Earthquake timeline

  • Rhodes Earthquake

    The Colossus only stood for 56 years before it was levelled by an earthquake in 226 BC. The force of the earthquake was such the statue snapped off... Read more

  • Crete Earthquake of 365 AD

    The 365 AD Crete earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at about sunrise on 21 July 365 AD in the Eastern Mediterranean, with an... Read more

  • Damghan Earthquake

    The Damghan Earthquake was an earthquake of magnitude 8.0, that struck a 200-mile (320 km) stretch of Iran on 22 December, 856 A.D. The... Read more

  • Syria Earthquake of 1202

    The 1202 Syria earthquake struck at about dawn on 20 May 1202 (598 AH) with an epicenter in southwestern Syria. Up to 1,100,000 deaths have been... Read more

  • New Madrid Earthquake of 1812

    In the past three centuries, major earthquakes outside of California and Alaska generally occurred in sparsely-settled areas, and damage and... Read more

  • Caracas Earthquake of 1812

    The 1812 Caracas earthquake took place in Venezuela on March 26, 1812 (on Maundy Thursday) at 4:37 p.m. It measured 7.7 on the Richter magnitude... Read more

  • Lone Pine Earthquake

    The Great Lone Pine earthquake was one of the largest earthquakes to hit California in recorded history. The quake struck on March 26, 1872 and its... Read more

  • Charleston Earthquake of 1886

    This is the most damaging earthquake to occur in the Southeast United States and one of the largest historic shocks in Eastern North America. It... Read more

  • Kangra Earthquake of 1905

    1905 Kangra earthquake was a major earthquake that occurred in the Kangra Valley and the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh in India on 4 April... Read more

  • San Francisco Earthquake of 1906

    At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a magnitude 8.3 (Richter Scale) earthquake struck San Francisco. With thousands of un-reinforced brick buildings... Read more

  • The Kingston Earthquake of 1907

    In 1907, 800 people died in another earthquake known as the 1907 Kingston earthquake, destroying nearly all the historical buildings south of... Read more

  • Messina Earthquake of 1908

    On the early morning of December 28, 1908, the Italian city of Messina awoke to the deadliest earthquake in European history. Striking just days... Read more

  • Gansu Earthquake of 1932

    A strong earthquake measuring 7.6 Richter scale hit Changma fort (39.7°N, 97.0°E) in Gansu Province at 10:04:27 am on December 25, 1932. The... Read more

  • Diexi Earthquake of 1933

    The 1933 Diexi earthquake occurred in Diexi, Mao County, Sichuan, Republic of China on August 25, 1933. This earthquake destroyed the town of... Read more

  • Chillán Earthquake of 1939

    The 1939 Chillán earthquake was a major earthquake in south-central Chile. It is currently the single earthquake that has caused the most deaths in... Read more

  • Ashgabat Earthquake of 1948

    The earthquake struck at 2:17 in the morning on 6 October 1948. The epicenter of the earthquake was located near the small village Gara-Gaudan, 25... Read more

  • The Great Earthquake of 1949

    Ambato was completely destroyed by a large earthquake on the afternoon of 5 August 1949. Tragically, the entire city and surrounding villages were... Read more

  • Valdivia Earthquake of 1960

    The 1960 Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean Earthquake of 22 May, 1960 is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, rating 9.5 on the moment... Read more

  • Ancash Earthquake of 1970

    The earthquake, which lasted for about 45 seconds, occurred at 15:23:31 local time. The epicenter of this quake was located 35 km off Peru coast in... Read more

  • Great Tangshan Earthquake

    When the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Tangshan at 3:42 a.m. on July 28, over a million people lay sleeping, unaware of the disaster that was to... Read more

  • Irpinia Earthquake

    The earthquake had a magnitude (Ms) of 6.8 to 7.0 with a focal depth of 20 km. The area of severest shaking (Modified Mercalli Intensity X) was... Read more

  • North Yemen Earthquake

    The 1982 North Yemen earthquake was a magnitude 6.0 earthquake that hit near the city of Dhamar, North Yemen (now part of Yemen) on December 13... Read more

  • Whittier Narrows Earthquake

    The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake struck the southern San Gabriel Valley and surrounding communities of southern California at 7:42 a.m. (PDT)... Read more

  • Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake of 1990

    The Iran Earthquake, also known as the Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake occurred at 00:30:09 on June 21, 1990 . It caused widespread damage in areas within... Read more

  • Erzincan Earthquake of 1992

    At least 498 people killed, 2,000 injured, some missing; 2,200 houses heavily damaged at Erzincan. Landslides and avalanches blocked a number of... Read more