Lists of earthquakes explained
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.
Lists by time period
By century
By decade
By year
Lists by location
By country
By region
Deadliest earthquakes
The following is a summary list of earthquakes with over approximately 100,000 deaths.[1] The 893 Ardabil earthquake probably relate to the 893 Dvin earthquake, due to misreading of the Arabic word for Dvin, 'Dabil' as 'Ardabil'.[2] This is regarded as a 'fake earthquake'.[3]
Rank | Event | Date | Location | Fatalities | Magnitude | Notes |
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1 | | | | data-sort-value="242769" | 242,769–700,000+ | 7.6 | Official casualty figure is 242,769 deaths. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. 799,000 injured.[4] [5] |
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2 | | | Ningxia–Gansu, China | data-sort-value="273400" | 273,400 | 7.8 | Previously cited death toll was 230,000 and this figure was revised in 2010.[6] [7] |
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3 | | | Antioch, Byzantine Empire (modern-day Turkey) | data-sort-value="250000" | 250,000[8] | 7.0[9] | Procopius (II.14.6), sources based on John of Ephesus. |
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4 | | | Ganja, Seljuk Empire (modern-day Azerbaijan) | data-sort-value="230000" | 230,000–300,000[10] | 7.0 | Death toll may have been a historical conflation with earthquakes on November 1137 in the Jazira plain and the 1138 Aleppo earthquake. |
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5 | | | | data-sort-value="227898" | 227,898 | 9.1–9.3 | Death toll includes those missing and presumed dead. |
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6 | | | Aleppo, Seljuk Empire (modern-day Syria) | data-sort-value="130000" | 130,000–230,000 | 7.1[11] | The figure of 230,000 dead is based on a historical conflation of this earthquake with earthquakes in November 1137 on the Jazira plain and the 1139 Ganja earthquakein the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. The first mention of a 230,000 death toll was by Ibn Taghribirdi in the fifteenth century.[12] |
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7 | | | Haiti | 100,000–316,000 | 7.0 | Estimates vary from 316,000 (Haitian government) to 222,570 (UN OCHA estimate)[13] to 158,000 (Medicine, Conflict and Survival) to between 85,000 and 46,000 (report commissioned by USAID).[14] [15] |
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8 | 1303 Hongdong earthquake | | Shanxi, Yuan dynasty (modern-day China) | 200,000[16] | 8.0 | Taiyuan and Pingyang were leveled. |
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9 | | | Damghan, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iran) | data-sort-value="200000" | 200,000 | | |
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10 | 533 Aleppo earthquake | | data-sort-value="130000" | Aleppo, Byzantine Empire (modern-day Syria) | 130,000[17] | Unknown |
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11 | | | Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR (modern-day Turkmenistan) | data-sort-value="110000" | 110,000 | 7.3 | Previously cited death toll was 10,000 until a news release on December 9, 1988 advised that the correct death toll was 110,000. |
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12 | | | Kantō region, Japan | data-sort-value="105000" | 105,385[18] | 7.9 | This earthquake with an epicenter beneath Izu Ōshima Island in Sagami Bay, shook the Kantō plain on the Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58 am. Shaking duration reported between 4 and 10 minutes, devastating Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka.[19] Shaking slid the 93-ton Great Buddha statue at Kamakura almost forward. Casualty estimates range from 100,000 to 142,800, the latter figure including ≈40,000 missing later presumed dead. |
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13 | | | Shaanxi, China | data-sort-value="100,000" | 100,000+ | 8.0 | Direct deaths thought to be just over 100,000 while about 730,000 people died from famines or migrated elsewhere.[20] [21] [22] [23] |
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14 | | | Ningcheng, Yuan dynasty (modern-day China) | data-sort-value="100000" | 100,000 | 6.8 | Estimates also suggests lower values of at least 7,000.[24] |
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Deadliest earthquakes by year
Date | Magnitude | Location | Depth (km) | MMI | data-sort-type=number | Deaths |
