,302 ]
1957/12/13
15000
5.7
Over one-third of the population of Agadir was killed and at least another third injured by this short-duration earthquake, which lasted less than 15 seconds. It is the most destructive "moderate" quake (magnitude less than 6) in the 20th Century - the direct opposite of the magnitude 8.1 Mongolian earthquake of 04 Dec 1957, which killed very few people. All buildings in the Founti, Kasbah and Yachech sections of Agadir were destroyed or very severely damaged and more than 95 percent of the people in these areas were killed.  Over 90 percent of buildings were destroyed or damaged in the Talbordjt district and more than 60 percent were damaged in New City and Front-de-Mer districts. The exact casualty figure is unknown because once it was clear there could be no more survivors in the rubble, much of the area was bulldozed because of health and safety concerns.  This moderate quake was so destructive because it was a shallow event right under the city. Also, few buildings had been built to seismic codes because people thought that the area did not have a serious earthquake risk. It had been forgotten that a previous town at this location, named Santa Cruz de Aguer, had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1731. [ 183,A-40,3 ]
1960/05/22
1655
9.5
Severe damage from shaking occurred in the Valdivia-Puerto Montt area. Most of the casualties and much of the damage was because of large tsunamis which caused damage along the coast of Chile from Lebu to Puerto Aisen and in many areas of the Pacific Ocean. Puerto Saavedra was completely destroyed by waves which reached heights of 11.5 m (38 ft) and carried remains of houses inland as much as 3 km (2 mi). Wave heights of 8 m (26 ft) caused much damage at Corral. Tsunamis caused 61 deaths and severe damage in Hawaii, mostly at Hilo, where the runup height reached 10.6 m (35 ft). Waves as high as 5.5 m (18 ft) struck northern Honshu about 1 day after the quake, where it destroyed more than 1600 homes and left 185 people dead or missing.  Another 32 people were dead or missing in the Philippines after the tsunami hit those islands. Damage also occurred on Easter Island, in the Samoa Islands and in California. One to 1.5 m (3-5 ft) of subsidence occurred along the Chilean coast from the south end of the Arauco Peninsula to Quellon on Chiloe Island. As much as 3 m (10 ft) of uplift occurred on Isla Guafo. Many landslides occurred in the Chilean Lake District from Lago Villarica to Lago Todos los Santos. On May 24, Volcan Puyehue erupted, sending ash and steam as high as 6,000 m. The eruption continued for several weeks. This quake was preceded by 4 foreshocks bigger than magnitude 7.0, including a magnitude 7.9 on May 21 that caused severe damage in the Concepcion area.  Many aftershocks occurred, with 5 of magnitude 7.0 or greater through Nov 1.  This is the largest earthquake of the 20th Century.  The rupture zone is estimated to be about 1000 km long, from Lebu to Puerto Aisen. Note that the tsunami deaths from outside Chile are included in the 1,655 total. This is still considerably fewer than some estimates which were as high as 5,700. However, Rothe and others state that the initial reports were greatly overestimated. The death toll for this huge earthquake was less than it might have been because it occurred in the middle of the afternoon, many of the structures had been built to be earthquake-resistant and the series of strong foreshocks had made the population wary. [ 8ae,312,40,307A,327,305A,322,339,303A,92 ]
1962/09/01
12225
7.1
Ninety-one villages destroyed and 233 damaged - over 21,000 houses destroyed, nearly all built of poor-quality materials. Slight damage at Tehran.  Felt as far away as Tabriz, Esfahan and Yazd. Based on damage to old structures, this was probably the largest earthquake in this immediate area since at least 1630. Surface faulting with small offsets occurred in a 100-km (63-mi) east-west zone of the Ipak Fault. Some landslides and sandblows occurred. Earthquake lights (a red to orange glow) from the Rudak area were observed prior to the quake by various people. [ 8ag,92,299A,191 ]
1963/07/26
Skopje, Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia
(Makedonija, Yugoslavia)
1100
6.0
About 75 percent of the buildings in Skopje destroyed or severely damaged and more than 4,000 people injured. The heaviest damage occurred to buildings on alluvium in the Vardar River Valley.  There was little damage outside Skopje, indicating the quake was very shallow and located almost directly under the city. The Illyrian city of Scupi was destroyed by an earthquake in 518. It was rebuilt nearby and briefly named Justiniana Prima, later Skopje. Called Uskub while part of the Ottoman Empire, it was destroyed again by an earthquake in 1555. [ 8ah,300C,3 ]
1966/03/07
East of Longyao, Hebei (Hopeh), China
37.35 114.92
1000
7.0
