List of earthquakes in 1923

Earthquakes in 1923

Approximate epicenters of the earthquakes in 1923 5.0−5.9 magnitude 6.0−6.9 magnitude 7.0−7.9 magnitude 8.0+ magnitude
Strongest magnitude	eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia February 3 (Magnitude 8.4)
Deadliest	Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan September 1 (Magnitude 8.1) 186,283 deaths
Total fatalities	193,202
Number by magnitude
9.0+	0
8.0−8.9	2
7.0−7.9	15
6.0−6.9	51
5.0−5.9	2
← 1922 1924 →

This is a list of earthquakes in 1923. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the list as they wouldn't have generated significant media interest. All dates are listed according to UTC time. 1923 was a memorable year. Amongst the events was the great Tokyo, Japan earthquake. Other destructive earthquakes struck China, Iran, Colombia and Russia. The Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia and Japan saw very much activity this year.

Overall

By death toll

Rank	Death toll	Magnitude	Location	Depth (km)	Date
1	186,283	8.1	Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan	15.0	September 1
2	3,500	7.0	Sichuan Province, China	15.0	March 24
3	2,200	5.7	Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran	0.0	May 25
4	418	6.8	eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia	35.0	April 13
5	300	5.3	Narino Department, Colombia	0.0	December 14
6	290	6.8	Kerman Province, Iran	15.0	September 22
7	157	6.4	Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran	15.0	September 17
8	51	6.8	Pichincha Province, Ecuador	0.0	February 24

• Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank	Magnitude	Death toll	Location	Depth (km)	Date
1	8.4	3	eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia	15.0	February 3
2	8.1	186,283	Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan	15.0	September 1
3	7.8	0	Chiba Prefecture, Honshu, Japan	15.0	September 2
4	7.4	0	Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia	15.0	October 7
5	7.3	0	off the east coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia	15.0	February 24
5	7.3	0	off the south coast of Honshu, Japan	35.0	September 1
6	7.2	0	off the east coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia	35.0	February 2
6	7.2	0	Shan State, Burma	25.0	June 22
6	7.2	0	northwest of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea	145.1	November 2
7	7.1	0	off the east coast of Honshu, Japan	35.0	June 1
7	7.1	0	off the south coast of Honshu, Japan	35.0	September 2
8	7.0	0	Mindanao, Philippines	15.0	March 2
8	7.0	3,500	Sichuan Province, China	15.0	March 24
8	7.0	0	south of the Alaska Peninsula	25.0	May 4
8	7.0	0	south of Kyushu, Japan	35.0	July 13
8	7.0	0	Tokyo Bay, Honshu, Japan	35.0	September 1
8	7.0	0	southeast New Ireland (island), Papua New Guinea	35.0	November 4

• Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

January–March

• A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of northern California on January 22 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[1] Some damage was caused in the area.^[2]
• A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands on February 1 at a depth of 30.0 km.^[3]
• A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on February 2 at a depth of 15.0 km. This was a large foreshock to events that came in the following days.^[4]
• A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on February 2 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[5]
• A magnitude 8.4 earthquake struck the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia on February 3 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[6] A large tsunami was generated which caused destruction as far away as Hawaii. Three deaths were reported. Two were in Russia with the third being in Hawaii. Damage costs from the tsunami were approximately $1.5 million (1923 rate).^[7] The earthquake itself also caused destruction to a few homes.^[8]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on February 23 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[9]
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Pichincha Province, Ecuador on February 24 at an unknown depth. At least 51 deaths were reported in the area.^[10]
• A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on February 24 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[11] This was a little further to the northeast of the larger event on February 3.
• A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck central Mindanao, Philippines on March 2 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[12]
• A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southeast of Mindanao, Philippines on March 14 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[13]
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southeast of Mindanao, Philippines on March 16 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[14]
• A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Sichuan Province, China on March 24 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[15] Three-thousand five-hundred people were killed and scores of homes were destroyed.^[16]

April–June

• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia on April 13 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[17] Eighteen people were killed with another 400 missing due to a large tsunami striking the coast. On the Kamchatka Peninsula 18 people died whilst near Korea at least 400 were missing presumed dead. Major damage was reported with some buildings being destroyed.^[18][19]
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kalimantan, Indonesia on April 19 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[20]
• A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on April 23 at a depth of 20.0 km.^[21]
• A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck south of the Alaska Peninsula on May 4 at a depth of 25.0 km.^[22]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Atacama Region, Chile on May 4 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[23] Some homes were damaged or destroyed in the area.^[24]
• A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Java, Indonesia on May 12 at a depth of 25.0 km.^[25]
• An earthquake struck off the south coast of central Java, Indonesia on May 15. The magnitude and depth were unknown. Some damage was reported in the area.^[26]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on May 23 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[27]
• A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran on May 25 at an unknown depth. Two-thousand two-hundred deaths were caused by the quake; a disproportionately high toll considering its moderate magnitude.^[28]
• A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan on June 1 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[29]
• A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan on June 1 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[30] This event came just under three hours after the previous one and can be considered a doublet earthquake. Another point to note is that these events came exactly three months before the catastrophic 1923 Great Kanto earthquake.
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Tonga on June 18 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[31]
• A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Shan State, Burma on June 22 at a depth of 25.0 km.^[32]

