Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Honduras
Honduras has catalogued 269 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 53rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.5.
Honduras ranks 53rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 13 M4+ events a year alongside 15 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1910 to 2020, peaking in 1934.
- 269
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 15
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.5
- Strongest
- ~13
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Honduras is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 269 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 15 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.5.
- 1934
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 19 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 Albania sits immediately above at 273 events and Djibouti sits immediately below at 260.
Where Honduras sits in the catalog
Rank 53rd of 187 tracked countries (72th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Albania sits immediately above at 273 events and Djibouti sits immediately below at 260.
Honduras's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
269 Top 28% higher than 72% 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
How Honduras compares to its nearest peers
Honduras ranks in the 72th 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).
Read the chart (all 21 values)
| Country | M4+ events | Strongest magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 285 | M6.6 |
| Albania | 273 | M6.4 |
| Honduras (this page) | 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 |
| Iraq | 185 | M7.3 |
| Saint Helena | 184 | M6.0 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Honduras by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1927
1927: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1934
1934: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1940
1940: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1945
1945: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1951
1951: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1982
1982: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1997
1997: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1999
1999: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2002
2002: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2009
2009: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2018
2018: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2020
2020: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Honduras's most active year for major earthquakes was 1934 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
3 of 269 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 15 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Honduras.
M7.0-7.9
2
13.3%
M6.0-6.9
13
86.7%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 15 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 19 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
15
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Honduras
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 203 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras | 19.0 km | Jan 10, 2018 |
| 7.3 | 46 km NW of Guanaja, Honduras | 19.0 km | May 28, 2009 |
| 6.8 | 140 km N of Barra Patuca, Honduras | 15.0 km | Jan 1, 1910 |
| 6.7 | 16 km N of Potrerillos, Honduras | 10.0 km | Jul 11, 1999 |
| 6.3 | 5 km W of San Agustín, Honduras | 15.0 km | Dec 3, 1934 |
| 6.2 | 15 km SW of Amapala, Honduras | 15.0 km | Mar 7, 1934 |
| 6.1 | 59 km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras | 12.0 km | Apr 16, 2020 |
| 6.1 | 30 km NNW of Baja Mar, Honduras | 33.0 km | Jul 6, 1997 |
| 6.1 | 4 km WSW of La Alianza, Honduras | 15.0 km | Oct 2, 1927 |
| 6.1 | 18 km SSW of Monjarás, Honduras | 15.0 km | Aug 3, 1951 |
Significant earthquake record (15 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Honduras since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 59 km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras | 12.0 km | Apr 16, 2020 |
| 7.5 | 203 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras | 19.0 km | Jan 10, 2018 |
| 7.3 | 46 km NW of Guanaja, Honduras | 19.0 km | May 28, 2009 |
| 6.0 | 63 km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras | 33.0 km | Dec 23, 2002 |
| 6.7 | 16 km N of Potrerillos, Honduras | 10.0 km | Jul 11, 1999 |
| 6.0 | 13 km S of Amapala, Honduras | 38.4 km | Apr 3, 1999 |
| 6.1 | 30 km NNW of Baja Mar, Honduras | 33.0 km | Jul 6, 1997 |
| 6.0 | 16 km SSE of Amapala, Honduras | 6.4 km | Jan 12, 1982 |
| 6.1 | 18 km SSW of Monjarás, Honduras | 15.0 km | Aug 3, 1951 |
| 6.0 | 5 km W of Joconal, Honduras | 25.0 km | Aug 10, 1945 |
| 6.0 | 217 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras | 15.0 km | Nov 10, 1940 |
| 6.3 | 5 km W of San Agustín, Honduras | 15.0 km | Dec 3, 1934 |
| 6.2 | 15 km SW of Amapala, Honduras | 15.0 km | Mar 7, 1934 |
| 6.1 | 4 km WSW of La Alianza, Honduras | 15.0 km | Oct 2, 1927 |
| 6.8 | 140 km N of Barra Patuca, Honduras | 15.0 km | Jan 1, 1910 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Honduras-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Honduras-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Honduras? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Honduras? ▼
How seismically active is Honduras? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Honduras? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Honduras's figures
269 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.5 · average M4.5 · 15 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jun 1, 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 Honduras's numbers mean
Honduras ranks 53rd of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 13 M4+ earthquakes strike Honduras per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1934 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Honduras'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 M7.5. 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.