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Earthquakes in 1942 Approximate epicenters of the earthquakes in 1942
Strongest magnitude Peru , Ayacucho Region , (Magnitude 8.1) August 24Deadliest Turkey , Samsun Province , (Magnitude 7.0) December 20 1,000 deathsTotal fatalities 1,489 9.0+ 0
This is a list of earthquakes in 1942 . Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the list as they wouldn't have generated significant media interest. All dates are listed according to UTC time. This year saw an average number of magnitude 7.0+ events. The dominant event this year in terms of deaths was in December in Turkey with 1,000 of the 1,489 deaths for the year. Other deadly events occurred elsewhere in Turkey . Ecuador , China and Albania had earthquakes causing dozens of deaths. An unusually large quake struck the Southwest Indian Ridge in November with a magnitude of 8.0. Spreading ridges usually have smaller magnitude events.
Rank
Death toll
Magnitude
Location
MMI
Depth (km)
Date
1
1,000
7.0
Turkey , Samsun Province
X (Extreme )
10.0
December 20
2
200
7.8
Ecuador , Manabí Province
IX (Violent )
20.0
May 14
3
90
6.3
China , Yunnan Province
VIII (Severe )
35.0
January 31
4
51
6.0
China , Inner Mongolia
VIII (Severe )
0.0
July 8
5
43
6.0
Albania , Dibër County
X (Extreme )
33.0
August 27
6
38
7.7
Guatemala , off the west coast of Guatemala
VII (Very strong )
35.0
August 6
7
30
8.1
Peru , Ayacucho Region
IX (Violent )
30.0
August 24
8
17
0.0
Turkey , Çorum Province
VIII (Severe )
0.0
November 21
9
16
6.1
Turkey , Balıkesir Province
VIII (Severe )
0.0
November 15
Note : At least 10 casualties
Rank
Magnitude
Death toll
Location
MMI
Depth (km)
Date
1
8.1
30
Peru , Ayacucho Region
IX (Violent )
30.0
August 24
2
8.0
0
Southwest Indian Ridge
( )
10.0
November 10
3
7.8
200
Ecuador , Manabí Province
IX (Violent )
20.0
May 14
4
7.7
38
Guatemala , off the west coast of Guatemala
VII (Very strong )
35.0
August 6
5
7.5
0
Empire of Japan , south of Minahasa Peninsula , Dutch East Indies
( )
100.0
May 28
= 6
7.4
0
Empire of Japan , west of Mindoro , Philippines
VII (Very strong )
15.0
April 8
= 6
7.4
0
Soviet Union , Kuril Islands
( )
65.0
November 26
= 7
7.2
0
Empire of Japan , Papua (province) , Dutch East Indies
VII (Very strong )
17.5
January 27
= 7
7.2
0
Empire of Japan , Mindanao , Philippines
VI (Strong )
35.0
October 20
= 7
7.2
0
central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
( )
10.0
November 28
8
7.1
0
New Hebrides
( )
110.0
January 29
= 9
7.0
0
United States , Northern Mariana Islands
( )
15.0
June 14
= 9
7.0
0
New Zealand Wellington Region , North Island
VII (Very strong )
15.0
June 24
= 9
7.0
0
Free France , southeast of the Loyalty Islands , New Caledonia
( )
130.0
September 14
= 9
7.0
1,000
Turkey , Samsun Province
X (Extreme )
10.0
December 20
Note : At least 7.0 magnitude
March Strongest magnitude 6.9 Mw Japan Total fatalities 0 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 0 6.0–6.9 3
April Strongest magnitude 7.4 Mw Philippines Total fatalities 0 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 1 6.0–6.9 2
May Strongest magnitude 7.8 Mw Ecuador Deadliest 7.8 Mw Ecuador 200 deaths Total fatalities 200 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 2 6.0–6.9 2 5.0–5.9 1
June Strongest magnitude 7.0 Mw 2 events Total fatalities 0 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 2 6.0–6.9 6
September Strongest magnitude 7.0 Mw Free France Total fatalities 0 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 1 6.0–6.9 2
October Strongest magnitude 7.2 Mw Empire of Japan Total fatalities 0 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 1 6.0–6.9 4
Date
Country and location
Mw
Depth (km)
MMI
Notes
Casualties
Dead
Injured
6 [ 63]
Peru , San Martin Region
6.8
130.0
7 [ 64]
Empire of Japan , Flores , Dutch East Indies
6.8
80.0
10 [ 65]
Southwest Indian Ridge
8.0
10.0
This was one of the largest events to strike an ocean spreading ridge.
12 [ 66] [ 67] [ 68]
Mexico , Oaxaca
6.1
60.0
VI
Some damage was caused.
15 [ 69]
Turkey , Balıkesir Province
6.1
0.0
VIII
16 people were killed and some damage was caused. Unknown depth.
16
15 [ 70] [ 71]
Empire of Japan , off the east coast of Honshu
6.7
15.0
V
21 [ 72]
Turkey , Çorum Province
0.0
0.0
VIII
17 people were killed and some damage was caused. Unknown depth and magnitude.
17
26 [ 73]
Soviet Union , Kuril Islands , Russia
7.4
65.0
28 [ 74]
central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
7.2
10.0
30 [ 75]
Argentina , Santiago del Estero Province
6.5
590.0
December Strongest magnitude 7.0 Mw Turkey Deadliest 7.0 Mw Turkey 1,000 deaths Total fatalities 1,004 8.0–8.9 0 7.0–7.9 1 6.0–6.9 5
Date
Country and location
Mw
Depth (km)
MMI
Notes
Casualties
Dead
Injured
2 [ 76]
Turkey , Çorum Province
0.0
0.0
VIII
4 people were killed and major damage was caused. Magnitude and depth unknown.
