Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Yemen
Yemen has catalogued 339 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 49th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.7.
Yemen ranks 49th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 16 M4+ events a year alongside 14 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1908 to 2018, peaking in 2018.
- 339
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 14
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.7
- Strongest
- ~16
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Yemen is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 339 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 14 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.7.
- 2018
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 13 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 Tanzania sits immediately above at 368 events and Somalia sits immediately below at 333.
Catalog event strip
Event tape YEMEN · Yemen M4+ · 49th/187
Yemen · 339 M4+ · max M6.7 · 14 M6+
- EPIC 339
- YOY 49th/187
- BAND M6.7
- STRIP 14
- BOOK near Tanzania
- RANK 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 →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Yemen
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 3 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 5.1. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 3
- Average observed MMI
- 5.1
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Yemen sits in the catalog
Rank 49th of 187 tracked countries (74th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Tanzania sits immediately above at 368 events and Somalia sits immediately below at 333.
Yemen's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
339 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
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Yemen by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1924
1924: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1928
1928: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1949
1949: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1959
1959: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1967
1967: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1970
1970: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1982
1982: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2001
2001: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2002
2002: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2005
2005: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2006
2006: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2018
2018: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Yemen's most active year for major earthquakes was 2018 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
4 of 339 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 14 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Yemen.
M6.0-6.9
14
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 14 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 13 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
14
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Yemen
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.7 | 170 km E of Hadibu, Yemen | 10.0 km | Dec 18, 1908 |
| 6.6 | 156 km NW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 30, 2006 |
| 6.6 | 186 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 21, 1959 |
| 6.5 | 223 km N of Kilmia, Yemen | 28.8 km | Jul 30, 1970 |
| 6.5 | 193 km S of Al Ghayz̧ah, Yemen | 12.2 km | Nov 23, 1967 |
| 6.3 | 17 km N of Dham?r, Yemen | 5.0 km | Dec 13, 1982 |
| 6.2 | 200 km N of Qalans?yah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 20, 1949 |
| 6.2 | 199 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 10.0 km | Aug 26, 2005 |
| 6.1 | 185 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Apr 20, 1924 |
| 6.1 | 157 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Sep 18, 1928 |
Significant earthquake record (14 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Yemen since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 192 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 10.0 km | Jul 15, 2018 |
| 6.0 | 214 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 10.0 km | Jul 15, 2018 |
| 6.6 | 156 km NW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 30, 2006 |
| 6.2 | 199 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 10.0 km | Aug 26, 2005 |
| 6.0 | 214 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 10.0 km | Sep 1, 2002 |
| 6.0 | 199 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 10.0 km | Jun 15, 2001 |
| 6.3 | 17 km N of Dham?r, Yemen | 5.0 km | Dec 13, 1982 |
| 6.5 | 223 km N of Kilmia, Yemen | 28.8 km | Jul 30, 1970 |
| 6.5 | 193 km S of Al Ghayz̧ah, Yemen | 12.2 km | Nov 23, 1967 |
| 6.6 | 186 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 21, 1959 |
| 6.2 | 200 km N of Qalans?yah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 20, 1949 |
| 6.1 | 157 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Sep 18, 1928 |
| 6.1 | 185 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Apr 20, 1924 |
| 6.7 | 170 km E of Hadibu, Yemen | 10.0 km | Dec 18, 1908 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Yemen-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Yemen-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.