USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog · 2005–present
Every recorded earthquake, counted and mapped.
315,341 magnitude-4-and-above events worldwide since 2005, plus 14,428 significant M6+ earthquakes back to 1900, sorted by country, U.S. state, year and magnitude. Straight from USGS data, nothing modelled.
Catalogued events (M4+)
315,341
Worldwide, 2005–present
Significant (M6+)
14,428
Since 1900
Countries & territories
187
With recorded activity
Strongest recorded
M9.5
Chile, 1960
The global picture
Roughly 99% of the world's catalogued earthquakes are moderate (M4–5.9); only 3,206 of 315,341 reached the M6+ threshold where serious damage becomes likely.
- ~15,016
- M4+ events catalogued per year on average
- 87.24%
- are M4.0–4.9, felt but rarely damaging
- 3,206
- reached M6+ in the modern catalog
- 2025
- busiest year worldwide (18,267 M4+ events)
Earthquake frequency follows a power law: each whole step up the magnitude scale is roughly ten times rarer and releases about 32× more energy.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 310,000 magnitude-4-and-above earthquakes have been catalogued worldwide since 2005, alongside more than 14,000 significant magnitude-6-and-above events reaching back to 1900. PlainQuake aggregates that public-domain record, drawn from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog and last refreshed in July 2026, into country, U.S. state, year and magnitude views, so you can see where the Earth shakes hardest and how often. See our methodology for exactly how every figure is computed.
Earthquakes by U.S. state & territory
Color encodes each state's M4+ earthquake count in the USGS catalog. Pacific states and territories near subduction zones, Alaska, the Mariana Islands, Guam, dominate; the eastern U.S. shows sparse but consequential activity. Select any state to open its full seismic profile.
Frequency vs. severity: where both risks meet
The 20 most-catalogued countries, plotted by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ event count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude). Bubble size also tracks event count.
Magnitude distribution (M4+, 2005–present)
M4.0-4.9
275,107
87.24% of catalog
M5.0-5.9
37,028
11.74% of catalog
M6.0-6.9
2,884
0.91% of catalog
M7.0-7.9
299
0.09% of catalog
M8.0+
23
0.01% of catalog
USGS PGA seismic hazard tiers
Peak Ground Acceleration tiers used in the USGS National Seismic Hazard Map and ASCE 7-22 seismic design. Each tier maps to a FEMA Seismic Design Category (SDC) used in the International Building Code.
Recent significant earthquakes
View all M6+ →| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 90 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico | 10.0 km | Jul 17, 2026 |
| 7.3 | 58 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico | 18.6 km | Jul 17, 2026 |
| 6.2 | 32 km WSW of Sarangani, Philippines | 46.4 km | Jul 14, 2026 |
| 6.3 | southeast of the Loyalty Islands | 10.0 km | Jul 13, 2026 |
| 6.4 | 191 km SE of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea | 10.0 km | Jul 13, 2026 |
| 6.4 | South Sandwich Islands region | 26.0 km | Jul 11, 2026 |
| 6.1 | 136 km NNE of Hirara, Japan | 10.0 km | Jul 3, 2026 |
| 6.2 | 58 km W of Tobelo, Indonesia | 120.9 km | Jul 3, 2026 |
| 6.0 | 49 km E of Noda, Japan | 43.6 km | Jul 1, 2026 |
| 6.0 | 75 km SSW of El Progreso, Mexico | 10.0 km | Jun 30, 2026 |
| 6.1 | 43 km SSW of Jurm, Afghanistan | 199.0 km | Jun 27, 2026 |
| 6.5 | 34 km WSW of Sarangani, Philippines | 42.0 km | Jun 26, 2026 |
| 6.9 | 33 km ENE of Noda, Japan | 34.0 km | Jun 24, 2026 |
| 7.5 | 20 km ESE of Yumare, Venezuela | 10.0 km | Jun 24, 2026 |
| 7.2 | 21 km ENE of San Felipe, Venezuela | 27.6 km | Jun 24, 2026 |
| 6.6 | 148 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 10.0 km | Jun 19, 2026 |
| 6.0 | 156 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 10.0 km | Jun 19, 2026 |
| 6.6 | central Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 10.0 km | Jun 17, 2026 |
| 6.3 | 262 km SSE of Dunhuang, China | 10.0 km | Jun 16, 2026 |
| 6.7 | 42 km SE of Palu, Indonesia | 11.0 km | Jun 16, 2026 |
