Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Australia
Australia has catalogued 286 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 51st of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.7.
Australia ranks 51st of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 14 M4+ events a year alongside 11 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 27% of those M6+ events fall in 1988 alone.
- 286
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 11
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.7
- Strongest
- ~14
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Australia is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 286 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 11 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.7.
- 1988
- busiest year (3 major events)
- 10 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Somalia sits immediately above at 333 events and Albania sits immediately below at 275.
Catalog event strip
Event tape AUSTRALIA · Australia M4+ · 51st/187
Australia · 286 M4+ · max M6.7 · 11 M6+
- BUSY 286
- SHAL 51st/187
- PCT M6.7
- VS-PEER 11
- COMCAT near Somalia
- TAPE 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 Australia
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 10 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.3. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 10
- Average observed MMI
- 7.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 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 Australia sits in the catalog
Rank 51st of 187 tracked countries (73th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Somalia sits immediately above at 333 events and Albania sits immediately below at 275.
Australia's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
286 Top 27% higher than 73% 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 Australia by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1941
1941: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1960 1
1960: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1968 1
1968: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1979 1
1979: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1988
1988: 3 major (M6+) events
3
- 1997 1
1997: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2016 1
2016: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2019 1
2019: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Australia's most active year for major earthquakes was 1988 (3 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 286 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 11 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Australia.
M6.0-6.9
11
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 11 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 10 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
11
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Australia
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.7 | 38 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia | 5.0 km | Jan 22, 1988 |
| 6.6 | 198 km W of Cable Beach, Australia | 10.0 km | Jul 14, 2019 |
| 6.5 | 40 km ENE of Northam, Australia | 11.2 km | Oct 14, 1968 |
| 6.5 | Norfolk Island, Australia region | 15.0 km | May 20, 1960 |
| 6.3 | Northern Territory, Australia | 15.0 km | Jun 27, 1941 |
| 6.3 | 161 km NNE of Derby, Australia | 10.0 km | Aug 10, 1997 |
| 6.3 | 33 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia | 5.0 km | Jan 22, 1988 |
| 6.3 | 46 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia | 5.0 km | Jan 22, 1988 |
| 6.2 | 157 km NNW of Melville, Australia | 15.0 km | Apr 29, 1941 |
| 6.1 | 104 km NNE of Northam, Australia | 6.0 km | Jun 2, 1979 |
Significant earthquake record (11 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Australia since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.6 | 198 km W of Cable Beach, Australia | 10.0 km | Jul 14, 2019 |
| 6.0 | 116 km WSW of Yulara, Australia | 10.0 km | May 20, 2016 |
| 6.3 | 161 km NNE of Derby, Australia | 10.0 km | Aug 10, 1997 |
| 6.7 | 38 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia | 5.0 km | Jan 22, 1988 |
| 6.3 | 33 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia | 5.0 km | Jan 22, 1988 |
| 6.3 | 46 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia | 5.0 km | Jan 22, 1988 |
| 6.1 | 104 km NNE of Northam, Australia | 6.0 km | Jun 2, 1979 |
| 6.5 | 40 km ENE of Northam, Australia | 11.2 km | Oct 14, 1968 |
| 6.5 | Norfolk Island, Australia region | 15.0 km | May 20, 1960 |
| 6.3 | Northern Territory, Australia | 15.0 km | Jun 27, 1941 |
| 6.2 | 157 km NNW of Melville, Australia | 15.0 km | Apr 29, 1941 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Australia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Australia-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.