Earthquake Facts and Statistics
Frequency of Occurrence of Earthquakes
Magnitude | Average Annually |
---|---|
8 and higher | 1 ¹ |
7 - 7.9 | 15 ¹ |
6 - 6.9 | 134 ² |
5 - 5.9 | 1319 ² |
4 - 4.9 | 13,000 (estimated) |
3 - 3.9 | 130,000 (estimated) |
2 - 2.9 | 1,300,000 (estimated) |
¹ Based on observations since 1900.
These numbers have been recently updated, based on data from the
Centennial catalog (from 1900 to 1999)
and the PDE (since 2000).
² Based on observations since 1990.
Magnitude vs. Ground Motion and Energy
Magnitude Change | Ground Motion Change (Displacement) |
Energy Change |
---|---|---|
1.0 | 10.0 times | about 32 times |
0.5 | 3.2 times | about 5.5 times |
0.3 | 2.0 times | about 3 times |
0.1 | 1.3 times | about 1.4 times |
This table shows that a magnitude 7.2 earthquake produces 10 times more ground motion than a magnitude 6.2 earthquake, but it releases about 32 times more energy. The energy release best indicates the destructive power of an earthquake. See: How much bigger is a magnitude 8.7 earthquake than a magnitude 5.8 earthquake?
The USGS estimates that several million earthquakes occur in the world each year. Many go undetected because they hit remote areas or have very small magnitudes. The NEIC now locates about 50 earthquakes each day, or about 20,000 a year.
As more and more seismographs are installed in the world, more earthquakes can be and have been located. However, the number of large earthquakes (magnitude 6.0 and greater) has stayed relatively constant. See: Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?
Number of Earthquakes Worldwide for 2000 - 2012
Located by the US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center
(M4.5+ for most of the world; doesn't include US regional network contributions)
Magnitude | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8.0 to 9.9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
7.0 to 7.9 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 23 | 19 | 10 |
6.0 to 6.9 | 146 | 121 | 127 | 140 | 141 | 140 | 142 | 178 | 168 | 144 | 151 | 185 | 89 |
5.0 to 5.9 | 1344 | 1224 | 1201 | 1203 | 1515 | 1693 | 1712 | 2074 | 1768 | 1896 | 2227 | 2276 | 1204 |
4.0 to 4.9 | 8008 | 7991 | 8541 | 8462 | 10888 | 13917 | 12838 | 12078 | 12291 | 6805 | 10154 | 13315 | 8003 |
3.0 to 3.9 | 4827 | 6266 | 7068 | 7624 | 7932 | 9191 | 9990 | 9889 | 11735 | 2905 | 4337 | 2791 | 1855 |
2.0 to 2.9 | 3765 | 4164 | 6419 | 7727 | 6316 | 4636 | 4027 | 3597 | 3860 | 3014 | 4623 | 3643 | 2397 |
1.0 to 1.9 | 1026 | 944 | 1137 | 2506 | 1344 | 26 | 18 | 42 | 21 | 26 | 39 | 47 | 34 |
0.1 to 0.9 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 134 | 103 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
No Magnitude | 3120 | 2807 | 2938 | 3608 | 2939 | 864 | 828 | 1807 | 1922 | 17 | 24 | 11 | 5 |
Total | 22256 | 23534 | 27454 | 31419 | 31194 | 30478 | 29568 | 29685 | 31777 | 14825 | 21579 | * 22289 | * 13599 |
Estimated Deaths | 231 | 21357 | 1685 | 33819 | 228802 | 88003 | 6605 | 712 | 88011 | 1790 | 320120 | 21953 | 629 |
Starting in January 2009, the USGS National Earthquake Information Center no longer locates earthquakes smaller than magnitude 4.5 outside the United States, unless we receive specific information that the earthquake was felt or caused damage.
The values in the tables for the most recent years may fluctuate due to magnitude updates during the review process.
Number of Earthquakes in the United States for 2000 - 2012
Located by the US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center
(M2.5+; doesn't include US regional network contributions)
Magnitude | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8.0 to 9.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
7.0 to 7.9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
6.0 to 6.9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
5.0 to 5.9 | 63 | 41 | 63 | 54 | 25 | 47 | 51 | 72 | 85 | 58 | 85 | 51 | 26 |
4.0 to 4.9 | 281 | 290 | 536 | 541 | 284 | 345 | 346 | 366 | 432 | 288 | 636 | 347 | 239 |
3.0 to 3.9 | 917 | 842 | 1535 | 1303 | 1362 | 1475 | 1213 | 1137 | 1486 | 1492 | 3589 | 1838 | 969 |
2.0 to 2.9 | 660 | 646 | 1228 | 704 | 1336 | 1738 | 1145 | 1173 | 1573 | 2379 | 4130 | 2941 | 1764 |
1.0 to 1.9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 47 | 34 |
0.1 to 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
No Magnitude | 415 | 434 | 507 | 333 | 540 | 73 | 13 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 3 |
Total | 2342 | 2261 | 3876 | 2946 | 3550 | 3685 | 2783 | 2791 | 3618 | 4262 | 8500 | * 5237 | * 3039 |
Estimated Deaths | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* As of 07 October 2012
Earthquake Information for the 1990s
Graphs of Earthquake Statistics
We detect, but generally do not locate, about 50 mine blasts (explosions) throughout the United States on any given business day. These blasts typically occur between noon and 6 PM local time Monday through Saturday. Of these, about one event every two days is large enough that we compute a location for the blast and post it to a separate explosions listing.