Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Iraq
Iraq has catalogued 190 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 61st of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.3.
Iraq ranks 61st of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 9 M4+ events a year alongside 2 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 2 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 190
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 2
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.3
- Strongest
- ~9
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Iraq is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 190 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 2 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.3.
- 1967
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 17 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 South Africa sits immediately above at 191 events and Morocco sits immediately below at 188.
USGS ComCat event tape
Event tape IRAQ · Iraq M4+ · 61st/187
Iraq · 190 M4+ · max M7.3 · 2 M6+
- M6 190
- DEPTH 61st/187
- PHOTO M7.3
- BUSY 2
- SHAL near South Africa
- 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 Iraq
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 2 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.3. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 2
- Average observed MMI
- 7.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 1 / 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 Iraq sits in the catalog
Rank 61st of 187 tracked countries (67th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder South Africa sits immediately above at 191 events and Morocco sits immediately below at 188.
- South Africa - next more active (191 M4+)
- Morocco - next less active (188 M4+)
Iraq's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
190 Top 33% higher than 67% 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
1 of 190 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 2 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Iraq.
M7.0-7.9
1
50.0%
M6.0-6.9
1
50.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 2 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 17 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
2
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Iraq
The 2 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.3 | 29 km S of ?alabja, Iraq | 19.0 km | Nov 12, 2017 |
| 6.1 | 36 km NNE of Mandalī, Iraq | 15.0 km | Jan 11, 1967 |
Significant earthquake record (2 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Iraq since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.3 | 29 km S of ?alabja, Iraq | 19.0 km | Nov 12, 2017 |
| 6.1 | 36 km NNE of Mandalī, Iraq | 15.0 km | Jan 11, 1967 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Iraq-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Iraq-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.