June 11, 1859 Earthquake: Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan on June 11, 1859 at 13:00 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 100 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
- June 11, 1859
- Time
- 13:00 UTC
- Place
- Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.700° N, 48.500° E
- Country
- Azerbaijan
The toll
- Deaths
- 100
- Injuries
- 286
- 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.
The 1859 event killed 100 people, and destroyed 741 buildings, prompting the capital to be relocated from Shamakhi to Baku (reference #14165)
More than 100 were killed; 286 injured (reference #223)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 1139, Gyzndzha, Azerbaijan
- November 1667, Shemakha (Samaxi), Azerbaijan
- January 14, 1668, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- February 13, 1902, Semacha, N Iran, Azerbaijan
- January 28, 1872, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- November 25, 2000, Baku, Azerbaijan
- June 4, 1999, Agdas, Ucar, Agali, Azerbaijan
- June 5, 2018, Shaki-Zaqatala, Azerbaijan
- August 9, 1828, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- January 1, 1671, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- September 2, 1869, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- February 5, 2019, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- December 18, 1880, Semacha, Somaki, Armenia, Azerbaijan
- May 11, 2017, Ardabil, Iran, Azerbaijan
- January 2, 1842, Apscheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1859The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
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 2037.