Significant earthquakes of 1972

September 7, 1972 Earthquake: Laboirie, Arceau, Saint-Pierre D'Oleron, France

September 7, 1972 · M5.3

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Laboirie, Arceau, Saint-Pierre D'Oleron, France on September 7, 1972 at 22:26:57 UTC, 33 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
September 7, 1972
Time
22:26:57 UTC
Place
Laboirie, Arceau, Saint-Pierre D'Oleron, France
Magnitude
5.3 (Ms)
Focal depth
33 km (21 mi)
Intensity
8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
46.000° N, 1.100° W
Country
France

The toll

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.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1972The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1972Recent 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 4612.