Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Egypt
Egypt has catalogued 46 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 103rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.2.
Egypt ranks 103rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 2 M4+ events a year alongside 4 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 4 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 46
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 4
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.2
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Egypt is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 46 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 4 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.2.
- 1955
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 23 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 Laos sits immediately above at 47 events and Oman sits immediately below at 44.
USGS ComCat event tape
Event tape EGYPT · Egypt M4+ · 103rd/187
Egypt · 46 M4+ · max M7.2 · 4 M6+
- TAPE 46
- EPIC 103rd/187
- YOY M7.2
- BAND 4
- STRIP near Laos
- 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 Egypt
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 4 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.0. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 4
- Average observed MMI
- 7.0
- 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 Egypt sits in the catalog
Rank 103rd of 187 tracked countries (45th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Laos sits immediately above at 47 events and Oman sits immediately below at 44.
Egypt's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
46 Top 55% higher than 45% 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 Egypt by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1955
1955: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1969
1969: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1993
1993: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1995
1995: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Egypt's most active year for major earthquakes was 1955 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 46 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 4 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Egypt.
M7.0-7.9
1
25.0%
M6.0-6.9
3
75.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 4 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 23 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
4
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Egypt
The 4 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 27 km SSE of Nuwaybi‘a, Egypt | 10.0 km | Nov 22, 1995 |
| 6.6 | 29 km NE of El Gouna, Egypt | 10.0 km | Mar 31, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 129 km NNW of Rosetta, Egypt | 63.7 km | Sep 12, 1955 |
| 6.1 | 27 km NNE of Dahab, Egypt | 10.0 km | Aug 3, 1993 |
Significant earthquake record (4 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Egypt since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 27 km SSE of Nuwaybi‘a, Egypt | 10.0 km | Nov 22, 1995 |
| 6.1 | 27 km NNE of Dahab, Egypt | 10.0 km | Aug 3, 1993 |
| 6.6 | 29 km NE of El Gouna, Egypt | 10.0 km | Mar 31, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 129 km NNW of Rosetta, Egypt | 63.7 km | Sep 12, 1955 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Egypt-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Egypt-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.