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Country profile · USGS ComCat

Earthquakes in Australia

Australia has catalogued 285 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.

285
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 285 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 332 events and Albania sits immediately below at 273.

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 332 events and Albania sits immediately below at 273.

  • Somalia - next more active (332 M4+)
  • Albania - next less active (273 M4+)

Australia's M4+ count vs. every tracked country

Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat

285 Top 27% higher than 73% of 187 countries

0–500: 143 countries (76%). This entry sits in this band. 500–1,000: 11 countries (6%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,500: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 1,500–2,000: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 2,000–2,500: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 2,500–3,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,000–3,500: 2 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,500–4,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 4,000–4,500: 3 countries (2%). Above this entry. 4,500–5,000: 3 countries (2%). Above this entry. 5,000–5,500: 12 countries (6%). Above this entry. Australia 0 5,000+ every tracked country, bucketed by value

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

How Australia compares to its nearest peers

Australia ranks in the 73th percentile for M4+ frequency among all 187 tracked countries. Plotted here against its 20 nearest-ranked peers by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude).

Australia vs. its 20 nearest-ranked peer countries, USGS ComCat 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 21 entities by M4+ events since 2005 (X) and Strongest recorded magnitude (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Frequent and severeRare but severeFrequent, capped so farLower on both axes 100200300400500600700 M5M5.5M6M6.5M7M7.5M8 M4+ events since 2005 Strongest recorded magnitude
Australia vs. its 20 nearest-ranked peer countries, USGS ComCat
Read the chart (all 21 values)
Country M4+ events Strongest magnitude
Kyrgyzstan 625 M6.7
Italy 609 M6.6
Ethiopia 574 M5.9
Venezuela 531 M7.5
Dominican Republic 489 M5.8
Svalbard and Jan Mayen 434 M6.8
Portugal 423 M6.3
Tanzania 368 M6.0
Yemen 338 M6.6
Somalia 332 M5.8
Australia (this page) 285 M6.6
Albania 273 M6.4
Honduras 269 M7.5
Djibouti 260 M5.5
Algeria 245 M6.0
Mayotte 232 M5.9
Haiti 217 M7.2
MX 202 M5.8
Mongolia 196 M6.7
South Africa 191 M5.4
Morocco 187 M6.8

Major (M6+) earthquakes in Australia by year

Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year

Value

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.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2005–present
0%100%0.7%
Share of Australia's M4+ catalog that reached significant M6+ severity

2 of 285 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.

Australia100%Shallow (<70 km)Intermediate (70-300 km)Deep (>300 km)
Depth distribution of Australia's M6+ events, USGS ComCat

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
6.7 38 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia 5.0 km
6.6 198 km W of Cable Beach, Australia 10.0 km
6.5 40 km ENE of Northam, Australia 11.2 km
6.5 Norfolk Island, Australia region 15.0 km
6.3 Northern Territory, Australia 15.0 km
6.3 161 km NNE of Derby, Australia 10.0 km
6.3 33 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia 5.0 km
6.3 46 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia 5.0 km
6.2 157 km NNW of Melville, Australia 15.0 km
6.1 104 km NNE of Northam, Australia 6.0 km

Significant earthquake record (11 events)

Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Australia since 1900, most recent first.

Mag Location Depth
6.6 198 km W of Cable Beach, Australia 10.0 km
6.0 116 km WSW of Yulara, Australia 10.0 km
6.3 161 km NNE of Derby, Australia 10.0 km
6.7 38 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia 5.0 km
6.3 33 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia 5.0 km
6.3 46 km WSW of Tennant Creek, Australia 5.0 km
6.1 104 km NNE of Northam, Australia 6.0 km
6.5 40 km ENE of Northam, Australia 11.2 km
6.5 Norfolk Island, Australia region 15.0 km
6.3 Northern Territory, Australia 15.0 km
6.2 157 km NNW of Melville, Australia 15.0 km

Other countries in this catalog sample

A Australia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.

Cyprus

97 M4+ events · strongest M6.6

M6.6

Equatorial Guinea

3 M4+ events · strongest M4.6

M4.6

Gabon

11 M4+ events · strongest M5.5

M5.5

Federated States of Micronesia

59 M4+ events · strongest M6.3

M6.3

North Korea

12 M4+ events · strongest M5.9

M5.9

France

53 M4+ events · strongest M5.2

M5.2

Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster

A second Australia-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.

Wallis and Futuna

807 M4+ events

M6.7

Cuba

96 M4+ events

M6.8

Antigua and Barbuda

129 M4+ events

M6.6

Guadeloupe

152 M4+ events

M6.5

Yemen

338 M4+ events

M6.6

Nicaragua

1,416 M4+ events

M6.6

Understand the data

Somalia

Next more active on the M4+ ladder.

Albania

Next less active on the M4+ ladder.

Country rankings

Every country by M4+ activity.

Frequently asked questions

How many earthquakes have occurred in Australia? ▼
The USGS catalog records 285 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater in Australia since 2005, an average of about 14 per year. Separately, 11 significant (M6+) earthquakes are catalogued back to 1900.
What was the strongest earthquake in Australia? ▼
The strongest catalogued earthquake in Australia measured magnitude 6.7. Across the full M4+ catalog the average magnitude is 4.5 - most earthquakes are moderate.
How seismically active is Australia? ▼
By catalogued M4+ activity, Australia ranks 51st of 187 countries worldwide - a moderately seismically active country. Its busiest year for major (M6+) events was 1988, with 3.
How deep are earthquakes in Australia? ▼
Across the 11 major (M6+) events on record, the average depth is 10 km. 100% were shallow (under 70 km), where surface shaking is strongest at a given magnitude.
Where does this data come from? ▼
Every figure is derived from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). M4+ counts cover 2005 onward (the period of consistent global completeness); the significant-event series covers M6+ back to 1900. Nothing is modelled or estimated.

About Australia's figures

285 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.7 · average M4.5 · 11 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jul 5, 2026. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.

Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.

What Australia's numbers mean

Australia ranks 51st of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.

  • About 14 M4+ earthquakes strike Australia per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1988 was the busiest year on record with 3 significant events. See the full country ranking
  • 100% of Australia's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
  • The strongest catalogued event reached M6.7. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes

Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.

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.