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May 1, 1929 | 7.2 | , Ahal Region | 10.0 | IX | 3,257–3,800 |
July 23, 1930 | 6.6 | , Irpinia | 15.0 | X | 1,404 |
August 10, 1931 | 8.0 | , Xinjiang Province | 20.0 | XI | 10,000 |
May 20, 1932 | 5.4 | , Mazandaran province | 12.0 | VIII | 1,070 |
August 25, 1933 | 7.3 | China, Sichuan Province | 15.0 | X | 6,865-9,300 |
January 15, 1934 | 8.0 | Nepal, Koshi | 15.0 | X | 10,700–12,000 |
May 30, 1935 | 7.7 | , Khanate of Kalat | 15.0 | X | 30,000–60,000 |
April 1, 1936 | 6.8 | China, Guangxi Province | 0.0 | IX | 1,001 |
July 31, 1937 | 6.9 | , Shandong Province | 25.0 | IX | 3,252 |
April 19, 1938 | 6.6 | , Kırşehir Province | 10.0 | IX | 224 |
December 27, 1939 | 7.8 | , Erzincan Province | 20.0 | XII | 32,700–32,968 |
November 10, 1940 | 7.7 | , Vrancea County | 133.0 | X | 1,000 |
January 11, 1941 | 5.8–6.5 | , Razih District | 35.0 | VIII | 1,200 |
December 20, 1942 | 7.0 | , Erbaa | 10.0 | IX | 3,000 |
November 27, 1943 | 7.5–7.7 | , Çankırı | 20.0 | XI | 2,824–5,000 |
January 15, 1944 | 7.0 | , San Juan | 15.0 | IX | 10,000 |
November 28, 1945 | 8.1 | , Makran Coast | 15.0 | X | 300–4,000 |
August 4, 1946 | 7.8 | , Samaná | 15.0 | IX | 2,550 |
August 4, 1947 | 7.7 | , Junín Province | 20.0 | IX | 233–2,233 |
October 6, 1948 | 7.3 | , Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic | 15.0 | X | 10,000–110,000 |
July 10, 1949 | 7.5 | , Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic | 18.0 | IX | 7,200 |
August 15, 1950 | 8.6 | , Assam | 15.0 | XI | 4,800 |
May 6, 1951 | 5.9–6.2 | , Usulután | 85.0 | VIII | 400–1,100 |
November 5, 1952 | 9.0 | , Russian Soviet Socialist Republic | 21.6 | XI | 2,336 |
March 18, 1953 | 7.5 | , Balıkesir Province | 10.0 | IX | 1,070 |
September 9, 1954 | 6.7 | , Chlef Province, Algeria | 15.0 | XI | 1,243–1,409 |
March 31, 1955 | 7.4 | , Western Mindanao | 35.0 | VIII | 465 |
October 31, 1956 | 6.4 | , Hormozgan | 15.0 | VII | 347 |
December 13, 1957 | 6.5 | , Hamadan | 15.0 | VII | 1,130 |
August 16, 1958 | 6.7 | , Lorestan | 15.0 | VII | 132 |
August 18, 1959 | 7.3 | , Montana | 5.0 | X | 28 |
February 29, 1960 | 5.8 | , Souss-Massa | 15.0 | X | 12,000–15,000 |
June 11, 1961 | 6.4 | , Fars province | 15.0 | VIII | 60 |
September 1, 1962 | 7.1 | , Qazvin province | 10.0 | IX | 12,225 |
July 26, 1963 | 6.1 | , Macedonia | 15.0 | X | 1,070 |
March 27, 1964 | 9.2 | , Alaska | 25.0 | XI | 131 |
March 28, 1965 | 7.4–7.6 | , Valparaíso Region | 70.0 | IX | 400–500 |
March 22, 1966 | 6.8 | , Hebei | 20.0 | IX | 8,064 |
July 29, 1967 | 6.6 | , Vargas | 25.0 | VIII | 225–300 |
August 31, 1968 | 7.1 | , South Khorasan Province | 10.0 | X | 15,900 |
July 25, 1969 | 6.4 | , Guangdong | 20.0 | VIII | 3,000 |
May 31, 1970 | 7.9 | , Ancash | 45.0 | VIII | 66,794–70,000 |
May 22, 1971 | 6.6 | , Bingöl | 10.0 | VIII | 875[25] |
April 10, 1972 | 6.7 | , Fars | 10.0 | IX | 5,374 |
February 6, 1973 | 7.6 | , Sichuan | 11.0 | X | 2,175–2,204 |
May 10, 1974 | 7.1 | , Yunnan | 14.0 | IX | 1,641–20,000 |
September 6, 1975 | 6.7 | , Diyarbakır | 26.0 | IX | 2,311 |
July 28, 1976 | 7.6 | , Hebei | 12.2 | XI | 242,719–655,000 |
March 4, 1977 | 7.5 | , Vrancea | 85.3 | IX | 1,700 |
September 16, 1978 | 7.4 | , Yazd | 33.0 | IX | 15,000–25,000 |
December 12, 1979 | 8.2 | , Nariño | 33.0 | IX | 300–600 |
October 10, 1980 | 7.1 | , Chlef | 10.0 | X | 2,633–5,000 |
June 11 and July 28, 1981 | 6.6 & 7.1 | , Kerman | 33.0 | VIII & IX | 3,000 |
December 13, 1982 | 6.2 | , Dhamar | 10.0 | VIII | 2,800 |
October 30, 1983 | 6.6 | , Erzurum | 15.0 | IX | 1,340 |
September 13, 1984 | 6.3 | , Nagano | 2.0 | VIII | 14 |
September 19, 1985 | 8.0 | , Michoacán | 20.0 | IX | 5,000–45,000 |
October 10, 1986 | 5.7 | , San Salvador | 10.0 | IX | 1,000–1,500 |
March 6, 1987 | 7.1 | , Sucumbíos | 10.0 | IX | 1,000 |
December 7, 1988 | 6.8 | , Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic | 5.0 | X | 25,000–50,000 |
January 23, 1989 | 5.3 | , Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic | 33.0 | VII | 274 |
June 21, 1990 | 7.4 | , Gilan | 18.5 | X | 35,000–40,000 |
October 20, 1991 | 6.8 | , Uttar Pradesh | 11.6 | IX | 768–2,000[26] |
December 12, 1992 | 7.8 | , Flores Sea offshore | 27.7 | VIII | 2,500[27] |
September 29, 1993 | 6.2 | , Maharashtra | 10.0 | VIII | 9,748 |
June 6, 1994 | 6.8 | , Cauca | 12.1 | IX | 1,100 |
January 17, 1995 | 6.9 | , Kobe | 21.9 | XI | 5,502–6,434 |
February 3, 1996 | 6.6 | , Yunnan | 10.0 | X | 309–322 |
May 10, 1997 | 7.3 | , Khorasan | 10.0 | X | 1,567 |
May 30, 1998 | 6.5 | , Takhar | 33.0 | VII | 4,000–4,500 |
