Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Tanzania
Tanzania has catalogued 368 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 48th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.0.
Tanzania ranks 48th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 18 M4+ events a year alongside 10 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1910 to 2020, peaking in 1985.
- 368
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 10
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.0
- Strongest
- ~18
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Tanzania is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 368 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 10 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.0.
- 1985
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 18 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 Portugal sits immediately above at 423 events and Yemen sits immediately below at 338.
Where Tanzania sits in the catalog
Rank 48th of 187 tracked countries (74th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Portugal sits immediately above at 423 events and Yemen sits immediately below at 338.
Tanzania's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
368 Top 26% higher than 74% 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 Tanzania compares to its nearest peers
Tanzania ranks in the 74th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 423 | M6.3 |
| Tanzania (this page) | 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 |
| MX | 202 | M5.8 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Tanzania by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1910
1910: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1919
1919: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1922
1922: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1942
1942: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1949
1949: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1964
1964: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1985
1985: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2000
2000: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2020
2020: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Tanzania's most active year for major earthquakes was 1985 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
1 of 368 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 10 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Tanzania.
M6.0-6.9
10
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 10 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 18 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
10
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Tanzania
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 17 km SSW of Sumbawanga, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Jul 8, 1919 |
| 6.9 | 39 km WSW of Karema, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Dec 13, 1910 |
| 6.5 | 15 km W of Nkove, Tanzania | 34.0 km | Oct 2, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 28 km W of Dongobesh, Tanzania | 30.9 km | May 7, 1964 |
| 6.5 | 149 km W of Kigoma, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Apr 16, 1922 |
| 6.4 | 120 km E of Madimba, Tanzania | 10.0 km | May 14, 1985 |
| 6.4 | 38 km S of Mbamba Bay, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Oct 9, 1942 |
| 6.0 | 13 km W of Sumbawanga, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Oct 1, 1949 |
| 6.0 | 66 km NNE of Kilindoni, Tanzania | 17.6 km | Aug 12, 2020 |
| 6.0 | 121 km E of Madimba, Tanzania | 10.0 km | May 14, 1985 |
Significant earthquake record (10 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Tanzania since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 66 km NNE of Kilindoni, Tanzania | 17.6 km | Aug 12, 2020 |
| 6.5 | 15 km W of Nkove, Tanzania | 34.0 km | Oct 2, 2000 |
| 6.4 | 120 km E of Madimba, Tanzania | 10.0 km | May 14, 1985 |
| 6.0 | 121 km E of Madimba, Tanzania | 10.0 km | May 14, 1985 |
| 6.5 | 28 km W of Dongobesh, Tanzania | 30.9 km | May 7, 1964 |
| 6.0 | 13 km W of Sumbawanga, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Oct 1, 1949 |
| 6.4 | 38 km S of Mbamba Bay, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Oct 9, 1942 |
| 6.5 | 149 km W of Kigoma, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Apr 16, 1922 |
| 7.0 | 17 km SSW of Sumbawanga, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Jul 8, 1919 |
| 6.9 | 39 km WSW of Karema, Tanzania | 15.0 km | Dec 13, 1910 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Tanzania-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Saint Helena
184 M4+ events · strongest M6.0
Congo-Uganda
2 M4+ events · strongest M4.7
Martinique
83 M4+ events · strongest M7.4
Bolivia
832 M4+ events · strongest M6.8
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
6 M4+ events · strongest M4.8
Mauritius
135 M4+ events · strongest M6.0
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Tanzania-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Tanzania? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Tanzania? ▼
How seismically active is Tanzania? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Tanzania? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Tanzania's figures
368 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.0 · average M4.5 · 10 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Apr 12, 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 Tanzania's numbers mean
Tanzania ranks 48th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 18 M4+ earthquakes strike Tanzania per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1985 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Tanzania'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 M7.0. 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.