NUMBER OF EARTHQUAKES PER YEAR MAGNITUDE 7.0 OR GREATER 1900 - 1989 1900 13 1930 13 1960 22 1901 14 1931 26 1961 18 1902 8 1932 13 1962 15 1903 10 1933 14 1963 20 1904 16 1934 22 1964 15 1905 26 1935 24 1965 22 1906 32 1936 21 1966 19 1907 27 1937 22 1967 16 1908 18 1938 26 1968 30 1909 32 1939 21 1969 27 1910 36 1940 23 1970 29 1911 24 1941 24 1971 23 1912 22 1942 27 1972 20 1913 23 1943* 41 1973 16 1914 22 1944 31 1974 21 1915 18 1945 27 1975 21 1916 25 1946 35 1976$ 25 1917 21 1947 26 1977 16 1918 21 1948 28 1978 18 1919 14 1949 36 1979 15 1920 8 1950 39 1980 18 1921 11 1951 21 1981 14 1922 14 1952 17 1982 10 1923 23 1953 22 1983 15 1924 18 1954 17 1984 8 1925 17 1955 19 1985 15 1926 19 1956 15 1986# 6 1927 20 1957 34 1987 11 1928 22 1958 10 1988 8 1929 19 1959 15 1989 7 Total 1900-1989 = 1822 events = 20 per year 1990 (through July 19)- 10 events * Most active year since 1900 # Least active year since 1900 $ Year with most people killed since 1900 (295,000 - 699,000; dominated by the Tangshan quake with casualty estimate from 255,000 - 655,000) Statistics were compiled from the Earthquake Data Base System of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, Golden CO Most Destructive Known Earthquakes on Record in the World (50,000 deaths or more) (Listed in order of greatest number of deaths) Date Location Deaths Mag Comments January 23, 1556 China, Shansi 830,000 October 11, 1737 India, Calcutta 300,000 July 27, 1976 China, Tangshan 255,000* 8.0 August 9, 1138 Syria, Aleppo 230,000 May 22, 1927 China, near Xining 200,000 8.3 Large fractures. December 22, 856+ Iran, Damghan 200,000 December 16, 1920 China, Gansu 200,000 8.6 Major fractures, landslides. March 23, 893+ Iran, Ardabil 150,000 September 1, 1923 Japan, Kwanto 143,000 8.3 Great Tokyo fire. December 28, 1908 Italy, Messina 70,000 7.5 Deaths from to 100,000 earthquake and (estimated) tsunami. September, 1290 China, Chihli 100,000 November, 1667 Caucasia, Shemakha 80,000 November 18, 1727 Iran, Tabriz 77,000 November 1, 1755 Portugal, Lisbon 70,000 8.7 Great tsunami. December 25, 1932 China, Gansu 70,000 7.6 May 31, 1970 Peru 66,000 7.8 $530,000 damage, great rock slide, floods. 1268 Asia Minor, Silicia 60,000 January 11, 1693 Italy, Sicily 60,000 May 30, 1935 Pakistan, Quetta 30,000 7.5 Quetta almost to 60,000 completely destroyed. February 4, 1783 Italy, Calabria 50,000 June 20, 1990 Iran 50,000 7.7 Landslides. * Official casualty figure--estimated death toll as high as 655,000. + Note that these dates are prior to 1000 AD. No digit is missing. Data compiled from several sources.