4
5 [ 77]
United States , Cook Inlet , Alaska
6.5
100.0
11 [ 78]
Turkey , Amasya Province
0.0
0.0
VIII
Major damage was reported. Magnitude and depth unknown.
19 [ 79]
Empire of Japan , Izu Islands , Japan
6.7
20.0
20 [ 80] [ 81] [ 82]
Turkey , Samsun Province
7.0
10.0
VII
The 1942 Niksar–Erbaa earthquake caused around 1,000 deaths. Major damage was caused.
1,000
22 [ 83]
Tonga
6.8
15.0
26 [ 84]
Colombia , Córdoba Department
6.5
35.0
29 [ 85]
Independent State of Croatia , Split-Dalmatia County
6.0
15.0
X
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . January 8, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 7.2 - near the south coast of Papua, Indonesia" . United States Geological Survey . January 27, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 7.2 - near the south coast of Papua, Indonesia" . United States Geological Survey . January 27, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . January 29, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 6.3 - China-Laos border region" . United States Geological Survey . January 31, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . February 16, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 6.5 - near the east coast of Honshu, Japan" . United States Geological Survey . February 21, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 6.5 - near the east coast of Honshu, Japan" . United States Geological Survey . February 21, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . March 5, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 6.8 - Ryukyu Islands, Japan" . United States Geological Survey . March 21, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . March 22, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 7.4 - Mindoro, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . April 8, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 7.4 - Mindoro, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . April 8, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . April 11, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . April 20, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . May 6, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 7.8 - Ecuador" . United States Geological Survey . May 14, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . May 24, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . May 28, 1942. Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ "M 6.3 - Mindanao, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . June 10, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.3 - Mindanao, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . June 10, 1942. Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
^ "M 7.0 - Mariana Islands region" . United States Geological Survey . June 14, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . June 15, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.8 - State of Yap, Federated States of Micronesia" . United States Geological Survey . June 18, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . June 20, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . June 21, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.0 - North Island of New Zealand" . United States Geological Survey . June 24, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.0 - North Island of New Zealand" . United States Geological Survey . June 24, 1942. Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . June 29, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . July 7, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.8 - Antofagasta, Chile" . United States Geological Survey . July 8, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.8 - Antofagasta, Chile" . United States Geological Survey . July 8, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "M 6.4 - Leyte, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . July 25, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.4 - Leyte, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . July 25, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "M 6.7 - Ceram Sea, Indonesia" . United States Geological Survey . July 29, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.7 - Ceram Sea, Indonesia" . United States Geological Survey . July 29, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "M 6.8 - North Island of New Zealand" . United States Geological Survey . August 1, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.8 - North Island of New Zealand" . United States Geological Survey . August 1, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "M 7.7 - offshore Guatemala" . United States Geological Survey . August 6, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.7 - offshore Guatemala" . United States Geological Survey . August 6, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . August 8, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 8.1 - central Peru" . United States Geological Survey . August 24, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 8.1 - central Peru" . United States Geological Survey . August 24, 1942. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . August 29, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.9 - Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska" . United States Geological Survey . September 9, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . September 14, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.3 - Taiwan" . United States Geological Survey . September 24, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.3 - Taiwan" . United States Geological Survey . September 24, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . October 9, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.2 - Mindanao, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . October 20, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.2 - Mindanao, Philippines" . United States Geological Survey . October 20, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ "M 6.6 - 17km WSW of Westmorland, CA" . United States Geological Survey . October 21, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.6 - 17km WSW of Westmorland, CA" . United States Geological Survey . October 21, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ "Fish Creek Mountains Earthquake" . Southern California Earthquake Data Center . October 21, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.6 - Kuril Islands" . United States Geological Survey . October 26, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . October 28, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . November 6, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . November 7, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 8.0 - south of Africa" . United States Geological Survey . November 10, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.1 - Oaxaca, Mexico" . United States Geological Survey . November 12, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.1 - Oaxaca, Mexico" . United States Geological Survey . November 12, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "M 6.7 - near the east coast of Honshu, Japan" . United States Geological Survey . November 15, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 6.7 - near the east coast of Honshu, Japan" . United States Geological Survey . November 15, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . November 26, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.2 - central Mid-Atlantic Ridge" . United States Geological Survey . November 28, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . November 30, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "M 6.5 - Kenai Peninsula, Alaska" . United States Geological Survey . December 5, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "M 6.7 - Izu Islands, Japan region" . United States Geological Survey . December 19, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.0 - central Turkey" . United States Geological Survey . December 20, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "M 7.0 - central Turkey" . United States Geological Survey . December 20, 1942. Retrieved July 25, 2020 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . December 22, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ "On-Line Bulletin" . International Seismological Centre . December 26, 1942. Retrieved June 18, 2016 .
^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information" . doi :10.7289/V5TD9V7K . Retrieved March 23, 2024 .
Earthquakes in the 1940s
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1946
Valais (6.1, January 25)
Aleutian Islands (8.6, April 1) †
Varto–Hınıs (5.9, May 31) †
Vancouver Island (7.3, June 23)
Dominican Republic (8.1, Aug 4) ‡†
Sagaing (8.0, 7.8, Sep 12)
Kyrgyzstan (7.6, Nov 2)
Peru (6.8, Nov 10) †
Hsinhua (6.1, Dec 5) †
Nankai (8.1, Dec 21) †
1947 1948 1949 † indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths ‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year