August 17, 1999 | 7.6 | , İzmit | 17.0 | X | 17,127–18,373 |
June 4, 2000 | 7.9 | , Enggano Island offshore | 44.0 | VI | 103 |
January 26, 2001 | 7.6 | , Bhuj | 16.0 | X | 13,805–20,023 |
March 25, 2002 | 6.1 | , Baghlan Province | 8.0 | VII | 1,200 |
December 26, 2003 | 6.6 | , Bam | 15.0 | IX | 34,000 |
December 26, 2004 | 9.2–9.3 | , Sumatra offshore | 30.0 | IX | 227,898 |
October 8, 2005 | 7.6 | , Balakot | 15.0 | XI | 86,000–87,351 |
May 27, 2006 | 6.4 | , Yogyakarta | 10.0 | IX | 5,749 |
August 15, 2007 | 8.0 | , Ica offshore | 39.0 | IX | 595 |
May 12, 2008 | 7.9 | , Sichuan | 19.0 | XI | 87,587 |
September 30, 2009 | 7.6 | , Padang offshore | 90.0 | VII[28] | 1,115 |
January 12, 2010 | 7.0 | , Léogâne | 13.0 | X | 100,000–316,000 |
March 11, 2011 | 9.1 | , Sendai offshore | 29.0 | IX | 19,759 |
August 11, 2012 | 6.4 | , East Azerbaijan | 9.0 | VIII | 306 |
September 24, 2013 | 7.7 | , Balochistan | 15.0 | IX | 825 |
August 3, 2014 | 6.1 | , Yunnan | 10.0 | IX | 617 |
April 25, 2015 | 7.8 | , Gorkha District | 8.2 | X | 8,962 |
April 16, 2016 | 7.8 | , Esmeraldas | 20.6 | VIII[29] | 676 |
November 12, 2017 | 7.3 | Iran–Iraq border Region | 19.0 | IX | 630 |
September 28, 2018 | 7.5 | , Palu | 20.0 | X | 4,340 |
November 26, 2019 | 6.4 | , Durrës | 10.0 | VIII | 51 |
October 30, 2020 | 7.0 |
Aegean Sea | 21.0 | VIII | 119 |
August 14, 2021 | 7.2 | , Nippes | 10.0 | IX | 2,248 |
June 21, 2022 | 6.0 | , Khost | 10.0 | VIII | 1,052–1,163 |
February 6, 2023 | 7.8 & 7.7 | , Southeastern Anatolia , Aleppo and Idlib | 10.0 & 7.4 | XII | 59,488–62,013 |
January 1, 2024 | 7.5 | , Ishikawa | 10.0 | X | 339 |
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Largest earthquakes by magnitude
For those which occurred before the development and deployment of seismographs – starting around 1900 – magnitudes are estimated from historical reports of the extent and severity of damage.[30]
Rank | Date | Location | Event | Magnitude |
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1 | | Valdivia, Chile | 1960 Valdivia earthquake | 9.4–9.6 |
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2 | | Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States | 1964 Alaska earthquake | 9.2–9.3 |
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3 | | Sumatra, Indonesia | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake | 9.2–9.3[31] [32] |
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4 | | Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake | 9.0–9.1[33] [34] |
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5 | | Kamchatka, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake | 9.0 |
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6 | | Ecuador – Colombia | 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake | 8.8 |
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7 | | Maule, Chile | 2010 Chile earthquake | 8.8 |
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8 | | Rat Islands, Alaska, United States | 1965 Rat Islands earthquake | 8.7 |
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9 | | Assam, India – Tibet, China | 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake | 8.6–8.7 |
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10 | | Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States | 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake | 8.6 |
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11 | | Sumatra, Indonesia | 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake | 8.6 |
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12 | | Andreanof Islands, Alaska, United States | 1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake | 8.6 |
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13 | | Sumatra, Indonesia | 2012 Indian Ocean earthquakes | 8.6 |
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14 | | Atacama, Chile | 1922 Vallenar earthquake | 8.5–8.6 |
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15 | | Banda Sea, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies) | 1938 Banda Sea earthquake | 8.5–8.6 |
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16 | | Kuril Islands, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake | 8.5 | |
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Pre-instrumental earthquakes
Date | Location | Event | Magnitude |
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| Valparaíso, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) | 1730 Valparaíso earthquake | 9.1–9.3 (est.)[35] |