More than 135,000 houses collapsed and 190,000 were severely damaged in Hebei Province. The worst damage was in Julu County, where over 106,000 houses collapsed and another 100,000 were heavily damaged. Some houses collapsed in Shanxi (Shansi) Province. It was felt throughout Hebei and Shanxi Provinces and in most of Henan (Honan) and Shandong (Shantung) Provinces.  Ground fissures and sandblows occurred along the banks of the Fuyang River.  Except for reports that 4,166 families "suffered disaster" in Longyao County and that great numbers of medical personnel had been rushed to Xingtai (Singtai) to care for the victims, no casualty figures were released for this earthquake. Based on the amount of damage and time of day it occurred, we assume that it killed at least 1,000 people, and very likely many more than that. [ 310,92,8ak ]
1966/03/22
Southeast of Ningjin, Hebei (Hopeh), China
37.5 115.1
1000
6.9
More than 180,000 "rooms" collapsed and 276,000 were severely damaged in Hebei Province, with the most severe damage in the Ningjin-Shinhe area. At least 10,000 rooms collapsed and over 22,000 were heavily damaged in Shandong (Shantung) Province. Over 6,000 rooms and cave dwellings collapsed in Shanxi (Shansi) Province and some rooms collapsed in the Anyang area of Henan (Honan) Province. Some damage occurred at Beijing (Peking) and Tianjin (Tientsin). It was felt as far away as Hohhot and Nanjing. In the epicentral area, large fissures crisscrossed the ground and there were many sandblows.  Embankments slumped into the Fuyang River. As with the Mar 07 quake, no no casualty figures were released, other than to say fewer people died than in the previous event. We assume that at least 1,000 people were killed in this earthquake based on the severe and extensive damage, despite the fact that it occurred in the afternoon, when most people would have been awake and better able to protect themselves. [ 310,92,8ak ]
1966/08/19
12000
7.3
Five villages were totally destroyed in the Dasht-e Bayaz area, and another 6 from Kakhk to Salayan had at least half of the buildings destroyed. A strong aftershock on Sep 01 destroyed the town of Ferdows (see next event). In all, more than 175 villages were destroyed or damaged in this rather sparsely populated area of Khorasan Province.  Most buildings in the area were built of adobe with very thick (1-2 m, or about 3-6 ft) arched roofs. The walls shattered, bringing tons of material down on the people inside. This was a major reason for the severity of damage and casualties in this earthquake. The death toll would likely have been much higher if this quake would have struck in the middle of the night, when many more people would have been indoors.  The few steel-frame or brick-and-mortar structures in the area generally survived with only minor to moderate damage, making it difficult to assign a maximum intensity to the quake. The intensity estimates range from VIII to X. Surface faulting occurred in a zone about 80 km (50 mi) long. The maximum strike-slip (horizontal) offset was about 4.5 m (15 ft) near Dasht-e Bayaz with a vertical offset of about 2 m.  Extensive ground ruptures and sandblows occurred in the Nimbluk Valley east of Salayan, south of the main fault trace. [ 299B,300B,8am ]
1969/07/25
10000
7.5
The earthquake was centered 75 miles southwest of Kunming, a city of almost one million population, and 60 miles northwest of Gejiu (Kokiu), which has 180,000 people.  Residents in Hanoi, North Vietnam, about 300 miiles from the epicenter, fled from their homes in terror as the temblor rumbled through that city.  That severe damage occurred in the Tonghai area may be inferred from the approximate number of casualties, which was announced in 1988.  It caused about 50 km (about 30 mi) of surface faulting on the Tonghai Fault, with maximum horizontal offset of 2.5 m (8 ft) and vertical offset of about 0.5 m (1.5 ft). [ 311A,300A,185 ]
1970/03/28
1086
6.9
More than 12,000 houses were destroyed or severely damaged in the Gediz-Emet area of Kutahya Province. Over 50 percent of the buildings were damaged in 53 villages in the area. A large amount of the damage was caused by landslides and fires triggered by the earthquake. Some damage occurred at Bursa and Yalova. It was felt at Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and as far east as Erzincan. It was also felt on Chios (Khios) and Lesvos, Greece. Strong aftershocks caused considerable additional damage. A total of 61 km (38 mi) of predominantly normal (vertical, extensional or "pull-apart") faulting was observed in several zones in the Gediz area with a maximum offset of 275 cm (9 ft) on the Ayikayasi Fault. A large part of the fault displacements may be due to creep after the earthquake, rather than from the quake itself. Numerous landslides and changes in thermal springs occurred in the epicentral area. [ 306,335A,299C,8ao ]
1970/05/31
2000
7.0
The earthquake caused many fatalities and injuries, and extensive damage in the Yingkou-Haicheng areas. Minor damage was reported in Seoul, South Korea. The quake was felt in Primorskiy Kray, USSR, and on Kyushu, Japan.
