Earthquakes in 1979
The USGS located 3,288 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more worldwide in 1979, 86 of them magnitude 6 or more, and 3,144 of magnitude 2.5 or more in the United States. The largest: M7.9 55 km S of Biak, Indonesia, Sep 12, 1979.
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 1979 were located. Select one for its page.
The largest
The 25 largest of 1979, by magnitude.
- 7.955 km S of Biak, Indonesia · 5 km deepIndonesia
- 7.756 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador · 24 km deepEcuador
- 7.612 km SSE of Vallecitos de Zaragoza, Mexico · 49 km deepMexico
- 7.4180 km W of Riverton, New Zealand · 33 km deepNew Zealand
- 7.156 km ENE of Q?’en, Iran · 10 km deepIran
- 7.171 km WSW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands · 22 km deepSolomon Islands
- 7.162 km N of San Vicente, Philippines · 15 km deepPhilippines
- 7.1113 km SE of McCarthy, Alaska · 15 km deepAlaska
- 6.978 km ESE of Labasa, Fiji · 33 km deepFiji
- 6.9south of Java, Indonesia · 31 km deepIndonesia
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, Montenegro · 10 km deepMontenegro
- 6.924 km NNE of El Cardo, Peru · 53 km deepPeru
- 6.812 km SSW of Puerto San José, Guatemala · 58 km deepGuatemala
- 6.8276 km WSW of Sinabang, Indonesia · 27 km deepIndonesia
- 6.8181 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 37 km deepIndonesia
- 6.7121 km SE of Chignik, Alaska · 33 km deepAlaska
- 6.732 km NE of Q?’en, Iran · 33 km deepIran
- 6.616 km W of Lubuklinggau, Indonesia · 33 km deepIndonesia
- 6.655 km ENE of Q?’en, Iran · 33 km deepIran
- 6.6248 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 32 km deepTonga
- 6.617 km S of Iztapa, Guatemala · 65 km deepGuatemala
- 6.6northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge · 10 km deep
- 6.615 km N of San Luis de La Loma, Mexico · 41 km deepMexico
- 6.59 km WNW of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 28 km deepPanama
- 6.5southeast of Easter Island · 10 km deep
Month by month
Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.
| Month | Quakes | Largest | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1979 | 439 | 6.7 | 32 km NE of Q?’en, Iran |
| February 1979 | 375 | 7.1 | 113 km SE of McCarthy, Alaska |
| March 1979 | 669 | 7.6 | 12 km SSE of Vallecitos de Zaragoza, Mexico |
| April 1979 | 477 | 6.9 | 6 km E of Stari Bar, Montenegro |
| May 1979 | 476 | 6.4 | 104 km SSE of Ugashik, Alaska |
| June 1979 | 460 | 6.3 | 13 km NE of Santa María Chimalapa, Mexico |
| July 1979 | 434 | 6.9 | south of Java, Indonesia |
| August 1979 | 481 | 7.1 | 62 km N of San Vicente, Philippines |
| September 1979 | 393 | 7.9 | 55 km S of Biak, Indonesia |
| October 1979 | 997 | 7.4 | 180 km W of Riverton, New Zealand |
| November 1979 | 516 | 7.1 | 56 km ENE of Q?’en, Iran |
| December 1979 | 469 | 7.7 | 56 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador |
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.
- California1,749 in 1979
- Hawaii637 in 1979
- Alaska497 in 1979
- Nevada53 in 1979
- Northern Mariana Islands42 in 1979
- Washington42 in 1979
- Guam21 in 1979
- Montana15 in 1979
- Arizona12 in 1979
- Arkansas9 in 1979
- U.S. Virgin Islands9 in 1979
- Oregon8 in 1979
- South Carolina6 in 1979
- Missouri5 in 1979
- Tennessee5 in 1979
- Utah5 in 1979
- Colorado4 in 1979
- Nebraska4 in 1979
- Kentucky3 in 1979
- New Jersey3 in 1979
- Puerto Rico3 in 1979
- Maine2 in 1979
- Oklahoma2 in 1979
- Wyoming2 in 1979
- Idaho1 in 1979
- New Hampshire1 in 1979
- New York1 in 1979
- North Carolina1 in 1979
- Texas1 in 1979
- Vermont1 in 1979
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.
- Indonesia355 in 1979
- Japan219 in 1979
- Philippines163 in 1979
- Fiji162 in 1979
- Papua New Guinea155 in 1979
- Russia132 in 1979
- Tonga128 in 1979
- Vanuatu109 in 1979
- Chile99 in 1979
- Solomon Islands94 in 1979
- Colombia87 in 1979
- Iran82 in 1979
- Peru81 in 1979
- Mexico75 in 1979
- China42 in 1979
- Panama42 in 1979
- New Zealand41 in 1979
- Argentina40 in 1979
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands39 in 1979
- Afghanistan38 in 1979
- Guatemala35 in 1979
- Timor Leste34 in 1979
- India32 in 1979
- Montenegro30 in 1979
- Tajikistan25 in 1979
- Taiwan24 in 1979
- Canada22 in 1979
- Greece19 in 1979
- Ecuador17 in 1979
- Turkey17 in 1979
- El Salvador14 in 1979
- Italy14 in 1979
- Myanmar14 in 1979
- Nicaragua12 in 1979
- Australia11 in 1979
- Costa Rica11 in 1979
- New Caledonia10 in 1979
- Wallis and Futuna10 in 1979
- Bolivia9 in 1979
- Djibouti9 in 1979
- Dominican Republic9 in 1979
- Pakistan9 in 1979
- Kyrgyzstan7 in 1979
- Mongolia7 in 1979
- Saint Helena7 in 1979
- Yemen7 in 1979
- Albania6 in 1979
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen6 in 1979
- Bosnia and Herzegovina5 in 1979
- Greenland5 in 1979
- Micronesia5 in 1979
- Venezuela5 in 1979
- Antigua and Barbuda4 in 1979
- Laos4 in 1979
- Romania4 in 1979
- South Africa4 in 1979
- Azerbaijan3 in 1979
- Honduras3 in 1979
- Mozambique3 in 1979
- Spain3 in 1979
- Uganda3 in 1979
- Bangladesh2 in 1979
- Bhutan2 in 1979
- Democratic Republic of the Congo2 in 1979
- Ethiopia2 in 1979
- Mauritius2 in 1979
- Somalia2 in 1979
- Sudan2 in 1979
- Tanzania2 in 1979
- Trinidad and Tobago2 in 1979
- Turkmenistan2 in 1979
- Angola1 in 1979
- Armenia1 in 1979
- Burundi1 in 1979
- Central African Republic1 in 1979
- Eritrea1 in 1979
- Guadeloupe1 in 1979
- Iceland1 in 1979
- Iraq1 in 1979
- Israel1 in 1979
- Jamaica1 in 1979
- Kazakhstan1 in 1979
- Malaysia1 in 1979
- Martinique1 in 1979
- Morocco1 in 1979
- Nepal1 in 1979
- North Korea1 in 1979
- Palau1 in 1979
- Saint Kitts and Nevis1 in 1979
- Saint Lucia1 in 1979
- Samoa1 in 1979
- Saudi Arabia1 in 1979
- Serbia1 in 1979
- Switzerland1 in 1979
- Tunisia1 in 1979
- United Kingdom1 in 1979
- Uzbekistan1 in 1979
- Zambia1 in 1979
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.