1908
- December 28
- Messina, Italy struck by an earthquake (nearly 80,000 dead). [1]
1912
- June 6
- Novarupta in Alaska begins erupting, resulting in the second largest volcanic eruption in historic time. [5]
1915
- January 13
- Earthquake in Avezzano, Italy, kills 30,000. [1]
1916
- December 13
- Avalanche kills 10,000 Austrian and Italian troops in 24 hours in Tyrol. [1]
1919
- May 1
- Mount Kelud (Indonesia) erupts, boiling crater lake which breaks through crater wall killing 5,000 people in 104 small villages. [1]
- May 20
- Volcano Keluit on Java erupts, killing 550. [1]
1920
- December 16
- Over 180,000 die when 8.6 earthquake destroys 15,000 square miles (Kansu, China). [1]
1923
- September 1
- Powerful 15-second earthquake strikes 30 miles south of Yokohama and 50 miles south of Tokyo, Japan. About 144,000 people are killed in falling and burning buildings. Vast areas of Tokyo and Yokohama are leveled. [1483.28] [1850.29]
1925
- June 23
- Landslides create 3-mile long "Slide Lake" (Gros Ventre, Wyoming, USA). [1]
1926
- February 17
- Avalanche buries 75 people in Sap Gulch in Bingham, Utah, USA; 40 die. [1]
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1927
- March 7
- Earthquake measuring 8 on Richter scale strikes Tango, Japan. [1]
- May 22
- 8.3 earthquake strikes Nan-Shan China, 200,000 killed. [1]
1929
- November 18
- Large earthquake in Atlantic breaks Transatlantic cable in 28 places. [1]
1930
- September 11
- Stomboli volcano (Sicily) throws 2-ton basaltic rocks two miles. [1]
- November 25
- 690 earthquake shocks recorded in one day (Ito, Japan). [1]
1931
- February 3
- Hawke's Bay earthquake: Much of the New Zealand city of Napier is destroyed in an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale. [429]
- March 31
- An earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua, killing 2,000 people. [429]
- November 8
- The Panama Canal is closed for a couple of weeks due to damage caused by a number of earthquakes. [429]
1932
- December 16
- Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu, China, 70,000 killed. [1]
- December 26
- Earthquake kills 70,000 in Kansu, China. [1]
1933
- March 2
- Most powerful earthquake in 180 years hits Japan. [1]
- March 10
- Major earthquake in Long Beach, California, USA. [1]
1934
- January 15
- 8.4 earthquake in India/Nepal, 10,700 die. [1]
1935
- May 31
- Earthquake kills 50,000 in Quetta, Pakistan. [1]
1938
- March 2
- Landslides and floods in Los Angeles, California, USA cause over 200 deaths. [1]
1939
- January 24
- 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile. [1]
- January 25
- Earthquake hits Chillán, Chile, 10,000 killed. [1]
- January 30
- Heavy earthquake aftershocks destroy some of Chile. [1]
- December 27
- 8.0 earthquake in Erzincam, Turkey, about 50,000 die. [1]
1943
- February 20
- New volcano Paracutin erupts in farmer's corn patch (México). [1]
1944
- March 20
- Mount Vesuvius, Italy explodes. [1]
1946
- December 21
- Earthquake in South Japan kills 1,086. [1]
1950
- August 15
- 8.6 earthquake kills over 1,000 in Assam, India. [1]
1951
- January 15
- "Cloud of Death" rolls down Mount Lamington, New Guinea, killing 3,000-5,000. [1]
- March 14
- Earthquake at Euskirchen, Germany. [1]
- December 4
- Superheated gases roll down Mount Catarman (Philippines), killing 500. [1]
1952
- September 24
- Underwater volcano explodes under research vessel Kaiyo-maru-5. [1]
- November 4
- A 9.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Kamchatka off the east coast of Russia, causing 30-foot waves in Hawaii. [383.A8]
1953
- March 18
- Earthquake strikes West Turkey, 250 die. [1]
- December 25
- Avalanche of lava kills 150 (Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand). [1]
1954
- January 12
- Austria's worst avalanche-kills 200; nine hours later second one-kills 115. [1]
- April 1
- Earthquake/tsunami ravages Aleutians, 200 killed. [1]
- September 10
- Twelve-second earthquake kills 1,460 in Orleansville, Algeria. [1]
1956
- March 20
- Mount Bezymianny on Kamchatka Peninsula (USSR) explodes. [1]
1957
- March 9
- 8.1 earthquake shakes Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA. [1]
- March 22
- Earthquake gives San Francisco, California the shakes. [1]
- May 24
- Heavy earthquake strikes Colombia. [1]
1959
- August 17
- Quake Lake is formed in Yellowstone National Park in Montana by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. [1] [5]
- November 14
- Kilauea's most spectacular eruption (in Hawaii). [1]
1960
- February 29
- Earthquake kills 1/3 of Agadir, Morocco, population (12,000) in 15 seconds. [1]
- April 24
- Heavy earthquake strikes South Persia, 500 killed. [1]
- May 22
- A 9.5-magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Chile, killing about 1700 and leaving 2 million homeless. The resulting tsunami kills people in Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines. This is the largest earthquake recorded to date. [1] [105] [383.A8]
1961
- March 13
- Landslide in USSR kills 145. [1]
- October 1
- A believed-extinct volcano erupts in Tristan da Cunha. [1]
- October 9
- Volcano of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic erupts for the first time since the island has been known, forcing complete evacuation. [1] [1166.230]
1962
- January 10
- Eruptions on Mount Huascaran in Peru destroy seven villages and kill 3,500. [1]
- September 1
- 10,000 die in an earthquake in western Iran. [1]
1963
- March 17
- Eruptions of Mount Agung Bali kills 1,500 Balinese. [1]
- September 9
- Landslide into Vaiont Dam empties lake, kills 3-4,000 (Italy). [1]
1964
- March 27
- Earthquake strikes Anchorage, Alaska, USA, 9.2 on Richter scale, 131 die from earthquake and resulting tsunami; this is the most violent earthquake in US history. [1] [53] [383.A8]
