Large earthquakes during the 20th century
| Date | Location | Coordinates | Deaths | Mag | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 Dec 16 | Turkestan | 40.8 N | 72.6 E | 4,500 | 6.4 | - |
| 1905 Apr 4 | India, Kangra | 33.0 N | 76.0 E | 19,000 | 8.6 | - |
| 1905 Sep 8 | Italy, Calabria | 39.4 N | 16.4 E | 2,500 | 7.9 | - |
| 1906 Jan 31 | Colombia | 1.0 N | 81.5 W | 1,000 | 8.9 | - |
| 1906 Mar 17 | Formosa, Kagi | - | - | 1,300 | 7.1 | - |
| 1906 Aug 17 | Chile, Santiago | 33.0 S | 72.0 W | 20,000 | 8.6 | - |
| 1907 Jan 14 | Jamaica, Kingston | 18.2 N | 76.7 W | 1,600 | 6.5 | - |
| 1907 Oct 21 | Central Asia | 38.0 N | 69.0 E | 12,000 | 8.1 | - |
| 1908 Dec 28 | Italy, Messina | 38.0 N | 15.5 E | 70,000 to 100,000 |
7.5 | Deaths from earthquake and tsunami. |
| 1912 Aug 9 | Marmara Sea | 40.5 N | 27.0 E | 1,950 | 7.8 | - |
| 1915 Jan 13 | Italy, Avezzano | 42.0 N | 13.5 E | 29,980 | 7.5 | - |
| 1920 Dec 16 | China, Gansu | 35.8 N | 05.7 E | 200,000 | 8.6 | Major fractures, landslides. |
| 1923 Sep 1 | Japan, Kwanto Tokyo-Yokohama |
35.0 N | 139.5 E | 143,000 | 8.3 | Great Tokyo fire. |
| 1925 Mar 16 | China, Yunnan | 25.5 N | 100.3 E | 5,000 | 7.1 | Talifu almost completely destroyed. |
| 1927 Mar 7 | Japan, Tango | 35.8 N | 134.8 E | 3,020 | 7.9 | - |
| 1927 May 22 | China, near Xining | 36.8 N | 102.8 E | 200,000 | 8.3 | Large fractures. |
| 1929 May 1 | Iran | 38 N | 58 E | 3,300 | 7.4 | - |
| 1930 Jul 23 | Italy | 41.1 N | 15.4 E | 1,430 | 6.5 | - |
| 1932 Dec 25 | China, Gansu | 39.7 N | 97.0 E | 70,000 | 7.6 | - |
| 1933 Mar 2 | Japan, Sanriku | 39.0 N | 143.0 E | 2,990 | 8.9 | - |
| 1934 Jan 15 | India, Bihar-Nepal | 26.6 N | 86.8 E | 10,700 | 8.4 | - |
| 1935 Apr 20 | Formosa | 24.0 N | 121.0 E | 3,280 | 7.1 | - |
| 1935 May 30 | Pakistan, Quetta | 29.6 N | 66.5 E | 30,000 to 60,000 |
7.5 | Quetta almost completely destroyed. |
| 1939 Jan 25 | Chile, Chillan | 36.2 S | 72.2 W | 28,000 | 8.3 | - |
| 1939 Dec 26 | Turkey, Erzincan | 39.6 N | 38 E | 30,000 | 8.0 | - |
| 1943 Sep 10 | Japan, Tottori | 35.6 N | 134.2 E | 1,190 | 7.4 | - |
| 1944 Dec 7 | Japan, Tonankai | 33.7 N | 136.2 E | 1,000 | 8.3 | - |
| 1945 Jan 12 | Japan Mikawa | 34.8 N | 137.0 E | 1,900 | 7.1 | - |
| 1946 May 31 | Turkey | 39.5 N | 41.5 E | 1,300 | 6.0 | - |
| 1946 Nov 10 | Peru, Ancash | 8.3 S | 77.8 W | 1,400 | 7.3 | Landslides, great destruction. |
| 1946 Dec 20 | Japan, Tonankai | 32.5 N | 134.5 E | 1,330 | 8.4 | - |
| 1948 Jun 28 | Japan, Fukui | 36.1 N | 136.2 E | 5,390 | 7.3 | - |
| 1949 Aug 5 | Ecuador, Ambato | 1.2 S | 78.5 E | 6,000 | 6.8 | Large landslides, topographical changes. |
| 1950 Aug 15 | India, Assam, Tibet | 28.7 N | 96.6 E | 1,530 | 8.7 | Great topographical changes, landslides, floods. |
| 1954 Sep 9 | Algeria, Orleansville |
36 N | 1.6 E | 1,250 | 6.8 | - |
| 1957 Jul 2 | Iran | 36.2 N | 52.7 E | 1,200 | 7.4 | - |
| 1957 Dec 13 | Iran | 34.4 N | 47.6 E | 1,130 | 7.3 | - |
| 1960 Feb 29 | Morocco, Agadir | 30 N | 9 W | 10,000 to 15,000 |
5.9 | Occurred at shallow depth just under city. |
| 1960 May 22 | Chile | 39.5 S | 74.5 W | 4,000 to 5,000 |
9.5 | Tsunami, volcanic activity, floods. |
| 1962 Sep 1 | Iran, Qazvin | 35.6 N | 49.9 E | 12,230 | 7.3 | - |
| 1963 Jul 26 | Yugoslavia, Skopje | 42.1 N | 21.4 E | 1,100 | 6.0 | Occurred at shallow depth just under city. |
| 1966 Aug 19 | Turkey, Varto | 39.2 N | 41.7 E | 2,520 | 7.1 | - |
| 1968 Apr 29 | Meckering, Australia | 31.6 S | 117.0 E | - | 6.9 | - |
