1688 Earthquake: Tersk, Russia
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Tersk, Russia in 1688, 15 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- 1688
- Place
- Tersk, Russia
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 43.700° N, 44.700° E
- Country
- Russia
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million); Limited (under about $1 million) with its tsunami and other effects
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1688, Tersk, 43.7 N, 44.7 E, magnitude 5.3, intensity VII, Tersk is a fortress and huts were destroyed. (reference #223)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 29, 1991, Dzhava, Chiatura, Ambrolauri, Georgia
- October 11, 2008, Chechnya, Caucasus, Russia
- June 15, 1991, Dzhava, Tskhinvali, Ossetia, Georgia
- August 3, 1989, Groznyy, Buynaksk, Russia
- September 6, 2009, Northwestern, Georgia
- 1350, Chegem Gorge, Chrebalo, Georgia
- May 15, 1991, Khekheti, Georgia
- April 14, 1275, Georgia
- February 20, 1920, Gori, Tiflis, Caucasus, Georgia
- February 1, 1999, Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1688The 1600sRecent earthquakes near here
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1107.