Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Svalbard and Jan Mayen has catalogued 434 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 46th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.8.
Svalbard and Jan Mayen ranks 46th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 21 M4+ events a year alongside 21 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1906 to 2025, peaking in 1906.
- 434
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 21
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.8
- Strongest
- ~21
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Svalbard and Jan Mayen is more seismically active than most places tracked here, with 434 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 21 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.8.
- 1906
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 12 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 Dominican Republic sits immediately above at 489 events and Portugal sits immediately below at 423.
Where Svalbard and Jan Mayen sits in the catalog
Rank 46th of 187 tracked countries (75th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Dominican Republic sits immediately above at 489 events and Portugal sits immediately below at 423.
- Dominican Republic - next more active (489 M4+)
- Portugal - next less active (423 M4+)
Svalbard and Jan Mayen's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
434 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 Svalbard and Jan Mayen compares to its nearest peers
Svalbard and Jan Mayen 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wallis and Futuna | 807 | M6.7 |
| 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 (this page) | 434 | M6.8 |
| Portugal | 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 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Svalbard and Jan Mayen by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1972
1972: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1975
1975: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1988
1988: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1992
1992: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2000
2000: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2004
2004: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2005
2005: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2008
2008: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2011
2011: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2012
2012: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2018
2018: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2025
2025: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Svalbard and Jan Mayen's most active year for major earthquakes was 1906 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
6 of 434 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 21 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
M6.0-6.9
21
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 21 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 12 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
21
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 89 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 14.0 km | Aug 30, 2012 |
| 6.7 | 120 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Nov 9, 2018 |
| 6.7 | 230 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Jul 20, 1992 |
| 6.6 | 66 km NNW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Oct 10, 1923 |
| 6.5 | 186 km SW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Jun 1, 1915 |
| 6.5 | 34 km NE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Mar 10, 2025 |
| 6.5 | 90 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 13.0 km | Apr 16, 1975 |
| 6.4 | 16 km NNE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Apr 8, 1922 |
| 6.4 | 33 km N of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Jun 6, 1951 |
| 6.3 | 76 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Sep 8, 1972 |
Significant earthquake record (21 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Svalbard and Jan Mayen since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 34 km NE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Mar 10, 2025 |
| 6.7 | 120 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Nov 9, 2018 |
| 6.8 | 89 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 14.0 km | Aug 30, 2012 |
| 6.2 | 75 km E of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Jan 29, 2011 |
| 6.1 | 145 km SSE of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 12.0 km | Feb 21, 2008 |
| 6.1 | 218 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Apr 2, 2005 |
| 6.0 | 38 km ENE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 12.2 km | Apr 14, 2004 |
| 6.0 | 34 km NNE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | May 21, 2000 |
| 6.7 | 230 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Jul 20, 1992 |
| 6.0 | 45 km ENE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Dec 13, 1988 |
| 6.5 | 90 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 13.0 km | Apr 16, 1975 |
| 6.3 | 76 km NW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Sep 8, 1972 |
| 6.1 | 58 km E of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.2 km | Mar 23, 1971 |
| 6.4 | 33 km N of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Jun 6, 1951 |
| 6.0 | 89 km ENE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Oct 26, 1936 |
| 6.0 | 233 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Aug 25, 1935 |
| 6.6 | 66 km NNW of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Oct 10, 1923 |
| 6.4 | 16 km NNE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Apr 8, 1922 |
| 6.1 | 150 km ENE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Feb 2, 1919 |
| 6.5 | 186 km SW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 10.0 km | Jun 1, 1915 |
| 6.3 | 127 km NE of Olonkinbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 15.0 km | Mar 19, 1906 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Svalbard and Jan Mayen-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Svalbard and Jan Mayen-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Svalbard and Jan Mayen? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Svalbard and Jan Mayen? ▼
How seismically active is Svalbard and Jan Mayen? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Svalbard and Jan Mayen? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Svalbard and Jan Mayen's figures
434 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.8 · average M4.5 · 21 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jul 10, 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 Svalbard and Jan Mayen's numbers mean
Svalbard and Jan Mayen ranks 46th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 21 M4+ earthquakes strike Svalbard and Jan Mayen per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1906 was the busiest year on record with 1 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Svalbard and Jan Mayen'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 M6.8. 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.