Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Libya
Libya has catalogued 36 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 112th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.4.
Libya ranks 112th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 2 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.
- 36
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 2
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.4
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Libya is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 36 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 2 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.4.
- 1935
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 21 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.3 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Malaysia sits immediately above at 37 events and Bhutan sits immediately below at 35.
ComCat country tape
Event tape LIBYA · Libya M4+ · 112th/187
Libya · 36 M4+ · max M6.4 · 2 M6+
- VS-PEER 36
- COMCAT 112th/187
- TAPE M6.4
- EPIC 2
- YOY near Malaysia
- BAND 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 →
Where Libya sits in the catalog
Rank 112th of 187 tracked countries (40th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Malaysia sits immediately above at 37 events and Bhutan sits immediately below at 35.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Libya's exact count of 36 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Libya ranks 1st of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M5.2).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Libya (this page) | 36 | M5.2 |
| Bulgaria | 36 | M5.0 |
0 of 36 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 Libya.
M6.0-6.9
2
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 2 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 21 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 Libya
The 2 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | 115 km NNE of Darnah, Libya | 31.0 km | Aug 17, 1982 |
| 6.2 | 112 km WSW of Sirte, Libya | 10.0 km | Apr 20, 1935 |
Significant earthquake record (2 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Libya since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | 115 km NNE of Darnah, Libya | 31.0 km | Aug 17, 1982 |
| 6.2 | 112 km WSW of Sirte, Libya | 10.0 km | Apr 20, 1935 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Libya-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Libya-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.