Earthquakes in 1958
The USGS located 365 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1958, 119 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 216 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M8.3 1958 Kuril Islands Earthquake, Nov 7, 1958.
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 1958 were located. Select one for its page.
The largest
The 25 largest of 1958, by magnitude.
- 8.31958 Kuril Islands Earthquake · 35 km deep
- 7.822 km W of Elfin Cove, Alaska · 10 km deepAlaska
- 7.6near the coast of Ecuador · 28 km deepEcuador
- 7.581 km SSE of Puerto Rosario de Laberinto, Peru · 612 km deepPeru
- 7.268 km NNE of Ishigaki, Japan · 35 km deepJapan
- 7.0132 km SSE of Kuril’sk, Russia · 35 km deepRussia
- 7.021 km SW of Santa Rita de Siguas, Peru · 64 km deepPeru
- 6.951 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador · 15 km deepEcuador
- 6.9146 km ENE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 35 km deepVanuatu
- 6.9central Mongolia · 30 km deepMongolia
- 6.824 km NNE of Esmeraldas, Ecuador · 28 km deepEcuador
- 6.8near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea · 30 km deepPapua New Guinea
- 6.862 km ESE of Puente Alto, Chile · 15 km deepChile
- 6.830 km SE of Esmeraldas, Ecuador · 25 km deepEcuador
- 6.812 km N of Huslia, Alaska · 15 km deepAlaska
- 6.8off the east coast of Honshu, Japan · 10 km deepJapan
- 6.8101 km ENE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia · 43 km deepRussia
- 6.725 km SSW of Kang?var, Iran · 15 km deepIran
- 6.6283 km WSW of Adak, Alaska · 30 km deepAlaska
- 6.5143 km WSW of Ternate, Indonesia · 48 km deepIndonesia
- 6.5west of Macquarie Island · 10 km deep
- 6.5168 km WNW of Sorong, Indonesia · 45 km deepIndonesia
- 6.460 km N of Huocheng, China · 20 km deepChina
- 6.4central Mid-Atlantic Ridge · 15 km deep
- 6.4137 km E of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia · 25 km deepRussia
Month by month
Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.
| Month | Quakes | Largest | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1958 | 44 | 7.6 | near the coast of Ecuador |
| February 1958 | 35 | 6.9 | 51 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador |
| March 1958 | 33 | 7.2 | 68 km NNE of Ishigaki, Japan |
| April 1958 | 54 | 6.9 | central Mongolia |
| May 1958 | 39 | 6.9 | 146 km ENE of Norsup, Vanuatu |
| June 1958 | 49 | 6.8 | near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea |
| July 1958 | 63 | 7.8 | 22 km W of Elfin Cove, Alaska |
| August 1958 | 55 | 6.8 | 101 km ENE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia |
| September 1958 | 32 | 6.8 | 62 km ESE of Puente Alto, Chile |
| October 1958 | 32 | 6.6 | 283 km WSW of Adak, Alaska |
| November 1958 | 52 | 8.3 | 1958 Kuril Islands Earthquake |
| December 1958 | 45 | 6.4 | 60 km N of Huocheng, 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.
- Russia43 in 1958
- Japan28 in 1958
- Papua New Guinea19 in 1958
- Vanuatu19 in 1958
- Mexico15 in 1958
- Greece14 in 1958
- Tonga14 in 1958
- Ecuador10 in 1958
- Taiwan10 in 1958
- Indonesia9 in 1958
- Iran9 in 1958
- China8 in 1958
- Philippines6 in 1958
- Afghanistan4 in 1958
- India4 in 1958
- Mongolia4 in 1958
- Peru4 in 1958
- Chile3 in 1958
- Costa Rica3 in 1958
- New Zealand3 in 1958
- Panama3 in 1958
- Albania2 in 1958
- Armenia2 in 1958
- Austria2 in 1958
- Mauritius2 in 1958
- Myanmar2 in 1958
- Nicaragua2 in 1958
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands2 in 1958
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen2 in 1958
- Turkey2 in 1958
- Djibouti1 in 1958
- El Salvador1 in 1958
- Georgia1 in 1958
- Germany1 in 1958
- Guatemala1 in 1958
- Iceland1 in 1958
- Iraq1 in 1958
- Italy1 in 1958
- Kyrgyzstan1 in 1958
- Libya1 in 1958
- New Caledonia1 in 1958
- Norway1 in 1958
- Saint Helena1 in 1958
- Solomon Islands1 in 1958
- Tajikistan1 in 1958
- Wallis and Futuna1 in 1958
- Zambia1 in 1958
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.