Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Portugal
Portugal has catalogued 423 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 47th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.8.
Portugal ranks 47th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 20 M4+ events a year alongside 11 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 27% of those M6+ events fall in 1969 alone.
- 423
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 11
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.8
- Strongest
- ~20
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Portugal is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 423 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 11 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.8.
- 1969
- busiest year (3 major events)
- 16 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 Svalbard and Jan Mayen sits immediately above at 434 events and Tanzania sits immediately below at 368.
Where Portugal sits in the catalog
Rank 47th of 187 tracked countries (75th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Svalbard and Jan Mayen sits immediately above at 434 events and Tanzania sits immediately below at 368.
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen - next more active (434 M4+)
- Tanzania - next less active (368 M4+)
Portugal's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
423 Top 25% higher than 75% 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
How Portugal compares to its nearest peers
Portugal ranks in the 75th percentile for M4+ frequency among all 187 tracked countries. Plotted here against its 20 nearest-ranked peers by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude).
Read the chart (all 21 values)
| Country | M4+ events | Strongest magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 717 | M7.6 |
| Panama | 704 | M6.7 |
| Nepal | 694 | M7.8 |
| Micronesia | 672 | M6.6 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 625 | M6.7 |
| Italy | 609 | M6.6 |
| Ethiopia | 574 | M5.9 |
| Venezuela | 531 | M7.5 |
| Dominican Republic | 489 | M5.8 |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 434 | M6.8 |
| Portugal (this page) | 423 | M6.3 |
| Tanzania | 368 | M6.0 |
| Yemen | 338 | M6.6 |
| Somalia | 332 | M5.8 |
| Australia | 285 | M6.6 |
| Albania | 273 | M6.4 |
| Honduras | 269 | M7.5 |
| Djibouti | 260 | M5.5 |
| Algeria | 245 | M6.0 |
| Mayotte | 232 | M5.9 |
| Haiti | 217 | M7.2 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Portugal by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1909 1
1909: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1939 1
1939: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1964 1
1964: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1969
1969: 3 major (M6+) events
3
- 1980 1
1980: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1998 1
1998: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2007
2007: 3 major (M6+) events
3
What this shows Portugal's most active year for major earthquakes was 1969 (3 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
3 of 423 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 11 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Portugal.
M7.0-7.9
1
9.1%
M6.0-6.9
10
90.9%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 11 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 16 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
11
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Portugal
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | 188 km SW of Sagres, Portugal | 14.5 km | Feb 28, 1969 |
| 6.7 | 29 km NE of Ribeira Seca, Portugal | 10.0 km | Jan 1, 1980 |
| 6.7 | 99 km SE of Senhora do Rosário, Portugal | 10.0 km | May 8, 1939 |
| 6.6 | 91 km SSE of Olhão, Portugal | 28.5 km | Mar 15, 1964 |
| 6.3 | 74 km SE of Povoação, Portugal | 14.0 km | Apr 5, 2007 |
| 6.2 | 12 km N of Horta, Portugal | 10.0 km | Jul 9, 1998 |
| 6.2 | 169 km WSW of Sagres, Portugal | 10.0 km | Feb 28, 1969 |
| 6.1 | 82 km SE of Senhora do Rosário, Portugal | 8.0 km | Apr 7, 2007 |
| 6.0 | 181 km SW of Sagres, Portugal | 20.0 km | Feb 12, 2007 |
| 6.0 | 272 km W of Sagres, Portugal | 45.0 km | Sep 6, 1969 |
Significant earthquake record (11 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Portugal since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 82 km SE of Senhora do Rosário, Portugal | 8.0 km | Apr 7, 2007 |
| 6.3 | 74 km SE of Povoação, Portugal | 14.0 km | Apr 5, 2007 |
| 6.0 | 181 km SW of Sagres, Portugal | 20.0 km | Feb 12, 2007 |
| 6.2 | 12 km N of Horta, Portugal | 10.0 km | Jul 9, 1998 |
| 6.7 | 29 km NE of Ribeira Seca, Portugal | 10.0 km | Jan 1, 1980 |
| 6.0 | 272 km W of Sagres, Portugal | 45.0 km | Sep 6, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 169 km WSW of Sagres, Portugal | 10.0 km | Feb 28, 1969 |
| 7.8 | 188 km SW of Sagres, Portugal | 14.5 km | Feb 28, 1969 |
| 6.6 | 91 km SSE of Olhão, Portugal | 28.5 km | Mar 15, 1964 |
| 6.7 | 99 km SE of Senhora do Rosário, Portugal | 10.0 km | May 8, 1939 |
| 6.0 | 2 km SW of Alcochete, Portugal | 10.0 km | Apr 23, 1909 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Portugal-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Portugal-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Portugal? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Portugal? ▼
How seismically active is Portugal? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Portugal? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Portugal's figures
423 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.8 · average M4.5 · 11 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jul 11, 2026. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What Portugal's numbers mean
Portugal ranks 47th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 20 M4+ earthquakes strike Portugal per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1969 was the busiest year on record with 3 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Portugal's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M7.8. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 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 2026-07-19.