List of earthquakes in 2023 facts for kids
| Strongest magnitude | 7.8 Mw  Turkey |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 7.8 Mw Turkey 59,488–62,013 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 64,347–66,872 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 19 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 128 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 1,637 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 13,816 |
In 2023, the world experienced many earthquakes. Some were small, but others caused a lot of damage and sadly, many deaths. This article lists the most important earthquakes that happened during the year. We'll look at quakes that were magnitude 6 or higher, or those that caused big problems like lots of damage or injuries. All dates are shown in UTC time, which is a standard time zone used around the world. The strength of shaking is measured using the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. Information about earthquake sizes comes from the USGS.
About 66,900 people died from earthquakes in 2023. This was the highest number of deaths from earthquakes since 2010. The most devastating event was the Turkey–Syria earthquakes in February. These quakes caused huge destruction and killed at least 59,488 people. The first main quake was also the strongest of the year, measuring 7.8 on the magnitude scale.
In September, Morocco had its biggest earthquake in hundreds of years. This 6.8 magnitude quake killed almost 3,000 people. Then, in October, four 6.3 magnitude earthquakes hit Afghanistan's Herat Province. These quakes caused over 1,400 deaths. A smaller quake in western Nepal also killed 153 people in November. In December, another tremor in northern China killed 151 people. This was China's deadliest earthquake since 2014. Other deadly earthquakes also happened in Ecuador, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
Contents
How Many Earthquakes Happened?
This table shows how many earthquakes happened worldwide from 2013 to 2023. It helps us compare the number of quakes each year.
| Magnitude | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.0–9.9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 19 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 123 | 143 | 127 | 131 | 104 | 118 | 135 | 111 | 141 | 117 | 128 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 1,460 | 1,580 | 1,413 | 1,550 | 1,447 | 1,671 | 1,484 | 1,315 | 2,046 | 1,603 | 1,637 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 11,877 | 15,817 | 13,777 | 13,700 | 10,544 | 12,782 | 11,897 | 12,135 | 14,643 | 13,707 | 13,816 |
| Total | 13,480 | 17,552 | 15,336 | 15,397 | 12,102 | 14,589 | 13,530 | 13,572 | 16,849 | 15,438 | 15,600 |
Earthquakes by Death Toll
Here are the earthquakes in 2023 that caused the most deaths. They are listed from the highest number of deaths to the lowest.
| Rank | Death toll | Magnitude | Location | MMI | Depth (km) | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 59,488–62,013 | 7.8 | Turkey, Kahramanmaraş |
XII (Extreme) | 10.0 | February 6 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes |
| 7.5 | X (Extreme) | 7.4 | |||||
| 2 | 2,960 | 6.8 |  Morocco, Al Haouz |
IX (Violent) | 19.0 | September 8 | 2023 Al Haouz earthquake |
| 3 | 1,482 | 6.3 |  Afghanistan, Herat |
VIII (Severe) | 14.0 | October 7 | 2023 Herat earthquakes |
| 4 | 153 | 5.7 |  Nepal, Karnali |
VIII (Severe) | 16.5 | November 3 | 2023 Nepal earthquake |
| 5 | 151 | 5.9 |  China, Gansu |
IX (Violent) | 10.0 | December 18 | 2023 Jishishan earthquake |
| 6 | 21 | 6.5 | Afghanistan, Badakhshan |
V (Moderate) | 187.6 | March 21 | 2023 Badakhshan earthquake |
| 7 | 18 | 6.8 |  Ecuador, Guayas offshore |
VII (Very Strong) | 65.8 | March 18 | 2023 Guayas earthquake |
| 8 | 13 | 6.3 | Turkey, Hatay |
IX (Violent) | 16.0 | February 20 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes |
| 9 | 11 | 6.7 |  Philippines, Soccsksargen offshore |
VIII (Severe) | 52.0 | November 17 | November 2023 Mindanao earthquake |
This table includes earthquakes where at least 10 people died.
