Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan has catalogued 170 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 66th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.8.
Azerbaijan ranks 66th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 8 M4+ events a year alongside 7 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 7 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 170
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 7
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.8
- Strongest
- ~8
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Azerbaijan is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 170 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 7 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.8.
- 2000
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 35 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 Kazakhstan sits immediately above at 173 events and Democratic Republic of the Congo sits immediately below at 161.
ComCat country tape
Event tape AZERBAIJAN · Azerbaijan M4+ · 66th/187
Azerbaijan · 170 M4+ · max M6.8 · 7 M6+
- M6 170
- DEPTH 66th/187
- PHOTO M6.8
- BUSY 7
- SHAL near Kazakhstan
- PCT 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 Azerbaijan
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 5 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 5.7. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 5
- Average observed MMI
- 5.7
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 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 Azerbaijan sits in the catalog
Rank 66th of 187 tracked countries (65th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Kazakhstan sits immediately above at 173 events and Democratic Republic of the Congo sits immediately below at 161.
- Kazakhstan - next more active (173 M4+)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - next less active (161 M4+)
Azerbaijan's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
170 Top 35% higher than 65% 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 Azerbaijan by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1920
1920: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1924
1924: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1986
1986: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1989
1989: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1998
1998: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2000
2000: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Azerbaijan's most active year for major earthquakes was 2000 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 170 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 7 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Azerbaijan.
M6.0-6.9
7
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 7 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 35 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
7
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Azerbaijan
The 7 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 15 km SSE of Baku, Azerbaijan | 50.4 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 23 km SSE of Badamdar, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 103 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 54.8 km | Sep 16, 1989 |
| 6.5 | 105 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Mar 6, 1986 |
| 6.3 | 23 km E of Salo?lu, Azerbaijan | 15.0 km | Feb 20, 1920 |
| 6.0 | 15 km NE of Prishibinskoye, Azerbaijan | 35.0 km | Feb 19, 1924 |
| 6.0 | 10 km SE of Lerik, Azerbaijan | 26.0 km | Jul 9, 1998 |
Significant earthquake record (7 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Azerbaijan since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 23 km SSE of Badamdar, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.8 | 15 km SSE of Baku, Azerbaijan | 50.4 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.0 | 10 km SE of Lerik, Azerbaijan | 26.0 km | Jul 9, 1998 |
| 6.5 | 103 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 54.8 km | Sep 16, 1989 |
| 6.5 | 105 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Mar 6, 1986 |
| 6.0 | 15 km NE of Prishibinskoye, Azerbaijan | 35.0 km | Feb 19, 1924 |
| 6.3 | 23 km E of Salo?lu, Azerbaijan | 15.0 km | Feb 20, 1920 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Azerbaijan-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Azerbaijan-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.