Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo has catalogued 161 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 67th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.8.
Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 67th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 8 M4+ events a year alongside 5 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 5 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 161
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 5
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.8
- Strongest
- ~8
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Democratic Republic of the Congo is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 161 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 5 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.8.
- 1960
- busiest year (2 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 Azerbaijan sits immediately above at 170 events and Guadeloupe sits immediately below at 154.
USGS event tape strip
Event tape DEMOCRATIC-R · Democratic Republic of the Congo M4+ · 67th/187
Democratic Republic of the Congo · 161 M4+ · max M6.8 · 5 M6+
- TAPE 161
- EPIC 67th/187
- YOY M6.8
- BAND 5
- STRIP near Azerbaijan
- BOOK 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 5 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.4. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 5
- Average observed MMI
- 7.4
- 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo sits in the catalog
Rank 67th of 187 tracked countries (64th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Azerbaijan sits immediately above at 170 events and Guadeloupe sits immediately below at 154.
- Azerbaijan - next more active (170 M4+)
- Guadeloupe - next less active (154 M4+)
Democratic Republic of the Congo's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
161 Top 36% higher than 64% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1960
1960: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1992
1992: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2002
2002: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2005
2005: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Democratic Republic of the Congo's most active year for major earthquakes was 1960 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
1 of 161 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 5 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Democratic Republic of the Congo.
M6.0-6.9
5
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 5 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 15 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
5
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Democratic Republic of the Congo
The 5 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 76 km ESE of Kalemie, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 22.0 km | Dec 5, 2005 |
| 6.5 | 19 km SW of Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 13.7 km | Sep 22, 1960 |
| 6.4 | 29 km W of Kabalo, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 10.8 km | Sep 11, 1992 |
| 6.3 | 16 km N of Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 15.0 km | Sep 22, 1960 |
| 6.2 | 34 km SW of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 11.0 km | Oct 24, 2002 |
Significant earthquake record (5 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 76 km ESE of Kalemie, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 22.0 km | Dec 5, 2005 |
| 6.2 | 34 km SW of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 11.0 km | Oct 24, 2002 |
| 6.4 | 29 km W of Kabalo, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 10.8 km | Sep 11, 1992 |
| 6.3 | 16 km N of Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 15.0 km | Sep 22, 1960 |
| 6.5 | 19 km SW of Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 13.7 km | Sep 22, 1960 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Democratic Republic of the Congo-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Democratic Republic of the Congo-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.