Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Madagascar
Madagascar has catalogued 38 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 110th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.2.
Madagascar ranks 110th 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.
- 38
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 2
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.2
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Madagascar is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 38 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 2 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.2.
- 1919
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 13 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.6 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Jamaica sits immediately above at 39 events and Malaysia sits immediately below at 37.
ComCat country tape
Event tape MADAGASCAR · Madagascar M4+ · 110th/187
Madagascar · 38 M4+ · max M6.2 · 2 M6+
- BUSY 38
- SHAL 110th/187
- PCT M6.2
- VS-PEER 2
- COMCAT near Jamaica
- TAPE 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 Madagascar sits in the catalog
Rank 110th of 187 tracked countries (41th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Jamaica sits immediately above at 39 events and Malaysia sits immediately below at 37.
Madagascar's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
38 Top 59% higher than 41% 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
0 of 38 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 Madagascar.
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: 13 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 Madagascar
The 2 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 283 km WSW of Anakao, Madagascar | 10.0 km | Jul 4, 1919 |
| 6.0 | 90 km S of Maintirano, Madagascar | 15.0 km | Mar 29, 1943 |
Significant earthquake record (2 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Madagascar since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 90 km S of Maintirano, Madagascar | 15.0 km | Mar 29, 1943 |
| 6.2 | 283 km WSW of Anakao, Madagascar | 10.0 km | Jul 4, 1919 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Madagascar-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Ghana
1 M4+ events · strongest M4.0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
6 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
Sudan
52 M4+ events · strongest M5.3
Pakistan
1,270 M4+ events · strongest M7.7
Rwanda
42 M4+ events · strongest M5.9
Saint Eustatius and Saba
19 M4+ events · strongest M5.0
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Madagascar-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.