| Kamchatka Peninsula, Russian Empire | 1737 Kamchatka earthquake | 9.0–9.3 (est.) |
| Valdivia, Chile | 1837 Valdivia earthquake | 8.8–9.5 (est.)[36] |
| Pacific Ocean, Atacama region (now Atacama, Chile) | 1420 Caldera earthquake | 8.8–9.4 (est.) |
| Valdivia, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) | 1575 Valdivia earthquake | 9.0 (est.) |
| Arica, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) | 1604 Arica earthquake | 9.0 (est.) |
| Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan | 1707 Hōei earthquake | 8.7–9.3 (est.) [37] |
| Sumatra, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies) | 1833 Sumatra earthquake | 8.8–9.2 (est.) |
| Kamchatka, Russian Empire | 1841 Kamchatka earthquake | 9.0 (est.) |
| Pacific Ocean, US, and Canada (then claimed by the Spanish Empire and the British Empire) | 1700 Cascadia earthquake | 8.7–9.2 (est.) |
| Arica, Chile (then Peru) | 1868 Arica earthquake | 8.5–9.3 (est.) |
| Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan | 869 Jōgan earthquake | 8.6–9.0 (est.) |
| Banda Islands, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies) | 1852 Banda Sea earthquake | 8.8 (est.)[38] |
| Iquique, Chile (then Peru) | 1877 Iquique earthquake | 8.7–8.9 (est.) |
| Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal | 1755 Lisbon earthquake | 8.5–9.0 (est.) |
| Lima, Peru (then part of the Spanish Empire) | 1687 Peru earthquake | 8.7 (est.) |
| 1746 Lima–Callao earthquake | 8.6–8.8 (est.) |
| Chittagong, Bangladesh (then Kingdom of Mrauk U) | 1762 Arakan earthquake | 8.5–8.8 (est.) |
| Pacific Ocean, Chūbu region, Japan | 1498 Meiō earthquake | 8.6 (est.) |
| Oaxaca, Mexico (then part of the Spanish Empire) | 1787 New Spain earthquake | 8.6 (est.) |
| Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal | 1816 North Atlantic earthquake | 8.6 (est.) |
| Mediterranean Sea, Crete, Greece | 365 Crete earthquake | 8.5+ (est.) |
| Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal | | 8.5 (est.) |
| Himalayas, northern Nepal | 1505 Lo Mustang earthquake | 8.2–8.8 (est.) |
| Shandong, China | 1668 Shandong earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[39] |
| Concepción, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire) | 1751 Concepción earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
| Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal | 1761 Lisbon earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[40] |
| Copiapó, Chile | 1819 Copiapó earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
| Valparaíso, Chile | 1822 Valparaíso earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
| Concepción, Chile | 1835 Concepción earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
| region, Lesser Antilles | 1843 Guadeloupe earthquake | 8.5 (est.)[41] |
| Sumatra, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies) | 1861 Sumatra earthquake | 8.5 (est.) |
| Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Empire of Japan | 1896 Sanriku earthquake | 8.5 (est.) | |
List by year
Year | Magnitude | Location | Depth (km) | MMI | data-sort-type=number | Deaths | data-sort-type=number | Injuries |
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January 7, 1937 | 7.8 | , Qinghai | 15.0 | VIII | 0 | 0 |
February 1, 1938 | 8.5–8.6 | , Maluku offshore | 60.0 | VII | 0 | 0 |
December 21, 1939 | 8.1 | , Central Sulawesi offshore | 150.0 | VII | 0 | 0 |
May 24, 1940 | 8.2 | , Lima | 45.0 | VIII | 179–300 | 3,500 |
November 18, 1941 | 8.0 | , Miyazaki offshore | 35.0 | VII | 2 | 0 |
August 24, 1942 | 8.2 | , Ica | 35.0 | IX | 30 | 25 |
April 6, 1943 | 7.9–8.2 | , Coquimbo | 35.0 | VIII | 11 | 0 |
December 7, 1944 | 8.1 | , Wakayama offshore | 30.0 | VIII | 1,223 | 2,135 |
November 27, 1945 | 8.1 | , Balochistan offshore | 15.0 | X | 4,000 | 0 |
April 1, 1946 | 8.6 | , Alaska offshore | 15.0 | VI | 173 | 0 |
May 27, 1947 & November 1, 1947 | 7.6 | , Papua offshore | 15.0 | VI | 0 | 0 |
, Junin | 20.0 | IX | 233 | 0 |
January 24, 1948 | 7.8 | , Panay | 15.0 | X | 50 | 0 |
August 22, 1949 | 8.0 | , Haida Gwaii | 10.0 | VIII | 0 | 0 |
August 15, 1950 | 8.6 | India–China, Assam–Tibet border region | 15.0 | XI | 4,800 | 0 |
November 24, 1951 | 7.8 | , East Rift Valley | 30.0 | VII | 85 | 1,200 |
November 4, 1952 | 9.0 | , Kamchatka | 21.6 | XI | 2,336 | 0 |
November 25, 1953 | 7.9 | , Yokohama | 25.0 | V | 1 | 0 |
March 29, 1954 | 7.8 | , Andalusia | 626.2 | IV | 0 | 0 |
February 27, 1955 | 7.5 | , Kermadec Islands | 15.0 | I | 0 | 0 |
July 9, 1956 | 7.7 | , Dodecanese Islands | 20.0 | IX | 56 | 0 |
