Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Palau
Palau has catalogued 84 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 85th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.6.
Palau ranks 85th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 4 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.
- 84
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 6
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.6
- Strongest
- ~4
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Palau is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 84 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 6 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.6.
- 1912
- 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 4.7 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Trinidad and Tobago sits immediately above at 89 events and Martinique sits immediately below at 83.
Catalog event strip
Event tape PALAU · Palau M4+ · 85th/187
Palau · 84 M4+ · max M7.6 · 6 M6+
- VS-PEER 84
- COMCAT 85th/187
- TAPE M7.6
- EPIC 6
- YOY near Trinidad and Tobago
- 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 →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Palau
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 3 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 4.3. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 3
- Average observed MMI
- 4.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 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 Palau sits in the catalog
Rank 85th of 187 tracked countries (55th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Trinidad and Tobago sits immediately above at 89 events and Martinique sits immediately below at 83.
- Trinidad and Tobago - next more active (89 M4+)
- Martinique - next less active (83 M4+)
Palau's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
84 Top 45% higher than 55% 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 Palau by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1912
1912: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1931
1931: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1967
1967: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1982
1982: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2019
2019: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2020
2020: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Palau's most active year for major earthquakes was 1912 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 84 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 Palau.
M7.0-7.9
1
16.7%
M6.0-6.9
5
83.3%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 6 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 17 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 Palau
The 6 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | 245 km E of Melekeok Village, Palau | 15.0 km | Sep 29, 1912 |
| 6.5 | 5 km SE of Ulimang, Palau | 22.8 km | Jul 20, 1967 |
| 6.4 | 121 km ESE of Kayangel, Palau | 33.0 km | May 31, 1982 |
| 6.2 | 241 km SE of Tobi Village, Palau | 5.0 km | Nov 23, 2019 |
| 6.1 | 90 km SW of Angaur State, Palau | 11.0 km | Dec 23, 2020 |
| 6.1 | 66 km ESE of Kayangel, Palau | 15.0 km | Sep 19, 1931 |
Significant earthquake record (6 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Palau since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 90 km SW of Angaur State, Palau | 11.0 km | Dec 23, 2020 |
| 6.2 | 241 km SE of Tobi Village, Palau | 5.0 km | Nov 23, 2019 |
| 6.4 | 121 km ESE of Kayangel, Palau | 33.0 km | May 31, 1982 |
| 6.5 | 5 km SE of Ulimang, Palau | 22.8 km | Jul 20, 1967 |
| 6.1 | 66 km ESE of Kayangel, Palau | 15.0 km | Sep 19, 1931 |
| 7.6 | 245 km E of Melekeok Village, Palau | 15.0 km | Sep 29, 1912 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Palau-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Palau-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.