Chinese officials ordered the evacuation of Haicheng (population about 1 million) the day before the earthquake.  In the preceding months, changes in land elevation  and in ground water levels, and widespread reports of peculiar animal behavior had been reported. The increase in foreshock activity triggered the evacuation warning. It was estimated that the number of fatalities and injuries would have exceeded 150,000 if no earthquake prediction and evacuation had been made. The evacuation, along with the local style of housing construction and the time of the main shock, 7:36 p.m., saved thousands of lives.
1975/09/06
9500
8.0
At least 9,500 people were  killed, about 30,000 were injured, more than 100,000 people were left homeless, and severe damage was caused in  parts of Mexico City and in several states of central Mexico.   According to some sources, the death toll from  this earthquake may be as high as 35,000. It is estimated that the quake seriously affected an area of  approximately 825,000 square kilometers, caused between 3 and 4 billion U.S. dollars of damage, and was felt by  almost 20 million people.  Four hundred twelve buildings collapsed and another 3,124 were seriously damaged in  Mexico City.  About 60 percent of the buildings were destroyed at Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco.  Damage also occurred  in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, parts of Veracruz and in other areas of Jalisco.
1986/10/10
25000
6.8
Two events about 3 seconds apart.  At least 25,000 people killed, 19,000 injured and 500,000 homeless in the  Leninakan-Spitak-Kirovakan area of northern Armenia, USSR.  More than 20 towns and 342 villages were affected  and 58 of them were completely destroyed.  Damage totaled 16.2 billion U.S. dollars.  Damage (X) at Spitak and  (IX) at Leninakan, Kirovakan and Stepanavan.  Surface faulting 10 km in length and with a maximum throw of 1.5 m  occurred.  Power transmission lines were severely damaged and landslides buried railroad tracks in the epicentral  area.  Damage occurred in the Kelbadzhar area, Azerbaijan, USSR.  Felt (VII) at Tabatskuri and Borzhomi; (VI) at  Bogdanovka, Tbilisi and Yerevan; (V) at Goris; (IV) at Makhachkala and Groznyy; (III) at Sheki and Shemakha,  USSR. Four people killed and damage in the Tuzluca-Kagizman-Kars area, Turkey. Felt in the Tabriz-Orumiyeh area,  Iran.
1990/06/20
2500
7.5
At least 2,200 people killed or missing in the Flores region,       including 1,490 at Maumere and 700 on Babi. More than 500        people were injured and 40,000 left homeless. 19 people were     killed and 130 houses destroyed on Kalaotoa. Severe damage,      with approximately 90 percent of the buildings destroyed at      Maumere by the earthquake and tsunami; 50 to 80 percent of the   structures on Flores were damaged or destroyed. Damage also      occurred on Sumba and Alor. Tsunami run-up of 300 meters with    wave heights of 25 meters was reported on Flores along with      landslides and ground cracks at several locations around the     island. Felt (V) at Larantuka, Flores; (IV) at Waingapu, Sumba   and Ujung Pandang, Sulawesi; (II) at Kupang, Timor.