March 9, 1957 | 8.6–9.1 | , Aleutian Islands, Alaska | 25.0 | VIII | 2 | 0 |
November 6, 1958 | 8.3 | , Kuril Islands | 35.0 | X | 0 | 51 |
May 4, 1959 | 7.9 | , Kamchatka | 55.0 | VIII | 1 | 13 |
May 22, 1960 | 9.5 | , Valdivia | 25.0 | XII | 6,000 | 11,000 |
August 19, 1961 | 7.6 | , Madre de Dios Region | 612.2 | IV | 0 | 0 |
May 21, 1962 | 7.5 | offshore | 390.0 | I | 0 | 0 |
October 13, 1963 | 8.5 | , Kuril Islands | 35.0 | IX | 0 | 0 |
March 27, 1964 | 9.1–9.2 | Alaska, Prince William Sound | 25.0 | XI | 131 | 0 |
February 3, 1965 | 8.7 | Alaska, Aleutian Islands | 30.3 | VI | 0 | 0 |
October 17, 1966 | 8.1 | , Arequipa | 38.0 | IX | 125 | 3,000 |
July 22, 1967 | 7.4 | , Sakarya Province | 30.0 | X | 86 | 0 |
May 16, 1968 | 8.3 | , Hokkaidō | 26.0 | VIII | 52 | 330 |
August 11, 1969 | 8.2 | , Kuril Islands | 30.0 | VIII | 0 | 0 |
July 31, 1970 | 8.0 | , Amazonas Department | 644.8 | IV | 1 | 4 |
July 26, 1971 | 8.1 | , Kokopo | 37.0 | IX | 3 | 5 |
1972 | 8.0 | , Mindanao | 60.0 | VII | 0 | 0 |
June 17, 1973 | 7.8 | , Hokkaidō | 43.3 | VIII | 0 | 27 |
October 3, 1974 | 8.1 | , Lima | 13.0 | IX | 78 | 2,400 |
May 26, 1975 | 7.9 | north Atlantic Ocean | 33.0 | VI | 0 | 0 |
August 17, 1976 | 8.0 | , Moro Gulf | 33.0 | VIII | 8,000 | 10,000 |
August 19, 1977 | 8.3 | , Bima | 25.0 | VI | 189 | 1,100 |
June 12, 1978 | 7.7 | , Miyagi | 44.0 | VIII | 28 | 1,325 |
December 12, 1979 | 8.2 | , Nariño offshore , Esmeraldas offshore | 24.0 | IX | 600 | 0 |
July 17, 1980 | 7.7 | , Santa Cruz Islands | 33.0 | VI | 0 | 0 |
September 1, 1981 | 7.6 | , offshore | 25.0 | IV | 0 | 0 |
June 19, 1982 | 7.3 | , offshore | 73.0 | VII | 43 | 0 |
March 18 & May 26, 1983 | 7.7 | , New Ireland | 70.0 | VII | 0 | 0 |
, off the coast of Honshu | 15.1 | VIII | 104 | 324 |
February 7, 1984 | 7.6 | , Honiara | 18.1 | VIII | 0 | 0 |
September 19, 1985 | 8.0 | , Mexico City | 27.9 | IX | 10,000 | 30,000 |
May 7, 1986 | 8.0 | , Aleutian Islands, Alaska | 19.0 | VII | 0 | 0 |
November 30, 1987 | 7.9 | , Gulf of Alaska | 10.0 | VI | 0 | 0 |
March 6, 1988 | 7.7 | , Gulf of Alaska | 15.0 | V | 0 | 0 |
May 23, 1989 | 8.0 | , Macquarie Island | 10.0 | V | 0 | 0 |
July 16, 1990 | 7.7 | , Luzon | 24.4 | IX | 1,621 | 3,000 |
April 22, 1991 | 7.6 | , Limón | 10.0 | IX | 127 | 759 |
December 12, 1992 | 7.8 | , Sunda Islands | 23.5 | VIII | 2,500 | 0 |
August 8, 1993 | 7.8 | , Offshore | 59.3 | IX | 0 | 71 |
October 5, 1994 | 8.3 | , Kuril Islands | 3.0 | IX | 12 | 1,742 |
July 30, 1995 | 8.0 | , Antofagasta | 30.5 | VII | 3 | 59 |
February 17, 1996 | 8.2 | , Biak | 11.5 | VIII | 166 | 423 |
December 5, 1997 | 7.8 | , Kamchatka Peninsula | 23.5 | VIII | 0 | 0 |
March 25, 1998 | 8.1 | , Balleny Islands | 10.0 | – | 0 | 0 |
September 21, 1999 | 7.7 | , Nantou County | 15.5 | IX | 2,444 | 11,305 |
November 16, 2000 | 8.0 | , New Ireland | 13.0 | VII | 2 | 0 |
June 23, 2001 | 8.4 | , Arequipa | 33.0 | VIII | 145 | 2,713 |
November 3, 2002 | 7.9 | , Alaska | 4.2 | IX | 0 | 1 |
September 26, 2003 | 8.3 | , Hokkaidō | 23.5 | IX | 0 | 849 |
December 26, 2004 | 9.2–9.3 | , Sumatra | 10.0 | IX | 227,898 | 125,000 |
March 28, 2005 | 8.6 | , Simeulue | 21.0 | IX | 1313 | 300 |
November 15, 2006 | 8.3 | , Kuril Islands | 10.0 | VI | 0 | 1 |
September 12, 2007 | 8.4 | , Sumatra | 34.0 | VIII | 23 | 0 |
May 12, 2008 | 7.9 | , Sichuan | 19.0 | XI | 87,587 | 374,177 |
September 29, 2009 | 8.1 | , Offshore | 18.0 | VII | 189 | 7 |
February 27, 2010 | 8.8 | , Concepción | 22.9 | IX | 550 | 12,000 |
March 11, 2011 | 9.0–9.1 | , Honshu | 29.0 | IX | 19,747 | 6,000 |
April 11, 2012 | 8.6 | , Indian Ocean | 20.0 | VII | 10 | 12 |
May 24, 2013 | 8.3 | , Sea of Okhotsk | 598.1 | VI | 0 | 0 |
April 1, 2014 | 8.2 | , Iquique | 25.0 | VIII | 6 | 9 |
September 16, 2015 | 8.3 | , Coquimbo | 22.4 | IX | 21 | 34 |
December 17, 2016 | 7.9 | , New Ireland | 94.5 | VII | 0 | 0 |
September 7, 2017 | 8.2 | , Chiapas | 47.4 | IX | 98 | 250 |
August 19, 2018 | 8.2 | , offshore | 600.0 | V | 0 | 0 |
May 26, 2019 | 8.0 | , Loreto | 122.6 | VIII | 2 | 0 |
July 22, 2020 | 7.8 | , Alaska Peninsula offshore | 28.0 | VII | 0 | 0 |
July 28, 2021 | 8.2 | , Alaska Peninsula offshore | 32.2 | VII | 0 | 0 |
September 11 & September 19, 2022 | 7.6 | , Morobe | 61.4 | VIII | 21 | 42 |
, Michoacán | 25.5 | VIII | 2 | 35 |
February 6, 2023 | 7.8 | , Southeastern Anatolia | 17.9 | XII | 59,488–62,013 | 121,704 |
January 1, 2024 | 7.5 | , Ishikawa | 10.0 | X | 339 | 1,327 | |
List by country/territory
- This list is a work in progress. Information is likely to be changed.
