All earthquakes

Earthquakes in 1956

The USGS located 334 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1956, 109 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 270 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M7.7 19 km SSE of Amorgós, Greece, Jul 9, 1956.

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.

19551957

Map

Where the largest earthquakes of 1956 were located. Select one for its page.

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The largest

The 25 largest of 1956, by magnitude.

  1. 7.719 km SSE of Amorgós, Greece · 20 km deepGreece
  2. 7.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and Futuna · 419 km deepWallis and Futuna
  3. 7.3Izu Islands, Japan region · 484 km deepJapan
  4. 7.342 km NNW of B?my?n, Afghanistan · 25 km deepAfghanistan
  5. 7.112 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua · 35 km deepNicaragua
  6. 7.0south of Tonga · 35 km deepTonga
  7. 7.07 km NNE of Tosagua, Ecuador · 20 km deepEcuador
  8. 6.838 km NW of Mandalay, Myanmar · 34 km deepMyanmar
  9. 6.8Near the coast of Antofagasta, Chile · 45 km deepChile
  10. 6.8180 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste · 451 km deepTimor Leste
  11. 6.834km ENE of Maneadero, B.C., MX · 6 km deepMexico
  12. 6.76 km SE of Jahāngīrpur, India · 15 km deepIndia
  13. 6.7Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands · 370 km deepNorthern Mariana Islands
  14. 6.75 km NW of Wawa, Philippines · 90 km deepPhilippines
  15. 6.639 km NW of Ovalle, Chile · 24 km deepChile
  16. 6.658 km SSW of Arica, Chile · 52 km deepChile
  17. 6.572 km ESE of Ust’-Kamchatsk Staryy, Russia · 20 km deepRussia
  18. 6.5120km ESE of Maneadero, B.C., MX · 6 km deepMexico
  19. 6.519 km S of ?uk?mat? Azrah, Afghanistan · 10 km deepAfghanistan
  20. 6.5269 km WNW of Port McNeill, Canada · 15 km deepCanada
  21. 6.5184 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 25 km deepAlaska
  22. 6.5Haida Gwaii Region, Canada · 15 km deepCanada
  23. 6.5Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska · 25 km deepAlaska
  24. 6.592 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 35 km deepTonga
  25. 6.4Bonin Islands, Japan region · 35 km deepJapan

Month by month

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

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 1956427.0south of Tonga
February 19561157.3Izu Islands, Japan region
March 1956686.592 km N of Hihifo, Tonga
April 1956296.375 km SSE of Sinabang, Indonesia
May 1956427.6144 km SSW of Leava, Wallis and Futuna
June 1956347.342 km NNW of B?my?n, Afghanistan
July 1956567.719 km SSE of Amorgós, Greece
August 1956346.449 km SW of Attu Station, Alaska
September 1956446.519 km S of ?uk?mat? Azrah, Afghanistan
October 1956397.112 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua
November 1956366.4Bonin Islands, Japan region
December 1956306.8Near the coast of Antofagasta, Chile

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.