1781 Earthquake: Al-Mawsil (Mosul), Iraq
An earthquake struck Al-Mawsil (Mosul), Iraq in 1781. It killed 80 people.
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
- 1781
- Place
- Al-Mawsil (Mosul), Iraq
- Intensity
- X, extreme shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.300° N, 43.100° E
- Country
- Iraq
- Region
- Middle East
The toll
- Deaths
- 80
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #1057 Alsinawi, S. and Amir S. Issa (1985). On the historical seismicity of Iraq. IASPEI/UNESCO Working Group on Historical Seismograms and Earthquakes, August 27-28, 1985, Tokyo; Preliminary Proceedings, p. 85-92.
- #1222 Alsinawi, S.A., S.G. Baban, and A.S. Issa (1985). Historical seismicity of the Arab region. IASPEI/UNESCO Working Group on Historical Seismograms and Earthquakes, August 27-28, 1985, Tokyo; Preliminary Proceedings, p. 59-84.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 847, Al-Mawsil, Iraq
- September 6, 845, Al-Mawsil, Iraq
- July 24, 1991, Arbil, Dibs, Iraq
- January 25, 2005, Hakkari, Turkey
- November 1137, Mesopotamia, Mosul, Iraq-Syria
- May 13, 986, Al-Mawsil (Mosul), Iraq
- February 12, 1130, Al-Mawsil (Mosul),jabal,jazirah, Iraq
- November 1666, Al-Mawsil, Armenia, Iraq
- June 14, 2012, Sirnak, Turkey
- 678, Between Tigris and Tharthar Rivers, Jazirah, Iraq
- January 25, 749, NE of Tharthar River, Jazirah, Iraq
- June 3, 2006, Hakkari, Turkey
- May 2, 1966, Turkey
More
Significant earthquakes of 1781The 1700sRecent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 1447.