Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Algeria
Algeria has catalogued 245 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 55th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.3.
Algeria ranks 55th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 12 M4+ events a year alongside 8 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 25% of those M6+ events fall in 1980 alone.
- 245
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 8
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.3
- Strongest
- ~12
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Algeria is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 245 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 8 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.3.
- 1980
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 11 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.4 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Djibouti sits immediately above at 261 events and Mayotte sits immediately below at 232.
ComCat country tape
Event tape ALGERIA · Algeria M4+ · 55th/187
Algeria · 245 M4+ · max M7.3 · 8 M6+
- PHOTO 245
- BUSY 55th/187
- SHAL M7.3
- PCT 8
- VS-PEER near Djibouti
- COMCAT 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Algeria
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 6 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.7. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 6
- Average observed MMI
- 7.7
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 1 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Algeria sits in the catalog
Rank 55th of 187 tracked countries (71th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Djibouti sits immediately above at 261 events and Mayotte sits immediately below at 232.
Algeria's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
245 Top 29% higher than 71% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Algeria by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1910
1910: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1922
1922: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1954
1954: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1980
1980: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1989
1989: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2003
2003: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2021
2021: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Algeria's most active year for major earthquakes was 1980 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
1 of 245 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 8 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Algeria.
M7.0-7.9
1
12.5%
M6.0-6.9
7
87.5%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 8 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 11 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
8
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Algeria
The 8 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.3 | 3 km NNE of Chlef, Algeria | 10.0 km | Oct 10, 1980 |
| 6.8 | 25 km WNW of Dellys, Algeria | 12.0 km | May 21, 2003 |
| 6.5 | 1 km W of Sidi Aïssa, Algeria | 15.0 km | Jun 24, 1910 |
| 6.2 | 5 km W of El Attaf, Algeria | 10.0 km | Oct 10, 1980 |
| 6.2 | 5 km W of Sidi Akkacha, Algeria | 15.0 km | Sep 10, 1954 |
| 6.0 | 12 km SE of Abou el Hassan, Algeria | 10.0 km | Aug 25, 1922 |
| 6.0 | 21 km NNE of Bejaïa, Algeria | 8.0 km | Mar 18, 2021 |
| 6.0 | 22 km N of Tipasa, Algeria | 5.7 km | Oct 29, 1989 |
Significant earthquake record (8 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Algeria since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 21 km NNE of Bejaïa, Algeria | 8.0 km | Mar 18, 2021 |
| 6.8 | 25 km WNW of Dellys, Algeria | 12.0 km | May 21, 2003 |
| 6.0 | 22 km N of Tipasa, Algeria | 5.7 km | Oct 29, 1989 |
| 6.2 | 5 km W of El Attaf, Algeria | 10.0 km | Oct 10, 1980 |
| 7.3 | 3 km NNE of Chlef, Algeria | 10.0 km | Oct 10, 1980 |
| 6.2 | 5 km W of Sidi Akkacha, Algeria | 15.0 km | Sep 10, 1954 |
| 6.0 | 12 km SE of Abou el Hassan, Algeria | 10.0 km | Aug 25, 1922 |
| 6.5 | 1 km W of Sidi Aïssa, Algeria | 15.0 km | Jun 24, 1910 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Algeria-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
23 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
6 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
Tajikistan
1,594 M4+ events · strongest M7.2
Honduras
270 M4+ events · strongest M7.5
Costa Rica
720 M4+ events · strongest M7.6
India
4,099 M4+ events · strongest M7.5
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Algeria-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 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 2026-08-26.