Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Montenegro
Montenegro has catalogued 42 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 105th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.9.
Montenegro ranks 105th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 2 M4+ events a year alongside 3 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 3 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 42
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 3
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.9
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Montenegro is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 42 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 3 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.9.
- 1979
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 11 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 Oman sits immediately above at 44 events and Jamaica sits immediately below at 39.
ComCat magnitude tape
Event tape MONTENEGRO · Montenegro M4+ · 105th/187
Montenegro · 42 M4+ · max M6.9 · 3 M6+
- COMCAT 42
- TAPE 105th/187
- EPIC M6.9
- YOY 3
- BAND near Oman
- STRIP 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 Montenegro
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 2 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 8.2. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 2
- Average observed MMI
- 8.2
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 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 Montenegro sits in the catalog
Rank 105th of 187 tracked countries (43th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Oman sits immediately above at 44 events and Jamaica sits immediately below at 39.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
3 tracked countries share Montenegro's exact count of 42 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Montenegro ranks 3rd of 3 by strongest recorded magnitude (M5.2).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Rwanda | 42 | M5.9 |
| North Macedonia | 42 | M5.5 |
| Montenegro (this page) | 42 | M5.2 |
0 of 42 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 3 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Montenegro.
M6.0-6.9
3
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 3 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 11 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
3
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Montenegro
The 3 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.9 | 6 km E of Stari Bar, Montenegro | 10.0 km | Apr 15, 1979 |
| 6.5 | 9 km E of Stari Bar, Montenegro | 15.0 km | Jun 1, 1905 |
| 6.2 | 8 km WSW of Budva, Montenegro | 8.0 km | May 24, 1979 |
Significant earthquake record (3 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Montenegro since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 8 km WSW of Budva, Montenegro | 8.0 km | May 24, 1979 |
| 6.9 | 6 km E of Stari Bar, Montenegro | 10.0 km | Apr 15, 1979 |
| 6.5 | 9 km E of Stari Bar, Montenegro | 15.0 km | Jun 1, 1905 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Montenegro-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Montenegro-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.