Earthquakes by Magnitude
This table lists the strongest earthquakes that happened in 2023, based on their magnitude (how powerful they were).
| Rank | Magnitude | Death toll | Location | MMI | Depth (km) | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.8 | 59,488–62,013 | Turkey, Kahramanmaraş |
XII (Extreme) | 10.0 | February 6 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes |
| 2 | 7.7 | 0 |  New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands offshore |
IV (Light) | 18.0 | May 19 | - |
| 3 | 7.6 | 3 | Philippines, Caraga offshore |
VII (Very Strong) | 40.0 | December 2 | December 2023 Mindanao earthquake |
| 3 | 7.6 | 0 |  Indonesia, Maluku offshore |
VI (Strong) | 105.2 | January 9 | - |
| 3 | 7.6 | 0 |  Tonga, Niuatoputapu offshore |
VI (Strong) | 210.1 | May 10 | - |
| 6 | 7.5 | - | Turkey, Kahramanmaraş |
X (Extreme) | 7.4 | February 6 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes |
| 7 | 7.2 | 0 | Tonga, Tongatapu offshore |
VI (Strong) | 167.4 | June 15 | - |
| 7 | 7.2 | 0 |  United States, Alaska offshore |
VII (Very Strong) | 25.0 | July 16 | - |
| 9 | 7.1 | 0 | Indonesia, North Sumatra offshore |
VIII (Severe) | 34.0 | April 24 | - |
| 9 | 7.1 | 0 |  New Zealand, Kermadec Islands offshore |
VII (Very Strong) | 46.8 | April 24 | - |
| 9 | 7.1 | 0 | Indonesia, Banda Sea offshore |
VI (Strong) | 10.0 | November 8 | - |
| 9 | 7.1 | 0 |  Vanuatu, Tafea offshore |
VI (Strong) | 48.4 | December 7 | - |
| 9 | 7.1 | 0 | New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands offshore |
IV (Light) | 36.0 | May 20 | - |
| 9 | 7.1 | 0 | Indonesia, East Java offshore |
IV (Light) | 513.5 | August 28 | - |
| 15 | 7.0 | 0 | Vanuatu, Sanma offshore |
VII (Very strong) | 29.0 | January 8 | - |
| 15 | 7.0 | 8 |  Papua New Guinea, East Sepik |
VII (Very strong) | 70.0 | April 2 | 2023 Papua New Guinea earthquake |
| 15 | 7.0 | 0 | Indonesia, North Maluku offshore |
V (Moderate) | 28.6 | January 18 | - |
| 15 | 7.0 | 1 | Indonesia, East Java offshore |
V (Moderate) | 597.0 | April 14 | - |
| 15 | 7.0 | 0 | New Zealand, Kermadec Islands offshore |
IV (Light) | 10.0 | March 16 | - |
This table lists earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or higher.
Notable Earthquakes by Month
Here's a quick look at some of the more significant earthquakes that happened each month in 2023.
January
| Strongest magnitude | 7.6 Mw Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 5.4 Mw Nepal 4 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 8 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 3 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 8 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 126 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,248 |
- January 8: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Vanuatu. Many houses were damaged.
- January 9: A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia. It injured 11 people and damaged many homes.
- January 24: A 5.4 magnitude earthquake in Nepal caused landslides and damaged hundreds of homes. Four people died.
- January 28: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Iran injured 1,750 people and damaged many buildings.
February
| Strongest magnitude | 7.8 Mw Turkey |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 7.8 Mw Turkey 59,488–62,013 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 59,507–62,032 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 2 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 12 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 142 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,368 |
- February 6: Two massive earthquakes, magnitudes 7.8 and 7.5, struck Turkey and Syria. These quakes caused widespread destruction and killed over 59,000 people.
- February 9: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia caused a restaurant to collapse, killing four people.
- February 14: A 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Romania damaged hundreds of houses and churches.
- February 20: Another 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey, causing more damage and deaths after the earlier large quakes.
March
| Strongest magnitude | 7.0 Mw New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 6.5 Mw Afghanistan 21 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 42 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 1 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 10 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 109 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,119 |
- March 7: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines injured 60 people and damaged thousands of homes.
- March 9: Two earthquakes, magnitudes 4.3 and 4.5, in Italy injured 13 people and damaged many buildings.
- March 18: A 6.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Ecuador killed 18 people and injured hundreds.
- March 21: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan killed 21 people and injured over 400.
April
| Strongest magnitude | 7.1 Mw Indonesia 7.1 Mw New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 7.0 Mw Papua New Guinea 8 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 9 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 4 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 10 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 116 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,044 |
- April 2: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea killed 8 people and caused significant damage.
- April 14: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused one death and damaged several homes.
- April 24: A 7.1 magnitude earthquake near New Zealand caused a small tsunami.
- April 24: Another 7.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia damaged homes and caused power outages.