- June 16
- In the Sea of Japan, 50km north of Niigata, Japan, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. 3,534 houses destroyed, 11,000 houses damaged. A tsunami generated by the earthquake ravages the west coast of Honshu. [1] [53]
- October 6
- In Turkey, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. [53]
1965
- February 4
- In Rat Islands, Alaska, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurs, one of the largest earthquakes in the USA and the world. The resulting tsunami is recorded widely across the Pacific. [53]
- February 10
- In northwestern Iran, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurs. [53]
- March 28
- Near the west coast of central Chile, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. About 400 persons are killed, 350 injured, and extensive property damage reported throughout the area. 230-foot dam near El Cobre village shatters, releasing 2 million tons of water and mud on the village. [53]
- March 30
- In Rat Islands, Alaska, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs. One of the largest earthquakes in the United States. [53]
- April 29
- Magnitude 6.5 earthquake shakes Seattle, Washington, USA, killing five; second largest earthquake in the history of Washington state. [1] [53]
- May 3
- In El Salvador, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs, killing 125, injuring about 500, and leaving an estimated 48,000 homeless. The town of Ilopango is almost completely destroyed. [53]
- September 28
- Lava flows kill at least 350 (Taal, Phillipines). [1]
1966
- January 23
- Near Dulce, New Mexico, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurs. Affected almost every house in Dulce. Property damage estimated at about US$200,000. [53]
- February 5
- In Central Greece, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. One person killed and 50 injured. Extensive property damage at Krenti, Kliston, Fourna, Alestia, and surrounding villages. [53]
- March 7
- In East of Longyao, Hebei (Hopeh), China, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. More than 135,000 houses collapse and 190,000 are severely damaged in Hebei Province. Over 106,000 houses collapse and another 100,000 are heavily damaged in Julu County. [53]
- March 20
- In Lake Edward region, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. About 140 fatalities and hundreds of injuries were reported. At Kamango, a chasm 8 feet wide and 1,000 feet long opened up in the ground. [53]
- March 22
- Southeast of Ningjin, Hebei (Hopeh), China, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. Extensive damage to hundreds of thousands of rooms, but casualty figures are not released. [53]
- April 26
- In Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurs. 10 killed, 1,000 injured, 100,000 left homeless. 28,000 buildings destroyed in the Old Quarter of Tashkent. [53]
- August 7
- In Rat Islands, Alaska, USA, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. [53]
- August 19
- In Varto, Turkey, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. 2,500 fatalities, 1,500 injuries, 108,000 persons homeless. Twenty or more villages were completely razed in the provinces of Bingol, Erzurum, and Mus. [53]
- September 12
- In Truckee, California, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. Minor but extensive fractures in the ground, dams, pipelines, bridges, highways, rail lines. [53]
- October 17
- Off the coast of Callao, Peru, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurs. 125 deaths, 3,000 injuries, tens of thousands left homeless. This shock generated a tsunami with heights of 11.3 feet at La Punta-Callao. [53]
1967
- January 14
- Earthquake in Sicily kills 231. [1]
- February 9
- In Colombia, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. 98 people killed and widespread property damage was sustained. Hundreds of landslides occur on the slopes of the two Cordilleras facing the Magdalena Valley. [53]
- May 1
- In the mountainous area of northern Arta Province, Greece, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. 9 killed, 56 injured, and over 100 houses destroyed. Extensive earthslides in the Ioannina (Jannina) District. [53]
- July 22
- In Turkey, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs on the Bolu-Abant fault in the Murdurnu Valley. 173 killed, 183 injured, and 3,701 houses razed or made uninhabitable. [53]
- July 26
- In the Pulumur region of Turkey, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs. 92 killed, and about 3,000 houses destroyed or made uninhabitable. [53]
- July 29
- Near the coast of Venezuela, about 30 miles west of Caracas, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurs. 240 fatalities, 1,536 injuries, and over $100 million property damage. [1] [53]
- In northern Colombia, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs. 12 deaths, and almost every building was damaged in Betulia. [53]
- August 13
- In Pyrenees, southern France, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurs, strongly felt in northern Spain. [53]
- September 4
- 6.5 earthquake of Kolya Dam, India, kills 200. [1]
- November 30
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurs centered along the Albania-Yugoslavia border in the vicinity of Debar, Yugoslavia, and Shupenze, Albania. Eighteen people killed, 204 injured, and 70 percent of the living quarters were left unsafe for habitation. [53]
- December 10
- In Koyna, India, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. 177 deaths, 2000 injured, all buildings in Koynanagar damaged, 25 percent destroyed, 50,000 people left homeless. The filling of the Koyna Reservoir in 1963 caused a series of earthquakes in the area. [53]
