Earthquakes in 1972
The USGS located 885 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1972, 132 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 955 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M8.0 1972 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake, Dec 2, 1972.
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 1972 were located. Select one for its page.
The largest
The 25 largest of 1972, by magnitude.
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake · 51 km deepPhilippines
- 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, Philippines · 333 km deepPhilippines
- 7.655 km SW of Sitka, Alaska · 20 km deepAlaska
- 7.5199 km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea · 14 km deepPapua New Guinea
- 7.496 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands · 103 km deepSolomon Islands
- 7.318 km W of Harrison, Philippines · 26 km deepPhilippines
- 7.3206 km SSE of Wada, Japan · 26 km deepJapan
- 7.3167 km SSE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 27 km deepTaiwan
- 7.3south of the Fiji Islands · 502 km deepFiji
- 7.2192 km NW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea · 403 km deepPapua New Guinea
- 7.2193 km SSE of Wada, Japan · 46 km deepJapan
- 7.1110 km SSE of Hualien City, Taiwan · 27 km deepTaiwan
- 7.0146 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 224 km deepTonga
- 7.068 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu · 18 km deepVanuatu
- 7.044 km S of Hualien City, Taiwan · 23 km deepTaiwan
- 6.9138 km WNW of Sola, Vanuatu · 56 km deepVanuatu
- 6.930 km ESE of Dicamay, Philippines · 31 km deepPhilippines
- 6.9146 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan · 34 km deepTaiwan
- 6.843 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile · 44 km deepChile
- 6.8198 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia · 9 km deepIndonesia
- 6.8257 km SW of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia · 140 km deepRussia
- 6.8122 km N of Metinaro, Timor Leste · 405 km deepTimor Leste
- 6.870 km SE of Santa Gertrudis Miramar, Mexico · 14 km deepMexico
- 6.8281 km WNW of Lautoka, Fiji · 10 km deepFiji
- 6.721 km ENE of Norsup, Vanuatu · 54 km deepVanuatu
Month by month
Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.
| Month | Quakes | Largest | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1972 | 187 | 7.3 | 167 km SSE of Hualien City, Taiwan |
| February 1972 | 143 | 7.4 | 96 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands |
| March 1972 | 162 | 7.3 | south of the Fiji Islands |
| April 1972 | 173 | 7.3 | 18 km W of Harrison, Philippines |
| May 1972 | 127 | 7.0 | 146 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga |
| June 1972 | 140 | 7.7 | 228 km SW of Sarangani, Philippines |
| July 1972 | 147 | 7.6 | 55 km SW of Sitka, Alaska |
| August 1972 | 132 | 7.5 | 199 km SSE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea |
| September 1972 | 171 | 6.8 | 198 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia |
| October 1972 | 109 | 6.6 | 194 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, Mexico |
| November 1972 | 140 | 7.0 | 68 km SSW of Isangel, Vanuatu |
| December 1972 | 145 | 8.0 | 1972 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake |
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.
- Indonesia81 in 1972
- Japan56 in 1972
- Philippines52 in 1972
- Papua New Guinea49 in 1972
- China48 in 1972
- Vanuatu44 in 1972
- Tonga41 in 1972
- Russia40 in 1972
- Taiwan37 in 1972
- Iran31 in 1972
- Pakistan30 in 1972
- Fiji26 in 1972
- Greece23 in 1972
- Chile18 in 1972
- Mexico15 in 1972
- Solomon Islands15 in 1972
- Peru14 in 1972
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands12 in 1972
- Afghanistan10 in 1972
- Canada9 in 1972
- Turkey8 in 1972
- India7 in 1972
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen6 in 1972
- Italy5 in 1972
- Tajikistan5 in 1972
- Argentina4 in 1972
- Kyrgyzstan4 in 1972
- Nicaragua4 in 1972
- Timor Leste4 in 1972
- Colombia3 in 1972
- New Zealand3 in 1972
- Brazil2 in 1972
- Dominican Republic2 in 1972
- El Salvador2 in 1972
- Mongolia2 in 1972
- New Caledonia2 in 1972
- Panama2 in 1972
- Portugal2 in 1972
- Uganda2 in 1972
- Zambia2 in 1972
- Albania1 in 1972
- Australia1 in 1972
- Austria1 in 1972
- Azerbaijan1 in 1972
- Bolivia1 in 1972
- Bosnia and Herzegovina1 in 1972
- Bulgaria1 in 1972
- Costa Rica1 in 1972
- Egypt1 in 1972
- France1 in 1972
- Greenland1 in 1972
- Guatemala1 in 1972
- Iceland1 in 1972
- Jamaica1 in 1972
- Libya1 in 1972
- Malta1 in 1972
- Myanmar1 in 1972
- North Macedonia1 in 1972
- Saint Helena1 in 1972
- Serbia1 in 1972
- Tanzania1 in 1972
- Thailand1 in 1972
- Tunisia1 in 1972
- Turkmenistan1 in 1972
- Yemen1 in 1972
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.