Annual earthquake activity
All years →| Year | Total M4+ | M5+ | M6+ | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18,267 | 2,125 | 144 | 8.8 |
| 2024 | 14,132 | 1,504 | 99 | 7.5 |
| 2023 | 16,178 | 1,778 | 147 | 7.8 |
| 2022 | 15,714 | 1,724 | 127 | 7.6 |
| 2021 | 17,257 | 2,223 | 157 | 8.2 |
| 2020 | 13,934 | 1,448 | 121 | 7.8 |
| 2019 | 13,526 | 1,644 | 145 | 8.0 |
| 2018 | 14,495 | 1,761 | 133 | 8.2 |
| 2017 | 13,075 | 1,561 | 110 | 8.2 |
| 2016 | 15,388 | 1,704 | 147 | 7.9 |
Showing the ten most recent complete years. 2026 is still in progress, see the year index for year-to-date figures.
Earthquake guides
How Earthquakes Are Measured
Moment magnitude, seismograph networks, depth classification, and how USGS locates seismic events.
Earthquake Risk in the US
Which US regions face the most seismic risk, major fault lines, and what USGS data reveals about frequency.
Reading Earthquake Data
How to interpret magnitude, depth, location, and yearly statistics, and what makes an earthquake truly dangerous.
Earthquake Preparedness Guide
Emergency supplies checklist, household plan, building safety, and what to do during and after an earthquake.
Most Seismically Active US Regions
US states ranked by earthquake frequency and magnitude, from Alaska's dominance to the New Madrid zone.
Earthquake Magnitude Scales Explained
Why moment magnitude replaced Richter, what each step on the scale means, and how energy release multiplies.
What to do with this data
315,341 M4+ earthquakes catalogued worldwide since 2005 - 2025 was the busiest year on record with 18,267.
- Compare all 187 tracked countries by total activity or strongest event. Open the country rankings
- Check a specific U.S. state's computed earthquake risk level against every other state. Open the risk calculator
- See where any state or country stands relative to the rest of the dataset with a single percentile score. Open the percentile tool
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard or early-warning feed.
About this data
How PlainQuake works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainQuake is a plain-language reference for global earthquake activity. We aggregate the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog into a single searchable database, covering every magnitude-4-and-above event worldwide since 2005 plus significant M6+ earthquakes back to 1900, organized by country, U.S. state, year and magnitude.
Editorial process
- Source. Query the USGS ComCat (Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog) API directly for the full global earthquake record.
- Verify. Each event keeps its USGS-reported magnitude, depth, time and location unmodified; nothing is interpolated, estimated or editorially adjusted.
- Publish. Geocode each event to country and, for U.S. events, state, then aggregate magnitude distributions and yearly totals so every figure traces back to the ComCat catalog.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainQuake editorial team is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement. Found an error or a stale record? File a correction via the contact page, and we respond within 72 hours and publish corrections with a visible revision note. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
What data does PlainQuake provide?
PlainQuake aggregates the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat): 315,341 magnitude-4-and-above events worldwide from 2005 onward, plus 14,428 significant (M6+) earthquakes back to 1900, organised by country, U.S. state, year and magnitude.
What magnitude earthquakes are included?
The worldwide catalog covers magnitude 4.0 and above (the threshold at which events are reliably detected and located globally). A separate historical series covers significant magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquakes back to 1900.
Where does the data come from?
Every figure comes from the U.S. Geological Survey Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) - the authoritative public-domain record of global seismicity. Nothing is modelled or estimated by PlainQuake.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-19.