Earthquakes in 1932
The USGS located 236 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1932, 91 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 272 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M8.1 1932 Jalisco, Mexico Earthquake, Jun 3, 1932.
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.
Map
Where the largest earthquakes of 1932 were located. Select one for its page.
The largest
The 25 largest of 1932, by magnitude.
- 8.11932 Jalisco, Mexico Earthquake · 35 km deepMexico
- 7.8108 km WSW of Laojunmiao, China · 15 km deepChina
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, Mexico · 15 km deepMexico
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, Mexico · 25 km deepMexico
- 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, Indonesia · 15 km deepIndonesia
- 7.112 km S of Conchagua, El Salvador · 15 km deepEl Salvador
- 7.0293 km SSE of Manuk Mangkaw, Philippines · 15 km deepPhilippines
- 7.0133 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea · 15 km deepPapua New Guinea
- 6.97 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, Greece · 10 km deepGreece
- 6.962 km S of Gisborne, New Zealand · 15 km deepNew Zealand
- 6.9115 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea · 395 km deepPapua New Guinea
- 6.890 km SW of La Libertad, Mexico · 10 km deepMexico
- 6.82 km SW of Tecomán, Mexico · 20 km deepMexico
- 6.847 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua · 30 km deepNicaragua
- 6.879 km SSW of Etchoropo, Mexico · 10 km deepMexico
- 6.8The 1932 Cedar Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 10 km deepNevada
- 6.851 km SSW of Cuyutlán, Mexico · 15 km deepMexico
- 6.8Alaska Range, about 220 km NW of Anchorage · 15 km deepAlaska
- 6.8120 km ESE of Richards Bay, South Africa · 15 km deepSouth Africa
- 6.7east of the South Sandwich Islands · 10 km deepSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- 6.737 km SSE of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba · 25 km deepCuba
- 6.7222 km E of Naze, Japan · 15 km deepJapan
- 6.672 km SE of Sand Point, Alaska · 25 km deepAlaska
- 6.631 km NNW of La Ligua, Chile · 35 km deepChile
- 6.6205 km N of Madang, Papua New Guinea · 15 km deepPapua New Guinea
Month by month
Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.
| Month | Quakes | Largest | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1932 | 35 | 7.0 | 133 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea |
| February 1932 | 26 | 6.7 | east of the South Sandwich Islands |
| March 1932 | 41 | 6.8 | Alaska Range, about 220 km NW of Anchorage |
| April 1932 | 38 | 6.4 | Kermadec Islands, New Zealand |
| May 1932 | 45 | 7.7 | 148 km SE of Tondano, Indonesia |
| June 1932 | 45 | 8.1 | 1932 Jalisco, Mexico Earthquake |
| July 1932 | 34 | 6.8 | 90 km SW of La Libertad, Mexico |
| August 1932 | 36 | 6.5 | 69 km E of Hualien City, Taiwan |
| September 1932 | 33 | 6.9 | 7 km NNE of Ágios Nikólaos, Greece |
| October 1932 | 50 | 6.8 | 47 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua |
| November 1932 | 29 | 6.6 | 31 km NNW of La Ligua, Chile |
| December 1932 | 52 | 7.8 | 108 km WSW of Laojunmiao, China |
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.
- Japan19 in 1932
- Mexico19 in 1932
- Greece18 in 1932
- Indonesia14 in 1932
- Philippines12 in 1932
- Papua New Guinea9 in 1932
- India7 in 1932
- China6 in 1932
- Iran5 in 1932
- Chile4 in 1932
- New Zealand4 in 1932
- Vanuatu4 in 1932
- Kazakhstan3 in 1932
- Armenia2 in 1932
- Cuba2 in 1932
- El Salvador2 in 1932
- Fiji2 in 1932
- Italy2 in 1932
- Kyrgyzstan2 in 1932
- Myanmar2 in 1932
- Pakistan2 in 1932
- Peru2 in 1932
- Saint Helena2 in 1932
- Taiwan2 in 1932
- Turkey2 in 1932
- Yemen2 in 1932
- Albania1 in 1932
- Colombia1 in 1932
- France1 in 1932
- Georgia1 in 1932
- Iraq1 in 1932
- Libya1 in 1932
- Mauritius1 in 1932
- Micronesia1 in 1932
- Mongolia1 in 1932
- Montenegro1 in 1932
- New Caledonia1 in 1932
- Nicaragua1 in 1932
- Portugal1 in 1932
- Romania1 in 1932
- Russia1 in 1932
- Solomon Islands1 in 1932
- South Africa1 in 1932
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands1 in 1932
- Spain1 in 1932
- The Netherlands1 in 1932
- Tonga1 in 1932
- Uzbekistan1 in 1932
- Venezuela1 in 1932
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.
- 2020s2020202120222023202420252026
- 2010s2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
- 2000s2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
- 1990s1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
- 1980s1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
- 1970s1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
- 1960s1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
- 1950s1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
- 1940s1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
- 1930s1930193119321933193419351936193719381939
- 1920s1920192119221923192419251926192719281929
- 1910s1910191119121913191419151916191719181919
- 1900s1900190119021903190419051906190719081909
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.