Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Bhutan
Bhutan has catalogued 35 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 114th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.4.
Bhutan ranks 114th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 2 M4+ events a year alongside 3 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 3 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 35
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 3
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.4
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Bhutan is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 35 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 3 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.4.
- 1941
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 15 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 Bulgaria sits immediately above at 36 events and Malta sits immediately below at 34.
Where Bhutan sits in the catalog
Rank 114th of 187 tracked countries (39th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Bulgaria sits immediately above at 36 events and Malta sits immediately below at 34.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Bhutan's exact count of 35 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Bhutan ranks 1st of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M6.1).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Bhutan (this page) | 35 | M6.1 |
| Tunisia | 35 | M5.1 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Bhutan by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1941
1941: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1954
1954: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2009
2009: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Bhutan's most active year for major earthquakes was 1941 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
1 of 35 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 3 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Bhutan.
M6.0-6.9
3
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 3 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 15 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
3
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Bhutan
The 3 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | 29 km SE of Trashigang, Bhutan | 15.0 km | Jan 21, 1941 |
| 6.2 | 12 km ENE of Trashi Yangtse, Bhutan | 15.0 km | Feb 23, 1954 |
| 6.1 | 11 km W of Trashigang, Bhutan | 14.0 km | Sep 21, 2009 |
Significant earthquake record (3 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Bhutan since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 11 km W of Trashigang, Bhutan | 14.0 km | Sep 21, 2009 |
| 6.2 | 12 km ENE of Trashi Yangtse, Bhutan | 15.0 km | Feb 23, 1954 |
| 6.4 | 29 km SE of Trashigang, Bhutan | 15.0 km | Jan 21, 1941 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Bhutan-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Iran
3,554 M4+ events · strongest M7.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo
161 M4+ events · strongest M6.8
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
434 M4+ events · strongest M6.8
Guyana
12 M4+ events · strongest M5.5
Haiti
217 M4+ events · strongest M7.2
Central African Republic
2 M4+ events · strongest M4.7
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Bhutan-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Bhutan? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Bhutan? ▼
How seismically active is Bhutan? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Bhutan? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Bhutan's figures
35 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.4 · average M4.5 · 3 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jun 7, 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 Bhutan's numbers mean
Bhutan ranks 114th of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 2 M4+ earthquakes strike Bhutan per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1941 was the busiest year on record with 1 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Bhutan'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 M6.4. 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.