Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Samoa
Samoa has catalogued 117 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 74th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.6.
Samoa ranks 74th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 6 M4+ events a year alongside 15 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1917 to 2009, peaking in 1933.
- 117
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 15
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.6
- Strongest
- ~6
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Samoa is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 117 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 15 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.6.
- 1933
- busiest year (2 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 Antigua and Barbuda sits immediately above at 129 events and Saudi Arabia sits immediately below at 114.
ComCat country tape
Event tape SAMOA · Samoa M4+ · 74th/187
Samoa · 117 M4+ · max M6.6 · 15 M6+
- TAPE 117
- EPIC 74th/187
- YOY M6.6
- BAND 15
- STRIP near Antigua and Barbuda
- BOOK 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 Samoa sits in the catalog
Rank 74th of 187 tracked countries (60th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Antigua and Barbuda sits immediately above at 129 events and Saudi Arabia sits immediately below at 114.
- Antigua and Barbuda - next more active (129 M4+)
- Saudi Arabia - next less active (114 M4+)
Samoa's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
117 Top 40% higher than 60% 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 Samoa by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1925
1925: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1927
1927: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1933
1933: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1940
1940: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1941
1941: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1948
1948: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1950
1950: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1952
1952: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1974
1974: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1975
1975: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2007
2007: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2009
2009: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Samoa's most active year for major earthquakes was 1933 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 117 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 15 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Samoa.
M6.0-6.9
15
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 15 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 17 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
15
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Samoa
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.6 | 103 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jun 19, 1952 |
| 6.5 | 154 km SSW of Matavai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jan 27, 1933 |
| 6.4 | 132 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Oct 5, 1941 |
| 6.3 | 136 km SW of Asau, Samoa | 15.0 km | Aug 11, 1940 |
| 6.2 | 118 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jun 18, 1933 |
| 6.2 | 106 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jul 3, 1927 |
| 6.2 | 85 km NE of Samamea, Samoa | 15.0 km | May 18, 1917 |
| 6.2 | 147 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa | 17.0 km | Dec 13, 2007 |
| 6.2 | 130 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 33.0 km | Dec 9, 1975 |
| 6.2 | 140 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa | 15.0 km | Nov 24, 1950 |
Significant earthquake record (15 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Samoa since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 159 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa | 18.0 km | Oct 19, 2009 |
| 6.2 | 147 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa | 17.0 km | Dec 13, 2007 |
| 6.2 | 130 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 33.0 km | Dec 9, 1975 |
| 6.0 | 136 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 27.0 km | Mar 18, 1974 |
| 6.6 | 103 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jun 19, 1952 |
| 6.2 | 140 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa | 15.0 km | Nov 24, 1950 |
| 6.2 | 164 km SSW of Matavai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Aug 29, 1948 |
| 6.4 | 132 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Oct 5, 1941 |
| 6.3 | 136 km SW of Asau, Samoa | 15.0 km | Aug 11, 1940 |
| 6.2 | 118 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jun 18, 1933 |
| 6.5 | 154 km SSW of Matavai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jan 27, 1933 |
| 6.2 | 106 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Jul 3, 1927 |
| 6.1 | 129 km SSW of Matavai, Samoa | 15.0 km | Dec 31, 1925 |
| 6.1 | 122 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa | 15.0 km | May 6, 1919 |
| 6.2 | 85 km NE of Samamea, Samoa | 15.0 km | May 18, 1917 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Samoa-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Samoa-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.