Timeline: Earthquake

Timeline

c. 1200 BCE
Earthquake severely damages Tiryns.
c. 550 BCE
The sacred Nazca site of Cahuachi is abandoned, probably due to climate change and earthquake.
373 BCE
An earthquake destroys the temple of Apollo at Delphi.
231 BCE
Pyrrha on Lesbos is destroyed by an earthquake.
17 BCE
An earthquake destroys 12 cities in Lydia, including Sardis.
365 CE
Gortyn is destroyed by a devastating earthquake.
522 CE - 551 CE
Earthquakes destroy many of the buildings at Olympia.
551 CE
Epidaurus site definitively destroyed by earthquake.
670 CE
Gortyn is destroyed by earthquake.
11 Oct 1138 CE
The Aleppo Earthquake of 1138 strikes the region of modern-day Syria, causing the greatest amount of damage in the town of Aleppo. The event is regarded as one of the deadliest earthquakes in history with a casualty count estimated at over 200,000 killed.
25 Jan 1348 CE
The Friuli Earthquake in the Southern Alps, with a 6.9 magnitude, destroys the Austrian town of Villach, killing 5,000 people and causing widespread devastation. The event has come to be overshadowed by the Friuli Earthquake of 6 May 1976.
18 Oct 1356 CE
The Basel Earthquake of 1356 strikes near Basel, Switzerland with an estimated magnitude of 6.0-7-1, damaging structures throughout Central Europe and killing an estimated 1,000 people. It is regarded as the most destructive seismological event in the history of Central Europe.
27 Mar 1638 CE
The first of the Calabria earthquakes strikes the Kingdom of Naples (modern-day Italy) with an estimated 7.1 on the Richter scale, continuing on 28 March, and resulting in up to 30,000 casualties.
1 Jun 1638 CE
The first earthquake in what would become the United States is recorded in Plymouth, Massachusetts, shaking houses, toppling chimneys, and sending people reeling "as though drunk" in the streets. The epicenter is thought to have been near present-day New Hampshire with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale.
31 Mar 1650 CE
The Great Earthquake of Cuzco, Peru strikes in the afternoon, estimated at a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter Scale, destroying most of the city of Cuzco and outlying colonial-era buildings but leaving those of the Inca intact.
25 Nov 1667 CE
The 1667 Shamakhi Earthquake strikes near the city of Shamakhi, Azerbaijan, with an estimated magnitude of 6.9, resulting in the deaths of between 6,000-80,000 people and the collapse of the city.
25 Jul 1668 CE
The Shandong Earthquake of 1668 strikes Shandong Province, China, with an estimated magnitude of 8.5, killing approximately 50,000 people and is recognized as the largest earthquake in the history of East China.
17 Aug 1668 CE
The North Anatolia Earthquake strikes with an estimated magnitude of 7.8-8.0 causing widespread destruction and killing an estimated 8,000 people. It is considered the worst earthquake in the history of the region.
7 Jun 1692 CE
The Port Royal Earthquake strikes Port Royal, Jamaica, one of the most important trade centers of the time, sinking two-thirds of the city below sea level and killing approximately 2,000 people in three minutes with another 3,000 dying of injuries or disease in the next few days.
26 Apr 1721 CE
The Tabriz Earthquake strikes Tabriz in Northwestern Iran with a 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale, destroying the city and killing upwards of 80,000 people.
1 Nov 1755 CE
The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 strikes the Iberian Peninsula with an estimated magnitude of 7.7 resulting in wide-spread destruction and the loss of upwards of 40,000 lives.
26 Mar 1812 CE
The Caracas Earthquake in Venezuela measures 7.7 on the Richter scale, destroys the city of Caracas, and leads to between 20,000 and 30,000 deaths, considered among the worst seismic tragedies in Venezuelan history.
26 Aug 1833 CE
The 1833 Bihar-Nepal Earthquake strikes near the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, with a magnitude of 7.6-7.9 causing widespread destruction but resulting in only 500 deaths because foreshocks had warned people to flee their homes.
2 Jul 1840 CE
The Ahora Gorge Catastrophe (also known as the 1840 Ararat Earthquake) strikes the Mount Ararat region of modern-day Turkey and Armenia with a magnitude of 7.4, killing almost 10,000 people.
12 Oct 1856 CE
The 1856 Heraklion Earthquake strikes the island of Crete with an estimated magnitude of 7.7 to 8.3 near the city of Heraklion, destroying it and damaging others. The earthquake also toppled buildings in Egypt, Cyprus, Rhodes, Turkey, and other regions of the Middle East, killing over 600 people.
9 Nov 1880 CE
The Great Zagreb Earthquake strikes Zagreb, Croatia with an estimated magnitude of 6.3, severely damaging many of the city's buildings and leading to its extensive reconstruction and renovation spearheaded by architect Hermann Bolle.
22 Aug 1902 CE
The Kashgar Earthquake (1902 Turkestan Earthquake) strikes Xinjiang, China with a magnitude of 7.7. destroying over 30,000 homes and buildings and killing an estimated 10,000 people.
14 Jan 1907 CE
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Kingston, Jamaica destroying 90% of the city and killing over 1,000 people.
21 Oct 1907 CE
The 1907 Qaratog Earthquake strikes the region between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia with an estimated magnitude of 7.4, causing widespread damage and killing upwards of 12,000 people.
23 Apr 1909 CE
The Benavente earthquake occurs in the late afternoon near the town of Benavente, Portugal – near Lisbon - with a magnitude of roughly 6.0 on the Richter scale, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people.
5 May 1930 CE
The Bago Earthquake strikes the city of Bago (formerly Pegu), Myanmar, registering 7.4 on the Richter scale, destroying the city, and resulting in 500 deaths. The event is also known as the Pegu Earthquake.
3 Feb 1931 CE
Hawke's Bay Earthquake (also known as the Napier Earthquake) occurs in New Zealand near Napier and Hastings townships. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed Napier and killed 256 people. It is the deadliest earthquake in New Zealand's history.
10 Nov 1940 CE
The 1940 Vrancea Earthquake strikes Romania at around 3:30 in the morning with a magnitude of 7.7, destroying 65,000 homes and, since most people were at home asleep at the time, killing 1,000 and injuring another 4,000. It was the strongest earthquake in Romania in the 20th century.
27 Mar 1964 CE
The Great Alaska Earthquake occurs (also known as the Good Friday earthquake) with a magnitude of 9.3 on the Richter scale on Good Friday in 1964 resulting in 139 deaths and widespread destruction.
23 Nov 1980 CE
The 1980 Irpinia-Basilicata Earthquake strikes near the village of Castelhuovo di Conza, Southern Italy, with a magnitude of 6.9 resulting in upwards of 2,000 people killed, over 7,000 injured, 250,000 left homeless, and causing over $20 billion in damages.