- The list refers to current country boundaries rather than those at the date of the earthquake.
- Please note, multiple countries could have the same earthquake listed, such as the 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake being listed for both Ecuador and Colombia.
- Unless otherwise noted, magnitudes are reported on the Moment magnitude scale (Mw).
Costliest earthquakes
See main article: List of costliest earthquakes. This is the top ten major earthquakes by the dollar value of property (public and private) losses directly attributable to the earthquake.
Most studied earthquakes
The 50 most studied earthquakes according to the International Seismological Centre (ISC), based on a count of scientific papers (mostly in English) that discuss that earthquake. The "Event #" is linked to the ISC Event Bibliography for that event.
Modified from figure 2, "The most studied events", at the ISC's Overview of the ISC Event Bibliography.
2018.
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths . Earthquake.usgs.gov . February 12, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090901233953/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/most_destructive.php . September 1, 2009.
- Book: Ambraseys . N.N. . Nicholas Ambraseys . Melville . C.P. . A History of Persian Earthquakes . Cambridge Earth Science . 2005 . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-02187-6 . 175 .
- Book: Gupta, H. . Harsh Gupta . Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics . 2 . Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences . 2011 . Springer . 978-90-481-8701-0 . 566 .
- Web site: Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths . . March 17, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130605122458/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/most_destructive.php . June 5, 2013.
- Theodore S. Glickman. [1993] (1993). Acts of God and Acts of Man. DIANE Publishing.
- Web site: Death toll of 1920 China earthquake higher than previously estimated . Xinhua News Agency . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130820065946/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-12/16/c_13652388.htm . August 20, 2013.
- Web site: Search Page . Utsu . T. . Catalog of Damaging Earthquakes in the World (Through 2008) . June 3, 2010.
- The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D. . Sbeinati . Mohamed Reda . Darawchech . Ryad . Mouty . Mikhail . Annals of Geophysics . 48 . 3 . 347–435 . June 2005 . October 8, 2015.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 1972 . NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K .
- Web site: Most Destructive Known Earthquakes on Record in the World . Earthquake.usgs.gov . April 22, 2022 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090901233953/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/most_destructive.php . September 1, 2009.
- Grǖnthal G. . Wahlström R. . 2009 . A harmonized seismicity data base for the EuroMediterranean region . Proceedings of the 27th ECGS Workshop 'Seismicity Patterns in the Euro-Med Region . 15–21 .
- Ambraseys, Nicholas N., "The 12th century seismic paroxysm in the Middle East: a historical perspective" (PDF), Annals of Geophysics, Vol. 47, N. 2/3, April/June 2004, p. 743.
- http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2679 Haiti Dominates Earthquake Fatalities in 2010
- Maura R. O'Connor, [Two Years Later, Haitian Earthquake Death Toll in Dispute], Columbia Journalism Review (January 12, 2012).
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13606720 Report challenges Haiti earthquake death toll
- Web site: Ruins of the Hongdong Earthquake (1303) . China Virtual Museums . November 28, 2015.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 1972 . NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K .
- Web site: Today in Earthquake History . usgs.gov .
- Hammer, Joshua. (2006). Yokohama Burning: the Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II, p. 278, citing Francis Hawks, (1856). Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan Performed in the Years 1852, 1853 and 1854 under the Command of Commodore M.C. Perry, United States Navy, Washington: A.O.P. Nicholson by order of Congress, 1856; originally published in Senate Executive Documents, No. 34 of 33rd Congress, 2nd Session.