May
| Strongest magnitude | 7.7 Mw New Caledonia |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 6.2 Mw  Japan1 death 5.3 Mw Afghanistan1 death |
| Total fatalities | 2 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 3 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 12 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 159 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,270 |
- May 5: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Japan killed one person and injured many others.
- May 19: A 7.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of New Caledonia caused a tsunami that was observed in several countries.
- May 25: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Colombia caused hotels and homes to collapse.
- May 28: A 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan killed one person in Pakistan and injured others.
June
| Strongest magnitude | 7.2 Mw Tonga |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 4.9 Mw  Haiti4 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 8 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 1 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 9 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 121 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,121 |
- June 6: A 4.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Haiti killed four people and damaged many homes.
- June 7: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar killed three people and damaged buildings.
- June 15: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Philippines injured 42 people and damaged over a hundred buildings.
- June 15: A 7.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Tonga was a strong but deep quake.
- June 16: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in France injured two people and destroyed over 100 buildings.
July
| Strongest magnitude | 7.2 Mw United States |
|---|---|
| Total fatalities | 0 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 1 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 7 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 100 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,008 |
- July 16: A 7.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Alaska, United States, caused a small tsunami.
- July 17: A 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Argentina disrupted communications in parts of Chile.
- July 19: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of El Salvador injured two people and caused landslides.
- July 25: A 5.5 magnitude earthquake in Turkey injured 63 people and damaged buildings.
August
| Strongest magnitude | 7.1 Mw Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 6.1 Mw  Colombia2 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 2 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 1 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 8 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 97 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 991 |
- August 5: A 5.4 magnitude earthquake in China injured 24 people and damaged hundreds of buildings.
- August 6: A 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia injured one person and damaged many homes and schools.
- August 17: Two earthquakes, magnitudes 6.1 and 5.6, in Colombia killed two people and injured 50.
- August 18: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in Iran injured 16 people and damaged hundreds of homes.
- August 28: A 7.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia was a strong but deep quake.
September
| Strongest magnitude | 6.8 Mw Morocco |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 6.8 Mw Morocco 2,960 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 2,961 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 0 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 11 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 106 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 994 |
- September 6: A 4.9 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines caused 125 people to be injured due to panic.
- September 8: A 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco killed 2,960 people and injured over 5,000.
- September 12: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Philippines injured five people and damaged schools.
- September 18: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Italy killed one person and injured another.
October
| Strongest magnitude | 6.9 Mw Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 6.3 Mw Afghanistan 1,482 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 1,491 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 0 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 17 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 162 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,211 |
- October 3: A 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Nepal killed one person and injured 27.
- October 4: A 6.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Philippines injured 13 people.
- October 7: Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in Afghanistan killed 1,482 people and injured over 2,000.
- October 7: Two strong earthquakes, magnitudes 6.7 and 6.9, in Papua New Guinea killed one person and injured nine.
- October 9: A 5.0 magnitude earthquake in Slovakia destroyed 16 houses and damaged over 1,000.
- October 11: Another 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan killed three people.
- October 15: A fourth 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan killed four more people.
- October 30: A 5.4 magnitude earthquake in Jamaica injured 41 people and caused power outages.
November
| Strongest magnitude | 7.1 Mw Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 5.7 Mw Nepal 153 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 165 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 1 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 11 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 135 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,236 |
- November 3: A 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Nepal killed 153 people and injured 375.
- November 6: A 5.3 magnitude aftershock in Nepal injured 16 people.
- November 8: A 7.1 magnitude earthquake in the Banda Sea off Indonesia caused a tsunami.
- November 17: A 6.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Philippines killed 11 people and injured 730.
- November 22: A 6.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Vanuatu caused a small tsunami.
December
| Strongest magnitude | 7.6 Mw Philippines |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 5.9 Mw China 151 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 154 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 2 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 12 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 256 |
| 4.0–4.9 | 1,114 |
Damaged PAGASA Doppler weather radar station in Hinatuan, Philippines.
Earthquake aftermath in Jishishan County, China.
- December 2: A 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines killed three people and injured 79. It also caused a series of strong aftershocks.
- December 2: A 5.5 magnitude earthquake in Bangladesh injured over 200 people.
- December 7: A 7.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Vanuatu caused a small tsunami.
- December 18: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake in China killed 151 people and injured almost 1,000.
- December 31: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia injured 11 people and damaged many homes.
|
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Terremotos de 2023 para niños
- Lists of 21st-century earthquakes
- List of earthquakes 2021-2030
- Lists of earthquakes by year
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