December 12, 1981 Earthquake: Central, Pakistan

Date

December 12, 1981

Time

20:26:46 UTC

Place

Central, Pakistan

Magnitude

4 (Ms)

Focal depth

33 km (21 mi)

Tsunami

None recorded

Epicenter

29.856° N, 66.962° E

Country

Pakistan

Deaths

6

Injuries

12

Damage

Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

Houses destroyed

45

Houses damaged

45

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 · 43 km
• October 20, 1909, PakistanM7.2 · 231 deaths · 101 km
• October 28, 2008, Quetta, PakistanM6.4 · 215 deaths · 3,487 houses destroyed · 95 km
• February 27, 1997, Harnai-Sibi, Quetta, PakistanM7.1 · 60 deaths · 500 houses destroyed · 121 km
• October 6, 2021, Balochistan Province, PakistanM5.9 · 42 deaths · 109 km
• February 18, 1955, Quetta, Pakistan12 deaths · 72 km
• March 4, 1990, Kalat, Quetta, Mastung, PakistanM6.1 · 11 deaths · $1 million · 120 km
• August 28, 1992, Kalat, PakistanM5.5 · 4 deaths · 88 km
• May 8, 2004, Quetta, PakistanM4.5 · 1 death · 34 km
• March 16, 1978, Quetta, Nushki, PakistanM5.9 · 1 death · 64 km
• August 27, 1931, Mach,baluchistan, PakistanM7.4 · 33 km
• November 12, 2010, Quetta, PakistanM4.7 · 39 km
• October 29, 2008, Ziarat, PakistanM6.4 · 95 km
• August 6, 1983, Ziarat, PakistanM4.2 · 25 houses destroyed · 101 km
• December 20, 1892, Chaman,baluchistan, Pakistan102 km

Significant earthquakes of 1981The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1981Recent 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 4934.