- 颤抖的地球—地震科学 (2005). Researched by China Earthquake Administration seismologists 冯万鹏,薑文亮,龚丽霞,公茂盛,胡进军; Revised by CEA seismologists 王文清,续春荣,张宝红; Edited by CEA chiefs 谢礼立,张景发. Tsinghua University Press. Pages XIII, 162. "1556年陕西华县8级大地震,死亡的83万人中, 据估计死于瘟疫者不下七八成" [Among the 830,000 died, it is estimated that no less than 70% or 80% died from plagues]
- Book: 邬福肇 . 曹康泰 . 陈章立 . 中华人民共和国防震减灾法释义 . 法律出版社 . 1998 . 第三章 地震灾害预防 . http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c2170/200011/2be159a6f944411bab7d9d5448d90dc3.shtml . 4 August 2023 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230804065612/http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c2170/200011/2be159a6f944411bab7d9d5448d90dc3.shtml . 4 August 2023 . 1556年我国陕西的华县8级大地震,共死亡约83万人,但实际上其中70多万人死于其后的瘟疫和饥荒。.
- 大地震后传染病的防疫要点 . 高东旗 . 王常有 . 杜玉萍 . 王晓燕 . 华北国防医药 . 2008 . 3 . 1556年陕西发生大地震,当时死亡10万人,而第2年发生大瘟疫,却死亡70多万人 [100,000 died in 1556, while a plague struck the subsequent year and led to a further death of 700,000-odd.].
- Book: 地震知识百问百答 . 2008 . . 地震出版社 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090509075627/https://www.cea.gov.cn/manage/html/8a8587881632fa5c0116674a018300cf/_content/08_05/30/1212139484781.html . 2009-05-09 . 实则直接死于地震的只有十数万人,其余70余万人均死于瘟疫和饥荒 [Actually, direct deaths from earthquake amount to 100,000-odd, the remaining 700,000-odd died from plagues and famine].
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 1972 . NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K .
- Web site: 22 Mayıs 1971 Bingöl Depremi Ms:6.8 . AFAD . tr . April 5, 2022.
- March 28, 2022.
- Web site: Today in Earthquake History . earthquake.usgs.gov . March 27, 2022.
- January 8, 2022.
- January 8, 2022.
- , pp. 140, 142 et seq.
- Stein . Seth . Okal . Emile A. . 2007-01-01 . Ultralong Period Seismic Study of the December 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Implications for Regional Tectonics and the Subduction Process . Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America . en . 97 . 1A . S279–S295 . 2007BuSSA..97S.279S . 1943-3573 . 10.1785/0120050617 .
- Fujii . Yushiro . Satake . Kenji . Watada . Shingo . Ho . Tung-Cheng . Re-examination of Slip Distribution of the 2004 Sumatra–Andaman Earthquake (Mw 9.2) by the Inversion of Tsunami Data Using Green's Functions Corrected for Compressible Seawater Over the Elastic Earth . 2021-12-01 . Pure and Applied Geophysics . en . 178 . 12 . 4777–4796 . 1420-9136 . 10.1007/s00024-021-02909-6 . free .
- Romano . F. . Piatanesi . A. . Lorito . S. . D'Agostino . N. . Hirata . K. . Atzori . S. . Yamazaki . Y. . Cocco . M. . 2012-04-27 . Clues from joint inversion of tsunami and geodetic data of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake . Scientific Reports . en . 2 . 1 . 385 . 2012NatSR...2E.385R . 2045-2322 . 22545193 . 10.1038/srep00385 . 3338116.
- Wang . Zhen . Kato . Teruyuki . Zhou . Xin . Fukuda . Jun’ichi . 2016-11-28 . Source process with heterogeneous rupture velocity for the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake based on 1-Hz GPS data . Earth, Planets and Space . 68 . 1 . 193 . 2016EP&S...68..193W . 1880-5981 . 10.1186/s40623-016-0572-4 . free.
- Carvajal . M. . Cisternas . M. . Catalán . P.A. . 2017 . Source of the 1730 Chilean earthquake from historical records: Implications for the future tsunami hazard on the coast of Metropolitan Chile . Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth . 122 . 5 . 3648–3660 . 2017JGRB..122.3648C . 10.1002/2017JB014063 . 133806784.
- Jin Junfang . Yin Shuyan . Yan Junping . Symmetry and tendency judgment of Ms ≥ 8.0 strong earthquakes in Chile . Geodesy and Geodynamics . 2014 . 5 . 1 . 34–40 . 2014G&G.....5...34J . 10.3724/SP.J.1246.2014.01034 . free.
- Web site: M 9.3Re-evaluation of Mw of the 1707 Hoei earthquake – near the east coast of Honshu, Japan . .
- H. Ringer . J. P. Whitehead . J. Krometis . R. A. Harris . N. Glatt-Holtz . S. Giddens . C. Ashcraft . G. Carver . A. Robertson . M. Harward . J. Fullwood . K. Lightheart . R. Hilton . A. Avery . C. Kesler . M. Morrise . M. H. Klein . Methodological Reconstruction of Historical Seismic Events From Anecdotal Accounts of Destructive Tsunamis: A Case Study for the Great 1852 Banda Arc Mega-Thrust Earthquake and Tsunami . Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth . 2021 . 126 . 4 . 2009.14272 . 2021JGRB..12621107R . 10.1029/2020JB021107 . 222066748 . June 19, 2021 . dead . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.geology.byu.edu/Home/sites/default/files/2021_jgr_banda_1852_reconstruciton.pdf . October 9, 2022.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information CHINA: SHANDONG PROVINCE . NGCD . December 9, 2020.