| 1968 Aug 31 | Iran | 34.0 N | 59.0 E | 12,000 to 20,000 |
7.3 | - |
| 1969 Jul 25 | Eastern China | 21.6 N | 111.9 E | 3,000 | 5.9 | - |
| 1970 Jan 4 | Yunnan Province, China |
24.1 N | 102.5 E | 10,000 | 7.5 | - |
| 1970 Mar 28 | Turkey, Gediz | 39.2 N | 29.5 E | 1,100 | 7.3 | - |
| 1970 May 31 | Peru | 9.2 S | 78.8 W | 66,000 | 7.8 | $530,000 damage, great rock slide, floods. |
| 1972 Apr 10 | Iran, southern | 28.4 N | 52.8 E | 5,054 | 7.1 | - |
| 1972 Dec 23 | Nicaragua, Managua | 12.4 N | 86.1 W | 5,000 | 6.2 | - |
| 1975 Sep 6 | Turkey | 38.5 N | 40.7 W | 2,300 | 6.7 | - |
| 1976 Feb 4 | Guatemala | 15.3 N | 89.1 W | 23,000 | 7.5 | - |
| 1976 May 6 | Italy, northeastern | 46.4 N | 13.3 E | 1,000 | 6.5 | - |
| 1976 Jun 25 | West Irian (New Guinea) |
4.6 S | 140.1 E | 422 | 7.1 | 5,000 to 9,000 (missing and presumed dead). |
| 1976 Jul 27 | China, Tangshan | 39.6 N | 118.0 E | 255,000 (official) |
8.0 | Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. |
| 1976 Aug 16 | Philippines, Mindanao |
6.3 N | 124.0 E | 8,000 | 7.9 | - |
| 1976 Nov 24 | Northwest Iran- USSR border |
39.1 N | 44.0 E | 5,000 | 7.3 | Deaths estimated. |
| 1977 Mar 4 | Romania | 45.8 N | 26.8 E | 1,500 | 7.2 | - |
| 1978 Sep 16 | Iran | 33.2 N | 57.4 E | 15,000 | 7.8 | - |
| 1980 Oct 10 | Algeria, El Asnam (formerly Orleansville) |
36.1 N | 1.4 E | 3,500 | 7.7 | - |
| 1980 Nov 23 | Italy, southern | 40.9 N | 15.3 E | 3,000 | 7.2 | - |
| 1981 Jun 11 | Iran, southern | 29.9 N | 57.7 E | 3,000 | 6.9 | - |
| 1981 Jul 28 | Iran, southern | 30.0 N | 57.8 E | 1,500 | 7.3 | - |
| 1982 Dec 13 | Western Arabian Peninsula |
14.7 N | 44.4 E | 2,800 | 6.0 | - |
| 1983 Oct 30 | Turkey | 40.3 N | 42.2 E | 1,342 | 6.9 | - |
| 1985 Sep 19 | Mexico, Michoacan | 18.2 N | 102.5 W | 9,500 (official) |
8.1 | Estimated death toll as high as 30,000. |
| 1986 Oct 10 | El Salvador | 13.8 N | 89.2 W | 1,000+ | 5.5 | - |
| 1987 Mar 6 | Colombia-Ecuador | 0.2 N | 77.8 W | 1,000+ | 7.0 | - |
| 1988 Aug 20 | Nepal-India border region |
26.8 N | 86.6 E | 1,450 | 6.6 | - |
| 1988 Dec 7 | Turkey-USSR border region |
41.0 N | 44.2 E | 25,000 | 7.0 | - |
| 1989 Dec 28 | Newcastle, Australia | 32.95 S | 151.61 E | 13 | 5.6 | First deadly Australian earthquake. 160 injuries, 50,000 buildings damaged, felt area of over 200,000 square km, about 4 billion AU dollars losses, 1186 million AU dollars insured losses (source ICA). |
| 1990 Jun 20 | Western Iran | 37.0 N | 49.4 E | 40,000 | 7.7 | Landslides. |
| 1994 Jan 17 | Northridge (Los Angeles) | 34.21 N | 118.54 W | 57 | 6.7 | 15 billion US dollars losses. Occurred on a "blind thrust" fault. |
| 1995 Jan 17 | Kobe, Japan | 34.58 N | 135.01 E | 5500 | 6.9 | 35,000 people injured, over 147 billion US dollars losses. |
| 1998 Jun 26 | Adana - Ceyhan, Turkey | 36.95 N | 35.31 E | 155 | 6.2 | - |
| 1999 Aug 17 | Izmit, Turkey | 40.74 N | 29.86 E | 30,000 | 7.6 | 34,000 people injured |
| 1999 Sep 20 | Chi-Chi, Taiwan | 23.78 N | 121.09 W | 2333 | 7.6 | 10,000 people injured |
Primary source: USGS
Click here for a list of some large or noteworthy Australian and Queensland earthquakes.
Recent earthquakes in and near Australia can be found at Geoscience Australia.
To report felt earthquakes in Queensland or to obtain paper copies of earthquake maps of Queensland and Australia or additional earthquake information for Queensland, contact Col Lynam. For full contact information, click here.