1993/09/29
5502
6.9
Five thousand five hundred two people confirmed killed, 36,896        injured and extensive damage (VII JMA) in the Kobe area and on   Awaji-shima. Over 90 percent of the casualties occurred along    the southern coast of Honshu between Kobe and Nishinomiya. At    least 28 people were killed by a landslide at Nishinomiya.       About 310,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Over  200,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous fires,     gas and water main breaks and power outages occurred in the      epicentral area. Felt (VII JMA) along a coastal strip extending  from Suma Ward, Kobe to Nishinomiya and in the Ichinomiya area   on Awaji-shima; (V JMA) at Hikone, Kyoto and Toyooka; (IV JMA)   at Nara, Okayama, Osaka and Wakayama; (V) at Iwakuni. Also felt  (IV JMA) at Takamatsu, Shikoku. Right-lateral surface faulting   was observed for 9 kilometers with horizontal displacement of    1.2 to 1.5 meters in the northern part of Awaji-shima.         Liquefaction also occurred in the epicentral area.
1995/05/27
1567
7.3
At least 1,567 people killed, 2,300 injured, 50,000 homeless, 10,533 houses destroyed, 5,474 houses damaged and landslides in the Birjand-Qayen  area. Five people killed and some damage in the Herat  area, Afghanistan. Felt in the Kerman, Khorasan, Semnan,  Sistan va Baluchestan and Yazd regions of Iran. This earthquake occurred on the Abiz fault, as confirmed by field work of Manuel Berberian. This fault is north of  the collision zone between the Arabian and Eurasian  plates. The region of the Abiz fault is comprised of  several microplates and is tectonically very active. The  most notable regional earthquake was the Dasht-e-Bayez  earthquake (magnitude 7.3) of 1968, which resulted in  12,000-20,000 deaths. Both the Abiz and Dasht-e-Bayez  earthquakes showed left-laterial, strike-slip faulting.
1998/02/04
2183
7.0
2,183 people killed, thousands injured, about 9,500  homeless and about 500 missing as a result of a tsunami  generated in the Sissano area. Maximum wave heights  estimated at 10 meters. Several villages were completely  destroyed and others extensively damaged. Maximum  recorded wave heights from selected tide stations  (one-half peak-to-trough, in cm) were as follows: 20 on  Miyake-jima; 15 at Tosa-Shimuzu, Shikoku; 13 at Muroto,  Shikoku; 12 at Naze, Amami O-shima; 10 on Tanega-shima;  10 at Kushimoto, Honshu. Other recorded wave heights  (peak to trough, in cm) were as follows: 6 at Jackson Bay  and 4.7 at Kaikoura, New Zealand; 5 on Yap. Felt along  much of the northern Papua New Guinea coast.
1999/01/25
2400
7.6
At least 2,400 people killed,  8,700 injured, 600,000 people left homeless and about  82,000 housing units damaged by the earthquake and larger  aftershocks. Damage estimated at 14 billion U.S. dollars.  Maximum intensity (VI JMA) in Nan-tou and Tai-chung  Counties. Half of a village was lost by subsidence into  the Ta-an Hsi and landslides blocked the Ching-shui Hsi,  creating a large lake. Two other lakes were created by  substantial ground deformation near the epicenter. Surface  faulting occurred along 75 km of the Chelungpu Fault. Felt  (V JMA) at Chia-i and I-lan; (IV JMA) at Kao-hsiung, Taipei  and Tai-tung; (IV JMA) on Lan Yu and Peng-hu Tao; (III JMA)  at Hua-lien. Felt strongly in Fujian, Guangdong and  Zhejiang Provinces. Felt (IV) in Hong Kong. Also felt  (II JMA) on Iriomote-jima and Yonaguni-jima; (I JMA) on  Ishigaki-jima and Miyako-jima, Ryukyu Islands. Complex  earthquake. A small event is followed by a larger one about  11 seconds later.
2001/01/26
20085
7.6
At least 20,085 people killed, 166,836 injured, approximately 339,000 buildings destroyed and 783,000 damaged in the Bhuj-Ahmadabad-Rajkot area and other parts of Gujarat. Many bridges and roads damaged in Gujarat. At least 18 people killed and some injured in southern Pakistan. Felt throughout northern India and much of Pakistan. Also felt in Bangladesh and western Nepal. The earthquake occurred along an approximately east-west trending thrust fault at shallow depth. The stress that caused this earthquake is due to the Indian plate pushing northward into the Eurasian plate. Complex earthquake. A small event is followed by a larger one about 2 seconds later.
