Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Switzerland
Switzerland has catalogued 12 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 132nd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.2.
Switzerland ranks 132nd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 1 M4+ events a year alongside 1 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is a single event, so one quake sets every figure on this page.
- 12
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 1
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.2
- Strongest
- ~1
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Switzerland is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 12 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 1 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.2.
- 1946
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 10 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.2 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Botswana sits immediately above at 13 events and Austria sits immediately below at 11.
ComCat country tape
Event tape SWITZERLAND · Switzerland M4+ · 132nd/187
Switzerland · 12 M4+ · max M6.2 · 1 M6+
- YOY 12
- BAND 132nd/187
- STRIP M6.2
- BOOK 1
- RANK near Botswana
- MAX 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 Switzerland sits in the catalog
Rank 132nd of 187 tracked countries (26th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Botswana sits immediately above at 13 events and Austria sits immediately below at 11.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
8 tracked countries share Switzerland's exact count of 12 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Switzerland ranks 8th of 8 by strongest recorded magnitude (M4.5).
0 of 12 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 1 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Switzerland.
M6.0-6.9
1
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 1 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 10 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
1
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Switzerland
The 1 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 2 km WNW of Kandersteg, Switzerland | 10.0 km | Jan 25, 1946 |
Significant earthquake record (1 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Switzerland since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 2 km WNW of Kandersteg, Switzerland | 10.0 km | Jan 25, 1946 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Switzerland-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
6 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
China
4,994 M4+ events · strongest M7.9
Tonga
10,884 M4+ events · strongest M7.6
Mayotte
232 M4+ events · strongest M5.9
Comoros
12 M4+ events · strongest M5.1
Antigua and Barbuda
129 M4+ events · strongest M6.6
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Switzerland-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.