Earthquakes Today

The USGS estimates roughly 500 earthquakes occur worldwide every day when including all magnitudes. Of those, about 100 are large enough to be felt, and only one to two per day typically reach magnitude 5.0 or above.

The largest earthquake ever recorded was the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale. It generated a Pacific-wide tsunami and remains the most powerful seismic event in recorded history.

About 90% of earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire — a 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped zone encompassing the coasts of South America, North America, Alaska, Japan, and the Philippines. The remaining 10% occur along other tectonic plate boundaries, particularly the Alpide Belt running from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia.

The USGS operates a global network of seismograph stations called the Global Seismographic Network (GSN). When seismic waves travel through the Earth, these instruments detect the ground motion and transmit data in real time to USGS data centers, which automatically locate and measure the earthquake within minutes.

Earthquakes below magnitude 2.0 are typically not felt by people at all. Magnitude 2.0–2.9 may be felt only by people very close to the epicenter. Magnitude 3.0–3.9 is often felt but rarely causes damage. Magnitude 5.0 and above can cause significant shaking and structural damage depending on depth and distance.

On average, about 15 to 20 major earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher occur worldwide each year, according to USGS historical data. Magnitude 8.0 or above happens approximately once per year globally, and magnitude 9.0+ events are rare, occurring roughly once per decade.