Significant earthquakes of 1972

September 3, 1972 Earthquake: Tangir, Gupis, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Pakistan

September 3, 1972 · M6.2 · 100 deaths · 1,000 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Tangir, Gupis, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Pakistan on September 3, 1972 at 16:48:28 UTC, 36 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
September 3, 1972
Time
16:48:28 UTC
Place
Tangir, Gupis, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Pakistan
Magnitude
6.2 (Ms)
Focal depth
36 km (22 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
36.000° N, 73.400° E
Country
Pakistan

The toll

Deaths
100
Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed
1,000
Houses damaged
1,000

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 4610.