Every country

Uganda earthquakes

No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more has been located in Uganda in the past 30 days. The largest on record there is M6.6 22 km N of Margherita, Uganda, Mar 20, 1966.

From the USGS, checked Sun, Sep 20, 2026, 10:26 PM UTC. Times are local to each quake. Outside the United States the catalog is complete from about magnitude 4.5; smaller quakes are listed where a network reported them.

Map

Where every quake below was located in Uganda. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Past 30 days

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

None in the past 30 days. Most of Uganda’s quakes are small; the largest on record are below.

Largest on record in Uganda

The 25 largest in the USGS catalog since 1900, of magnitude 5 and up. Older magnitudes are estimates from historical accounts and early instruments.

Mag.DateWhereDepth
6.6Mar 20, 196622 km N of Margherita, Uganda30 km
6.5Jul 1, 195253 km N of Rukungiri, Uganda15 km
6.3Mar 18, 194524 km SW of Sembabule, Uganda15 km
6.2Feb 6, 199413 km SSW of Bundibugyo, Uganda14 km
6.1Jul 9, 191242 km N of Gulu, Uganda10 km
5.9Jun 15, 200754 km WNW of Kigorobya, Uganda24 km
5.7Jul 3, 201346 km W of Kigorobya, Uganda10 km
5.6Oct 9, 199120 km N of Kigorobya, Uganda33 km
5.6May 17, 19666 km S of Bundibugyo, Uganda15 km
5.4Apr 18, 197221 km N of Margherita, Uganda15 km
5.4Dec 29, 197742 km WSW of Kilembe, Uganda33 km
5.4Mar 24, 199615 km SW of Fort Portal, Uganda10 km
5.4Apr 16, 196616 km W of Bundibugyo, Uganda15 km
5.4Nov 11, 196744 km NNE of Kigorobya, Uganda15 km
5.3Jun 29, 196849 km WSW of Ntungamo, Uganda15 km
5.3Mar 21, 196615 km WSW of Bundibugyo, Uganda15 km
5.3Jun 30, 200111 km NNW of Kilembe, Uganda10 km
5.3Jul 30, 201752 km SSW of Kilembe, Uganda10 km
5.3Jul 31, 196610 km S of Bundibugyo, Uganda15 km
5.2Jan 8, 197221 km S of Bundibugyo, Uganda15 km
5.2Dec 28, 197746 km SSE of Paidha, Uganda33 km
5.2Jan 15, 198318 km SSW of Fort Portal, Uganda10 km
5.2Aug 5, 200346 km NNW of Ntungamo, Uganda10 km
5.2Apr 27, 200617 km NNE of Kilembe, Uganda10 km
5.2Jul 2, 201344 km W of Kigorobya, Uganda10 km

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

What this means

Magnitude measures the energy a quake releases: each step up is about 32 times more energy, so an M6 releases about a thousand times the energy of an M4. Intensity measures the shaking at one place, which depends on the distance, the depth and the ground. One quake has one magnitude and many intensities.

The Modified Mercalli intensity scale
IntensityShakingWhat people notice
INot feltRecorded by instruments only.
II to IIIWeakFelt by a few people at rest, mostly on upper floors; hanging objects may swing.
IVLightFelt indoors by many. Dishes, windows and doors rattle; like a heavy truck passing.
VModerateFelt by nearly everyone; sleepers wake. Some dishes break and unstable objects tip over.
VIStrongFelt by all; heavy furniture moves, plaster cracks. Damage is slight.
VIIVery strongDamage slight to moderate in ordinary buildings, considerable in poorly built ones.
VIIISevereConsiderable damage in ordinary buildings, with partial collapse; chimneys and walls fall.
IX and upViolent to extremeHeavy damage even in well-designed buildings; many shifted off foundations.

Did I just feel an earthquake?

A quake appears in these lists within minutes: a few for the US, up to twenty for a quake abroad. Search your town above, or open your state. If it was a quake, tell the USGS through its Did You Feel It? form. If shaking starts: drop, cover and hold on; stay indoors until it stops; near the coast, move to high ground after strong or long shaking without waiting for a warning.

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.