June 16, 2023 Earthquake: La Laigne, Charente-Maritime, France
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck La Laigne, Charente-Maritime, France on June 16, 2023 at 16:38:28 UTC, 5 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
- June 16, 2023
- Time
- 16:38:28 UTC
- Place
- La Laigne, Charente-Maritime, France
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 46.212° N, 0.785° W
- Country
- France
The toll
- Injuries
- 2
- Damage
- $440 million
- Houses damaged
- 135
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.
Reference #13545 states it is the strongest earthquake to have occurred in mainland France since the Teil earthquake which occurred on November 11, 2019 (ML LDG 5.4 and Mw 4.8). An earthquake of this magnitude occurs on average every 10 years in France. On September 7, 1972, an earthquake of equivalent magnitude occurred in Charente-Maritime, between the island of Oleron and La Rochelle.
In the epicentral area, the municipalities of La Laigne (17), Cram-Chaban (17) and Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon (79) were the most affected. In La Laigne, a town of 500 inhabitants, 135 homes were damaged and 170 inhabitants had to be relocated.
425 million dollars in economic losses. (reference #13724)
2 injured, $440 million in total damages (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2023The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2023Recent 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 10699.