743 Earthquake: Caspian Sea, Russia
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Caspian Sea, Russia in 743, 20 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
- 743
- Place
- Caspian Sea, Russia
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Intensity
- VII, very strong shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 42.100° N, 48.200° E
- Country
- Russia
- Region
- Central Asia and Caucasus
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
743, 42.1 N, 48.2 E, depth 20 km, magnitude 5.5, intensity VII. Coast of Caspian Sea; coastal part of the shore with fortress walls sank into the sea. (reference #223)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #223 Kondorskaya, N.V., and N.V. Shebalin, editors (1982). New catalog of strong earthquakes in the U.S.S.R. from ancient times through 1977. Report SE-31, World Data Center A for Solid Earth Geophysics, NOAA, National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 608 p.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 1667, Shemakha (Samaxi), Azerbaijan
- January 14, 1668, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- February 13, 1902, Semacha, N Iran, Azerbaijan
- March 9, 1830, Russia
- January 28, 1872, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- June 11, 1859, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
- March 9, 1830, Dagestan, Russia
- May 14, 1970, Dagestan, Russia
- June 5, 2018, Shaki-Zaqatala, Azerbaijan
- June 4, 1999, Agdas, Ucar, Agali, Azerbaijan
- May 1, 1885, Caucasus, Russia
- June 8, 1652, Caucasus, Russia
- May 7, 2012, Zagatala, Azerbaijan
- January 9, 1975, Dagestan, Russia
- February 5, 2019, Shemakha (Semacha), Azerbaijan
More
Significant earthquakes of 743The 700sRecent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 174.