- Web site: NCEI Global Historical Hazard Database . Significant Earthquake Information PORTUGAL: LISBON . ngdc.noaa.gov . en . February 1, 2021.
- Hough S.E. . Susan Hough . 2013 . Missing great earthquakes . Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth . 118 . 3 . 1098–1108 . 2013JGRB..118.1098H . 10.1002/jgrb.50083 . free . 128458643.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K . 9 June 2024.
- Simon . RE . Kwadiba . MTO . King . JG . Moidaki . M . A History of Botswana's Seismic Network . Botswana Notes and Records . 2012 . 44 . 184–192 . 43855570 .
- Book: Natural Hazards in El Salvador . https://books.google.com/books?id=xZp0mS_QWHMC&pg=PA394 . Seismic history of the Middle America subduction zone along El Salvador, Guatemala, and Chiapas, Mexico: 1526–2000 . White . R. A. . Ligorria . J. P. . Cifuentes . I. L. . 2004 . . 978-0-8137-2375-4 . 394.
- Web site: Largest earthquake in Finland . Sodankylän Geofysiikan Observatorio, Oulun Toimintayksikkö (University of Oulu) . June 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060528002529/http://www.oulu.fi/sgo-oty/quakes/tornio04111898.html . May 28, 2006.
- Marcelo Assumpção, Alberto V. Veloso . 2020 . The 1885 M 6.9 Earthquake in the French Guiana–Brazil Border: The Largest Midplate Event in the Nineteenth Century in South America . Seismological Research Letters . 91 . 5 . 2497–2510 . 2020SeiRL..91.2497A . 10.1785/0220190325 . 219502957 .
- Web site: NCEI Significant Earthquake Information . ngdc.noaa.gov . January 11, 2022.
- Onur . T. . Gok . R. . Abdulnaby . W. . Mahdi . H. . Numan . N.M. . Al-Shukri . H. . Shakir . A. . Chlaib . H. . Ameen . T.H. . Abd . N. . 2016 . A Comprehensive Earthquake Catalogue for Iraq in Terms of Moment Magnitude . Seismological Research Letters . 88 . 3 . 798–811 . 1466119 . 10.1785/0220160078 .
- Web site: Të gjitha tërmetet që kanë ndodhur në territorin e Kosovës . Albanian . All earthquakes that have occurred in the territory of Kosovo . September 24, 2019 .
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K . 9 June 2024.
- Wiejacz . Paweł . Debski . Wojciech . Podhale, Poland, earthquake of November 30, 2004 . Acta Geophysica . 2009 . 57 . 2 . 346–366 . 2009AcGeo..57..346W . 10.2478/s11600-009-0007-8 . 128410108 .
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K . 9 June 2024.
- Kázmér . Miklós . May 19, 2020 . Repeated historical earthquakes in Sousse, Monastir and El-Jem (Tunisia)—an archaeoseismological study . Arabian Journal of Geosciences . 14 . 3 . 214 . 10.1007/s12517-020-06372-w . 231738302 . July 22, 2022.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K . 9 June 2024.
- Salcedo-Hurtado . Elkin de J. . Audemard . Franck A. . García-Millán . Nathalie . Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales . es . Focal parameters of the April 28, 1894 earthquake in the Venezuelan Andes using macrosismic data . Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales . 2021 . 45 . 175 . 591-606 . 0370-3908 . 10.18257/raccefyn.1195 . free.
- Web site: Zhang . Bo . Top 5 Most Expensive Natural Disasters in History . AccuWeather.com . News & Video . March 29, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110331005015/http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/47459/top-5-most-expensive-natural-d.asp . March 31, 2011.
- News: Victoria Kim . Los Angeles Times . March 21, 2011 . Japan damage could reach $235 billion, World Bank estimates . March 21, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110331005023/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fgw-japan-quake-world-bank-20110322,0,3799976.story . March 31, 2011.
- Book: Tierney, Kathleen . Emergency response: lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake . University of Delaware Disaster Research Center . 1997.
- News: Deprem bölgesinde fatura borçlarının silinmesi için süre uzatıldı . Milat Gazetsi . 22 August 2023 . 9 November 2023.
- News: Political failure has killed people in Syria before and after the earthquakes . Counsil for Arab-British Understanding . 10 April 2023 . 14 April 2023.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 1972 . NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K .
- Web site: Four years on: Insurance and the Canterbury Earthquakes . February 2015 . Deloitte Access Economics . February 29, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160124111031/https://www.vero.co.nz/sites/default/files/documents/Vero%20NZ%20Report_Four%20Years%20On%20-%20Insurance%20and%20the%20Canterbury%20Earthquakes.pdf . January 24, 2016.
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- The September 2011 Sikkim Himalaya earthquake Mw 6.9: is it a plane of detachment earthquake? . Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk . March 19, 2014 . Santanu Baruah . Sowrav Saikia . Saurabh Baruah . Pabon K. Bora . Ruben Tatevossian . J. R. Kayal . 7 . 248–263 . 10.1080/19475705.2014.895963 . free . 128915677.
- News: Italy Quake Reconstruction to Cost at Least $16 Billion . . April 15, 2009 . October 23, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090419231821/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C515989%2C00.html . April 19, 2009.
- Web site: Significant Earthquake Database . National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) . . 1972 . Data Set . 10.7289/V5TD9V7K .