Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has catalogued 173 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 65th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.6.
Kazakhstan ranks 65th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 8 M4+ events a year alongside 6 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 6 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 173
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 6
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.6
- Strongest
- ~8
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Kazakhstan is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 173 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 6 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.6.
- 1990
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 24 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 Saint Helena sits immediately above at 185 events and Azerbaijan sits immediately below at 170.
ComCat magnitude tape
Event tape KAZAKHSTAN · Kazakhstan M4+ · 65th/187
Kazakhstan · 173 M4+ · max M6.6 · 6 M6+
- MAX 173
- M6 65th/187
- DEPTH M6.6
- PHOTO 6
- BUSY near Saint Helena
- SHAL 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 Kazakhstan
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 5 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 6.8. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 5
- Average observed MMI
- 6.8
- 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 Kazakhstan sits in the catalog
Rank 65th of 187 tracked countries (65th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Saint Helena sits immediately above at 185 events and Azerbaijan sits immediately below at 170.
- Saint Helena - next more active (185 M4+)
- Azerbaijan - next less active (170 M4+)
Kazakhstan's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
173 Top 35% higher than 65% 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 Kazakhstan by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1929
1929: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1937
1937: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1990
1990: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2003
2003: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2013
2013: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Kazakhstan's most active year for major earthquakes was 1990 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
1 of 173 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 6 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Kazakhstan.
M6.0-6.9
6
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 6 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 24 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
6
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Kazakhstan
The 6 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.6 | 47 km NNE of Zaysan, Kazakhstan | 57.9 km | Jun 14, 1990 |
| 6.4 | 54 km SE of Zhabagly, Kazakhstan | 15.0 km | Dec 18, 1937 |
| 6.4 | 124 km SSW of Yanykurgan, Kazakhstan | 15.0 km | Jun 3, 1929 |
| 6.2 | 55 km N of Zaysan, Kazakhstan | 33.4 km | Aug 3, 1990 |
| 6.1 | 61 km SE of Kegen, Kazakhstan | 15.0 km | Jan 28, 2013 |
| 6.0 | 106 km E of Kegen, Kazakhstan | 10.0 km | Dec 1, 2003 |
Significant earthquake record (6 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Kazakhstan since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 61 km SE of Kegen, Kazakhstan | 15.0 km | Jan 28, 2013 |
| 6.0 | 106 km E of Kegen, Kazakhstan | 10.0 km | Dec 1, 2003 |
| 6.2 | 55 km N of Zaysan, Kazakhstan | 33.4 km | Aug 3, 1990 |
| 6.6 | 47 km NNE of Zaysan, Kazakhstan | 57.9 km | Jun 14, 1990 |
| 6.4 | 54 km SE of Zhabagly, Kazakhstan | 15.0 km | Dec 18, 1937 |
| 6.4 | 124 km SSW of Yanykurgan, Kazakhstan | 15.0 km | Jun 3, 1929 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Kazakhstan-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Kazakhstan-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.