Chronology of
Earthquakes and Volcanos

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URL: http://kpolsson.com/volcano/

This document is an attempt to bring various published sources together to present a timeline about Earthquakes and Volcanos. This is a timeline of the events of land-based natural disaster events, including: earthquakes, volcanos, landslides, etc.

References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2023 December 20.


1628 BCE (approximate)

  • Mount Thera volcano on present-day island of Santorini erupts in a catastrophic explosion, possibly in connection with a meteoric impact with global disruptions of weather. [521] (1578 BCE [1580.21])

1

  • Popocatepetl volcano erupts, blanketing nearby cities and farmland with thick layer of ash. [1378.26]

79

August 24
  • Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae in volcanic ash. [1] [5]

365

July 21
  • In the Greece - Crete - Knossos area, a large earthquake occurs. This earthquake affected the eastern Mediterranean region, including Italy, Greece, Palestine, and North Africa. Coastal towns in the region are leveled and a tsunami destroys the Egyptian port of Alexandria, and the famous lighthouse. Some 50,000 people may have been killed. [53]

526

May 20
  • Earthquake kills 250,000 in Antioch, Byzantium (Syria). [1] [521]

856

December 22
  • In Damghan, Iran, an earthquake with estimated magnitude 7.9 occurs, causing estimated 200,000 deaths. [53]

1038

January 9
  • In Shensi, China, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs, resulting in 23,000 deaths. [53]

1138

August 9
  • In Aleppo, Syria, one of the world's most destructive earthquakes occurs, claiming 230,000 deaths. [53]

1290

September 27
  • Earthquake in Gulf of Chili China, reportedly kills 100,000. [1]

1293

May 20
  • Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed. [1]

1348

January 25
  • In Carinthia (Austria - northern Italy), "fire fell from heaven", an earthquake destroys 16 cities, killing over 40,000. [1] [53] [521]

1456

December 5
  • Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die. [1]

1531

January 26
  • In Lisbon, Portugal, an Intensity X earthquake occurs, claiming 30,000 deaths. [1] [53]
February 26
  • Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal, kills 20,000. [1]

1556

January 23
  • In Shensi Province, China, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurs. Worst death toll in history: 830,000 deaths. [1] [53]

1605

January 31
  • In Tokaido, Japan, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs, claiming 5,000 deaths and creating a tsunami wave. [53]

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1618

September 4
  • "Rodi" avalanche destroys Plurs Switzerland, 1,500 killed. [1]

1631

December 16
  • Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys six villages and kills 4,000. [1]

1643

May 13
  • Heavy earthquake strikes Santiago Chile; kills 1/3 of population. [1]

1651

March 31
  • Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru. [1]

1659

November 5
  • In Italy, an earthquake occurs, killing over 2,000 and inflicting severe damage. [53]

1663

January 6
  • Great earthquake in New England. [1]
February 5
  • In the St. Lawrence River valley (Canada), an Intensity X earthquake occurs, causing vast landslides along the St. Maurice, Batiscan, and St. Lawrence Rivers. [1] [53]

1669

March 11
  • Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000. [1]
March 25
  • Mount Etna in Sicily erupts, destroying Nicolosi, killing 20,000. [1]

1689

December 22
  • Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck. [1]

1692

June 7
  • Porte Royale Jamaica slides into harbor after earthquake. [1]
  • An earthquake at Port Royal, Jamaica, causes a landslide within the harbor, generates a tsunami, and destroys ninety percent of the buildings in the city, killing approximately 2,000 people. [53]

1693

January 11
  • In Sicily, Italy, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs, causing over 60,000 deaths and the total destruction of several villages and towns in the districts of Siracusa, Ragusa, and Catania. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that struck the Ionian coasts of Sicily and the Messina Strait. [53]
  • Mount Etna erupts, Sicily. [1]

1700

January 26
  • In the Cascadia Subduction Zone of western North America, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurs, rocking a region 600 miles long that includes modern northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. The earthquake sets off a tsunami that strikes Cascadia's Pacific coast, and crosses the Pacific Ocean to Japan, damaging coastal villages. [53] [383.A8]

1703

December 30
  • Tokyo hit by earthquake; about 37,000 die. [1]

1706

November 3
  • In Italy, a violent earthquake killed 15,000 inhabitants. [53]

1718

January 17
  • Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53. [1]

1727

October 29
  • Severe earthquake in New England. [1]
November 18
  • In Tabriz, Iran, a powerful earthquake occurs, claiming 77,000 deaths. [53]

1737

October 11
  • Earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys half of Calcutta India. [1]

1750

February 8
  • Minor earthquake in London. [1]

1755

November 1
  • In Lisbon, Portugal, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurs, claiming 70,000-100,000 deaths, one quarter of Lisbon's population. A large tsunami drowns many, and fire ravages the city. [1] [53] [1393.16]
November 18
  • In Cape Ann, Massachusetts, a large earthquake occurs, causing considerable damage in Boston. [1] [53]

1759

October 31
  • Earthquake in Safed Palestine kills hundred. [1]
November 24
  • Destructive eruption of Vesuvius. [1]

1762

April 2
  • In Bangladesh, a very destructive earthquake occurs. Sixty square miles are said to have been permanently submerged. [53]

1772

August 11
  • Explosive eruption blows 4,000 feet off Papandayan Java, kills 3,000. [1]

1775

March 19
  • Four people buried by avalanche for 37 days, three survive (Italy). [1]

1780

February 6
  • In Northwest Florida, one of the largest historical earthquakes in Florida occurs, Intensity VI. [53]

1783

February 4
  • In Calabria, Italy, one of the world's most destructive earthquakes occurs, responsible for 50,000 deaths and enormous property loss. This is the first earthquake to be investigated scientifically. [1] [53]
June 8
  • Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 18-month eruption, pumping more ash into the atmosphere than any previous volcano in recorded history, 15 cubic kilometres. [1] [135.132]
June 22
  • A poisonous cloud from Laki volcanic eruption in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France. [5]
November 30
  • In New Jersey, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurs. The largest historical earthquake in New Jersey. [53]

1791

May 16
  • In Near Moodus, Connecticut, an earthquake occurs, the largest historical earthquake in Connecticut. Reported felt at Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York. [53]

1793

April 1
  • Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000. [1]

1797

February 4
  • Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 40,000. [1]

1806

September 2
  • A side of Rossberg Peak collapses into Goldau Valley, Switzerland, kills 500. [1]

End of Start to 1810. Next: 1811.

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start-1810 1811-1901 1902-1969 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1995 1996-2005 2006-end


A list of references to all source material is available.


Last updated: 2023 December 20.
Copyright © 2012-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com).
URL: http://kpolsson.com/volcano/
Link to Ken P's home page.

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