All earthquakes

Earthquakes in 1931

The USGS located 302 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1931, 124 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 30 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M7.9 58 km ESE of Takanabe, Japan, Nov 2, 1931.

From the USGS catalog. Magnitude 4.5 and up worldwide, and 2.5 and up in the United States. Times are local to each quake.

19301932

Map

Where the largest earthquakes of 1931 were located. Select one for its page.

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The largest

The 25 largest of 1931, by magnitude.

  1. 7.958 km ESE of Takanabe, Japan · 35 km deepJapan
  2. 7.978 km E of Hachinohe, Japan · 35 km deepJapan
  3. 7.9172 km SE of Altay, China · 10 km deepChina
  4. 7.8116 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands · 15 km deepSolomon Islands
  5. 7.8108 km SW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands · 15 km deepSolomon Islands
  6. 7.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, Mexico · 35 km deepMexico
  7. 7.637 km S of Sarupathar, India · 15 km deepIndia
  8. 7.447 km WSW of Hastings, New Zealand · 35 km deepNew Zealand
  9. 7.3161 km S of Bengkulu, Indonesia · 35 km deepIndonesia
  10. 7.340 km E of Waiouru, New Zealand · 45 km deepNew Zealand
  11. 7.3148 km ESE of Altay, China · 10 km deepChina
  12. 7.2Azores-Cape St. Vincent Ridge · 10 km deep
  13. 7.214 km SSE of Mach, Pakistan · 10 km deepPakistan
  14. 7.237 km S of San Antonio, Chile · 35 km deepChile
  15. 7.2265 km S of Merizo Village, Guam · 15 km deepGuam
  16. 7.143 km SW of Aitape, Papua New Guinea · 35 km deepPapua New Guinea
  17. 7.0164 km SSW of Pagar Alam, Indonesia · 35 km deepIndonesia
  18. 7.074 km SW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands · 15 km deepSolomon Islands
  19. 6.8256 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, Mexico · 20 km deepMexico
  20. 6.8Pakistan · 10 km deepPakistan
  21. 6.869 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea · 15 km deepPapua New Guinea
  22. 6.768 km SW of Paredón Colorado, Mexico · 10 km deepMexico
  23. 6.733 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands · 15 km deepSolomon Islands
  24. 6.7southeast of the Loyalty Islands · 70 km deep
  25. 6.7250 km E of Wenchang, China · 25 km deepChina

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 1931277.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, Mexico
February 1931227.447 km WSW of Hastings, New Zealand
March 1931297.978 km E of Hachinohe, Japan
April 1931286.869 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
May 1931317.2Azores-Cape St. Vincent Ridge
June 1931236.597 km NE of Hasaki, Japan
July 1931246.52 km SW of San Francisco, Philippines
August 1931427.9172 km SE of Altay, China
September 1931267.3161 km S of Bengkulu, Indonesia
October 1931257.8116 km NW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands
November 1931117.958 km ESE of Takanabe, Japan
December 1931166.3260 km SSW of Pagar Alam, Indonesia

By state

Where the year’s United States quakes of magnitude 2.5 and up were located. A state with none that year is not listed.

By country

Where the year’s quakes of magnitude 4.5 and up were located. Quakes at sea, away from any country, are not counted here.

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.