2002/03/25
2266
6.8
At least 2,266 people killed, 10,261 injured, about 180,000 homeless and more than 43,500 buildings damaged or destroyed (X) in the Algiers-Boumerdes-Dellys-Thenia area. Underwater telecommunication cables were cut and landslides, sandblows, liquefaction and ground cracks were observed. Maximum ground acceleration of 0.58g was recorded at Keddara. Damage estimated at between 600 million and 5 billion U.S. dollars. Felt from Mostaganem to Guelma and as far south as Biskra. Felt (III) on Mallorca and (II) on Ibiza and Menorca, Spain. Also felt (II) at Albacete, Alcantarilla, Alicante, Barcelona, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Elda, Molina de Segura, Murcia, Sagunto and Villafranca del Panades, Spain. Felt in Monaco and southern France and on Sardinia, Italy. About 40 to 80 cm of uplift of the sea floor was measured along the coast of Algeria between Reghaia and Zemmouri el Bahri. A tsunami with a maximum estimated wave height of 2 m caused damage to boats in the Balearic Islands, Spain, especially in Puerto de Mahon, where 10 boats sank. It was recorded on tide gauges with the following maximum wave heights (peak-to-trough): 1.2 m at Palma de Mallorca, Spain; 10 cm at Nice, France; 8 cm at Genoa, Italy. The tsunami was also observed on the coast of Alicante, Castellon and Murcia, Spain.
2003/12/26
227898
9.1
This is the third largest earthquake in the world since 1900  and is the largest since the 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska  earthquake. In total, 227,898 people were killed or were missing and presumed dead and about 1.7 million people were displaced  by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 14 countries in  South Asia and East Africa.  (In January 2005, the death toll was 286,000. In April 2005, Indonesia reduced its estimate for the number missing by over 50,000.) The earthquake was felt (IX) at  Banda Aceh, (VIII) at Meulaboh and (IV) at Medan, Sumatra and  (III-V) in parts of Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Maldives,  Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The tsunami caused  more casualties than any other in recorded history and was  recorded nearly world-wide on tide gauges in the Indian, Pacific  and Atlantic Oceans. Seiches were observed in India and the  United States. Subsidence and landslides were observed in  Sumatra. A mud volcano near Baratang, Andaman Islands became  active on December 28 and gas emissions were reported in Arakan,  Myanmar.
2005/03/28
86000
7.6
At least 86,000 people killed, more than 69,000 injured and extensive damage in northern Pakistan. The heaviest damage occurred in the Muzaffarabad area, Kashmir where entire villages were destroyed and at Uri where 80 percent of the town was destroyed. At least 32,335 buildings collapsed in Anantnag, Baramula, Jammu and Srinagar, Kashmir. Buildings collapsed in Abbottabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Maximum intensity VIII. Felt (VII) at Topi; (VI) at Islamabad, Peshawar and Rawalpindi; (V) at Faisalabad and Lahore. Felt at Chakwal, Jhang, Sargodha and as far as Quetta. At least 1,350 people killed and 6,266 injured in India. Felt (V) at Chandigarh and New Delhi; (IV) at Delhi and Gurgaon, India. Felt in Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh, India. At least one person killed and some buildings collapsed in Afghanistan. Felt (IV) at Kabul and (III) at Bagrami, Afghanistan. Felt (III) at Kashi, China and (II) at Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Also felt at Almaty, Kazakhstan. An estimated 4 million people in the area were left homeless. Landslides and rockfalls damaged or destroyed several mountain roads and highways cutting off access to the region for several days. Landslides also occurred farther north near the towns of Gilgit and Skardu, Kashmir. Liquefaction and sandblows occurred in the western part of the Vale of Kashmir and near Jammu. Landslides and rockfalls also occurred in parts of Himachal Pradesh, India. Seiches were observed in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, India and in many places in Bangladesh.