- December 11
- 6.5 earthquake in West India, 170 killed. [1]
- December 21
- Near the coast of northern Chile, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. Few deaths and injuries, but severe property damage at Quillagua and Tocopilla. [53]
1968
- January 15
- In Sicily, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurs. 216 killed, 563 injured, several villages in western Sicily destroyed. Worst disaster in Sicily since the 1908 Messina earthquake. Damage estimated at $250 - $320 million. [53]
- February 19
- In the Aegean Sea, a magnitude 7.25-7.5 earthquake occurs. Some deaths, injuries, property damage on Saint Eustratios Island and Lemnos Island. [53]
- February 25
- In Algeria, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurs. At El Alen, one person was killed, four injured and 100 houses destroyed. [53]
- May 16
- In Honshu, Japan, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurs. Forty-seven people killed, 281 injured, and $131 million property damage sustained. The port city of Hachinohe incurs the greatest damage. A tsunami inundates low-lying areas and washes ashore or sinks 95 ships. [1] [53]
- May 23
- In South Island, New Zealand, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. Few deaths or injuries due to epicenter in rough hill country. [53]
- June 19
- In Northern Peru, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. Forty-six people were killed, 120 injured, and 50 houses destroyed in Moyobama, San Martin. [53]
- July 8
- In Huff, North Dakota, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurs, first in the state recorded by instrument. [53]
- July 29
- Mount Arenal, Costa Rica kills 80 in Pelee-type eruption. [1]
- August 1
- In Luzon, Philippine Islands, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs, killing an estimated 207 residents. [53]
- August 2
- In Oaxaca, Mexico, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs, causing 18 fatalities and extensive property damage in the State of Oaxaca and in Mexico City. [53]
- August 14
- In Northern Celebes, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs. In the Manimbaja Bay area, slipping of the fault results in subsidence of 2 to 3 metres on part of the coast, and the raising of Togian Island. Tsunami waves, reaching up to 300 metres inland, take some 200 lives and destroy 700 houses. Wave heights are estimated at 8 to 10 metres. [53]
- August 31
- In Dasht-e Bayaz, Iran, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs. 7,000 to 12,000 deaths. Five villages are totally destroyed, and another 6 from Kakhk to Salayan have at least half of the buildings destroyed. [1] [53]
- September 3
- In Bartin, Turkey, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs, causing 24 deaths, 200 injuries, and destroying over 2,000 houses. Several villages are completely razed. [53]
- September 25
- In Chiapas, Mexico, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs, causing 20 deaths and 500 injuries in Mexico's southern Chiapas region. About half the houses of the village of Acapetagua are leveled. [53]
- October 14
- In Western Australia, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs, wrecking the town of Meckering, causing major damage in Perth, causing a fracture of the earth's crust along an arc 29 kilometres in length. [53]
- November 9
- In southern Illinois, USA, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurs, felt over 23 states; minor damage only. [53]
1969
- February 23
- In Celebes Island, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs. In area of Madjene, 64 people were killed, 97 injured, and over 1,200 buildings were wrecked. A tsunami was generated that reached about 4 metres height along the coastal villages north of Madjene. The tsunami reportedly took 600 lives. [53]
- February 28
- West of Portugal, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurs, killing two in Portugal and 11 in Morosso. [53]
- March 28
- In Turkey, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs in the Alasehir region. Eleven people were killed and over 7,000 houses destroyed or moderately damaged. [53]
- March 29
- In Ethiopia, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs, completely razing the town of Sardo, killing 24 persons and injuring 165. [53]
- July 18
- In the morning in China, workers of the Tientsin Zoo discover unusual behavior in many kinds of animals: swans abruptly left the water, a Manchurian tiger stopped pacing in his cage, a Tibetan yak collapsed, and a panda held its head in its paws and moaned. They report to the city's Earthquake Office, then at noon, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs at Pohai. [53]
- July 24
- In Central Peru, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. Much damage, but no fatalities. [53]
- July 25
- In Yangjiang, Guangdong, China, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs, killing about 3,000 people. More than 10,700 houses collapsed and about 36,000 were severely damaged in Yangjiang County. [53]
- September 29
- In South Africa, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. [53]
- October 1
- In Central Peru, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs, completely razing villages of Lampa and Chilifruta, killing at least 136 and injuring at least 216. [53]
- October 26
- In the Banja Luka area of Yugoslavia, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs. 20 killed, 150 seriously injured, and 65,000 left homeless. [53]
- November 20
- In Southern West Virginia, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake occurs. This is the largest known historical earthquake in West Virginia. [53]
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