November 326 BC Earthquake: Kutch, India
An earthquake struck Kutch, India in November 326 BC. It caused a tsunami.
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
- November 326 BC
- Place
- Kutch, India
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 23.000° N, 71.000° E
- Country
- India
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with its tsunami and other effects
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.
November 326 B.C., Off Karachi, Arabian Sea. (reference #1212)
The oldest record of tsunami is available from November 326 BC earthquake near the Indus delta Kutch region that set off massive sea waves in the Arabian Sea. Alexander the Great was returning to Greece after his conquest and wanted to go back by a sea route. But a tsunami due to an earthquake of large magnitude destroyed the mighty Macedonian fleet. (reference #2771)
No information is available about the exact location of the earthquake and its intensity or magnitude. However, since it had generated large sea waves capable of destroying the Macedonian fleet, its magnitude must had been in a range between 7 and 8. (reference #12789)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 326 BCThe 300s BCRecent earthquakes near here
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 9652.