March 16, 1978 Earthquake: Quetta, Nushki, Pakistan

Date

March 16, 1978

Time

02:00:00 UTC

Place

Quetta, Nushki, Pakistan

Magnitude

5.9 (Ms)

Focal depth

33 km (21 mi)

Intensity

2 on the Modified Mercalli scale

Tsunami

None recorded

Epicenter

29.926° N, 66.302° E

Country

Pakistan

Deaths

1

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.

• May 30, 1935, Quetta, PakistanM7.5 · 60,000 deaths · $25 million · 68 km
• October 20, 1909, PakistanM7.2 · 231 deaths · 164 km
• October 28, 2008, Quetta, PakistanM6.4 · 215 deaths · 3,487 houses destroyed · 128 km
• February 27, 1997, Harnai-Sibi, Quetta, PakistanM7.1 · 60 deaths · 500 houses destroyed · 184 km
• October 6, 2021, Balochistan Province, PakistanM5.9 · 42 deaths · 168 km
• February 18, 1955, Quetta, Pakistan12 deaths · 93 km
• March 4, 1990, Kalat, Quetta, Mastung, PakistanM6.1 · 11 deaths · $1 million · 111 km
• December 12, 1981, Central, PakistanM4 · 6 deaths · 45 houses destroyed · 64 km
• August 28, 1992, Kalat, PakistanM5.5 · 4 deaths · 102 km
• May 8, 2004, Quetta, PakistanM4.5 · 1 death · 82 km
• December 20, 1892, Chaman,baluchistan, Pakistan65 km
• November 12, 2010, Quetta, PakistanM4.7 · 83 km
• August 27, 1931, Mach,baluchistan, PakistanM7.4 · 97 km
• October 29, 2008, Ziarat, PakistanM6.4 · 134 km
• August 6, 1983, Ziarat, PakistanM4.2 · 25 houses destroyed · 155 km

Significant earthquakes of 1978The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1978Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

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 4794.