All earthquakes

Earthquakes in 1947

The USGS located 158 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1947, 83 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 533 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M7.7 46 km E of Gisborne, New Zealand, Mar 26, 1947.

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.

19461948

Map

Where the largest earthquakes of 1947 were located. Select one for its page.

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The largest

The 25 largest of 1947, by magnitude.

  1. 7.746 km E of Gisborne, New Zealand · 15 km deepNew Zealand
  2. 7.623 km E of Santa Rosa, Peru · 20 km deepPeru
  3. 7.6138 km SW of Insrom, Indonesia · 15 km deepIndonesia
  4. 7.682 km ENE of Gisborne, New Zealand · 25 km deepNew Zealand
  5. 7.6Qinghai-Sichuan border region, China · 15 km deepChina
  6. 7.492 km WSW of Kandrian, Papua New Guinea · 35 km deepPapua New Guinea
  7. 7.34 km WNW of Koróni, Greece · 15 km deepGreece
  8. 7.373 km W of Shi Yomi, India · 20 km deepIndia
  9. 7.3195 km E of Biak, Indonesia · 15 km deepIndonesia
  10. 7.2Mariana Islands region · 35 km deep
  11. 7.172 km W of Rumoi, Japan · 15 km deepJapan
  12. 7.1128 km ESE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 15 km deepIndonesia
  13. 7.1Central Alaska · 26 km deepAlaska
  14. 7.1142 km E of Shikotan, Russia · 30 km deepRussia
  15. 7.0Mariana Islands region · 35 km deep
  16. 6.952 km WSW of Q?’en, Iran · 15 km deepIran
  17. 6.9152 km SE of Gisborne, New Zealand · 15 km deepNew Zealand
  18. 6.95 km NE of Lim-oo, Philippines · 15 km deepPhilippines
  19. 6.816 km SW of Pasni, Pakistan · 15 km deepPakistan
  20. 6.7249 km N of Saga, China · 15 km deepChina
  21. 6.7160 km E of Shikotan, Russia · 15 km deepRussia
  22. 6.7273 km ESE of Tadine, New Caledonia · 15 km deepNew Caledonia
  23. 6.7central Mid-Atlantic Ridge · 15 km deep
  24. 6.654 km NNE of Ternate, Indonesia · 15 km deepIndonesia
  25. 6.686 km SSE of Angoram, Papua New Guinea · 35 km deepPapua New Guinea

Month by month

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

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 1947286.7160 km E of Shikotan, Russia
February 1947386.7249 km N of Saga, China
March 1947297.746 km E of Gisborne, New Zealand
April 19471547.3195 km E of Biak, Indonesia
May 1947597.6138 km SW of Insrom, Indonesia
June 1947457.2Mariana Islands region
July 1947937.373 km W of Shi Yomi, India
August 1947596.9152 km SE of Gisborne, New Zealand
September 1947416.952 km WSW of Q?’en, Iran
October 1947397.34 km WNW of Koróni, Greece
November 1947487.623 km E of Santa Rosa, Peru
December 1947326.5Pacific-Antarctic Ridge

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.