Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Zambia
Zambia has catalogued 62 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 95th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.5.
Zambia ranks 95th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 3 M4+ events a year alongside 2 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 2 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 62
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 2
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.5
- Strongest
- ~3
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Zambia is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 62 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 2 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.5.
- 1919
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 15 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 Bangladesh sits immediately above at 64 events and Federated States of Micronesia sits immediately below at 59.
USGS event tape strip
Event tape ZAMBIA · Zambia M4+ · 95th/187
Zambia · 62 M4+ · max M6.5 · 2 M6+
- BAND 62
- STRIP 95th/187
- BOOK M6.5
- RANK 2
- MAX near Bangladesh
- M6 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 Zambia
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 1 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.5. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 1
- Average observed MMI
- 7.5
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 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 Zambia sits in the catalog
Rank 95th of 187 tracked countries (49th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Bangladesh sits immediately above at 64 events and Federated States of Micronesia sits immediately below at 59.
- Bangladesh - next more active (64 M4+)
- Federated States of Micronesia - next less active (59 M4+)
Zambia's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
62 Top 51% higher than 49% 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
0 of 62 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 2 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Zambia.
M6.0-6.9
2
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 2 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 15 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
2
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Zambia
The 2 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 12 km WNW of Chama, Zambia | 15.0 km | May 1, 1919 |
| 6.3 | 30 km WNW of Chama, Zambia | 15.0 km | Dec 18, 1940 |
Significant earthquake record (2 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Zambia since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | 30 km WNW of Chama, Zambia | 15.0 km | Dec 18, 1940 |
| 6.5 | 12 km WNW of Chama, Zambia | 15.0 km | May 1, 1919 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Zambia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Zambia-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.