2006/05/26
87587
7.9
At least  69,195 people killed, 374,177 injured and 18,392 missing and  presumed dead in the Chengdu-Lixian-Guangyuan area. More than  45.5 million people in 10 provinces and regions were affected.  At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and  more than 5 million were left homeless. An estimated 5.36  million buildings collapsed and more than 21 million buildings  were damaged in Sichuan and in parts of Chongqing, Gansu, Hubei,  Shaanxi and Yunnan. The total economic loss was estimated at 86  billion US dollars. Beichuan, Dujiangyan, Wuolong and Yingxiu  were almost completely destroyed. Landslides and rockfalls  damaged or destroyed several mountain roads and railways and  buried buildings in the Beichuan-Wenchuan area, cutting off  access to the region for several days. At least 700 people were  buried by a landslide at Qingchuan. Landslides also dammed  several rivers, creating 34 barrier lakes which threatened about  700,000 people downstream. A train was buried by a landslide  near Longnan, Gansu. At least 2,473 dams sustained some damage  and more than 53,000 km of roads and 48,000 km of tap water  pipelines were damaged. About 1.5 km of surface faulting was  observed near Qingchuan, surface cracks and fractures occurred  on three mountains in the area, and subsidence and street cracks  were observed in the city itself. Maximum intensity XI was  assigned in the Wenchuan area. Felt (VIII) at Deyang and  Mianyang; (VII) at Chengdu; (VI) at Luzhou and Xi'an; (V) at  Chongqing, Guozhen, Lanzhou, Leshan, Wu'an, Xichang and Ya'an.  Felt in much of central, eastern and southern China, including  Beijing, Guangzhou, Hefei, Nanjing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan and  in Hong Kong. Also felt in parts of Bangladesh, Taiwan, Thailand  and Vietnam. Seiches were observed at Kotalipara, Bangladesh.
2009/09/30
1117
7.5
At least 1,117  people killed, 1,214 injured, 181,665 buildings destroyed or  damaged and about 451,000 people displaced in the Padang- Pariaman area. Landslides disrupted power and communications in  the area. Felt (VII) at Padang; (VI) at Bukittinggi; (IV) at  Bengkulu, Duri, Mukomuko and Sibolga; (III) at Pekanbaru. Also  felt (IV) at Gunungsitoli, Nias and (II) at Jakarta, Java. Felt  throughout Sumatra and in much of Java. Felt (III) in Singapore  and at George Town, Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya,  Shah Alam and Sungai Chua, Malaysia. Felt in much of Peninsular  Malaysia and as far away as Chiang Mai, Thailand. A 27-cm  (center-to-peak) local tsunami was recorded at Padang, Sumatra.
2010/01/12
316000
7.0
According to official estimates, 316,000 people killed, 300,000 injured, 1.3 million displaced, 97,294 houses destroyed and 188,383 damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and in much of southern Haiti. Other estimates suggest substantially lower numbers of casualties, perhaps as low as fewer than 100,000. The casualties include at least 4 people killed by a local tsunami in the Petit Paradis area near Leogane. Tsunami waves were also reported at Jacmel, Les Cayes, Petit Goave, Leogane, Luly and Anse a Galets. The tsunami had recorded wave heights (peak-to-trough) of 12 cm at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and 2 cm at Christiansted, US Virgin Islands. Uplift was observed along the coast from Leogane to L'Acul and subsidence was observed along the coast from Grand Trou to Port Royal. Felt (VIII) at Leogane; (VII) at Carrefour, Port-au-Prince and Petionville; (VI) at Vieux Bourg d'Aquin; (V) at Port-de-Paix. Felt (V) at La Vega, Moca and San Cristobal; (IV) at Bani, Bonao, Luperon, Nagua, Puerto Plata, Santiago, Santo Domingo and Sosua, Dominican Republic. Felt throughout Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Felt (III) at Oranjestad, Aruba; (IV) at Santiago de Cuba and (III) at Guantanamo, Cuba; (II) in the Kingston-Mona area, Jamaica; (II) at Carolina and San Juan, Puerto Rico; (III) at Cockburn Harbour and (II) at Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands; (III) at Maracaibo and (II) at Caracas, Venezuela. Felt in parts of The Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and as far as southern Florida, northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.
2010/04/13