July–September

• A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck north of Taiwan on July 2 at a depth of 25.0 km.^[33]
• A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck just north of Vanua Levu, Fiji on July 12 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[34]
• A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the south coast of Kyushu, Japan on July 13 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[35]
• A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck just east of Tanegashima, Japan on July 13 at a depth of 35.0 km. This appears to have been an aftershock of the earlier event.^[36]
• A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck south of Loma Linda, California on July 23 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[37] Two people were injured in the earthquake and some relatively minor damage was caused.^[38]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck south of Crete, Greece on August 1 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[39]
• A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Sucre, Venezuela on August 8 at a depth of 110.0 km.^[40]
• A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Sabah, Malaysia on August 11 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[41]
• A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on August 12 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[42]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Gulf of California, Mexico on August 28 at a depth of 10.0 km.^[43]
• A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan on September 1 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[44] The human and material cost of the earthquake and subsequent fires was staggering. The death toll was 142,807 with another 43,476 people missing. Another 47,000 were injured. The damage costs were approximately $600 million (1923 rate) and the disaster led to 695,000 homes being destroyed. Many aftershocks followed in the weeks after the mainshock.^[45]
• The biggest aftershocks (until December 31, 1923) of the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake are displayed in the following table:

Date	Time (UTC)	Latitude	Longitude	Depth	Magnitude
1923-09-01	03:01:00	35.100° N	139.500° E	60.0 km (37 mi)	6.5	[46]
1923-09-01	03:03:00	35.100° N	139.500° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	7.3	[47]
1923-09-01	03:23:00	35.400° N	139.400° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	6.6	[48]
1923-09-01	03:39:00	35.200° N	139.700° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	6.6	[49]
1923-09-01	03:48:00	35.400° N	139.800° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	7.0	[50]
1923-09-01	05:23:00	35.400° N	139.000° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	6.7	[51]
1923-09-01	06:19:00	35.500° N	140.500° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	6.5	[52]
1923-09-01	07:38:06	35.196° N	139.244° E	15.0 km (9 mi)	6.4	[53]
1923-09-02	02:46:41	35.007° N	139.926° E	15.0 km (9 mi)	7.8	[54]
1923-09-02	09:27:00	34.900° N	140.500° E	35.0 km (22 mi)	7.1	[55]
1923-09-02	13:09:00	35.300° N	139.100° E	5.0 km (3 mi)	6.5	[56]
1923-09-26	08:23:45	34.552° N	139.133° E	10.0 km (6 mi)	6.5	[57]

• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Beni Department, Bolivia on September 2 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[58]
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Netrokona District, Bangladesh on September 9 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[59]
• A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Zavkhan Province, Mongolia on September 14 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[60]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Papua (province), Indonesia on September 16 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[61]
• A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran on September 17 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[62] One-hundred and fifty-seven deaths were reported as well as major damage.^[63]
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kerman Province, Iran on September 22 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[64] Two-hundred and ninety people died. This was the 2nd fatal earthquake in Iran in five days.^[65]

October–December

• A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Punjab, Pakistan on October 1 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[66]
• A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia on October 7 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[67]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Greenland Sea north of Jan Mayen on October 10 at a depth of 15.0 km.^[68]
• A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the southern end of Sumba, Indonesia on October 15 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[69]
• A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck northwest of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea on November 2 at a depth of 145.1 km.^[70]
• A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the Gulf of Gonave, Haiti on November 3 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[71]
• A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on November 3 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[72]
• A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southeast New Ireland (island), Papua New Guinea on November 4 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[73]
• A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on November 5 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[74]
• A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Araucania Region, Chile on November 6 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[75]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on November 6 at a depth of 35.0 km.^[76]
• A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck east of Taiwan on November 18 at a depth of 25.0 km.^[77]
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck just south of Shikoku, Japan on December 4 at a depth of 5.0 km.^[78]
• A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the Aegean Sea, Greece on December 5 at a depth of 10.0 km.^[79]
• A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Narino Department, Colombia on December 14 at an unknown depth. Three-hundred lives were lost and major damage was caused.^[80] The scale of the destruction was high for such a small magnitude earthquake.
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Sughd Province, Tajikistan on December 28 at a depth of 20.0 km.^[81]

References

1. "M6.9 - offshore Northern California". United States Geological Survey. January 22, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
2. "Significant Earthquake CALIFORNIA: NORTHERN". National Geophysical Data Center. January 22, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
3. "M6.9 - southeast of the Loyalty Islands". United States Geological Survey. February 1, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
4. "M6.7 - off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. February 2, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
5. "M7.2 - near the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. February 2, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
6. "M8.4 - near the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. February 3, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
7. "Significant Earthquake RUSSIA: KAMCHATKA". National Geophysical Data Center. February 3, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
8. "Tsunami Event KAMCHATKA". National Geophysical Data Center. February 3, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
9. "M6.5 - Sulawesi, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. February 23, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
10. "Significant Earthquake ECUADOR". National Geophysical Data Center. February 24, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
11. "M7.3 - off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. February 24, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
12. "M7.0 - Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. March 2, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
13. "M6.4 - Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. March 14, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
14. "M6.8 - Philippine Islands region". United States Geological Survey. March 16, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
15. "M7.0 - western Sichuan, China". United States Geological Survey. March 24, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
16. "Significant Earthquake CHINA: SICHUAN PROVINCE". National Geophysical Data Center. March 24, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
17. "M6.8 - near the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. April 13, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
18. "Significant Earthquake RUSSIA: NEAR KAMCHATKA". National Geophysical Data Center. April 13, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
19. "Tsunami Event KAMCHATKA". National Geophysical Data Center. April 13, 1923. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
20. "M6.8 - Kalimantan, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. April 19, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
21. "M6.6 - Ryukyu Islands, Japan". United States Geological Survey. April 23, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
22. "M7.0 - south of Alaska". United States Geological Survey. May 4, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
23. "M6.5 - Atacama, Chile". United States Geological Survey. May 4, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
24. "Significant Earthquake CHILE: VALLENAR". National Geophysical Data Center. May 4, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
25. "M6.4 - Sunda Strait, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. May 12, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
26. "Significant Earthquake INDONESIA: JAVA: MAOS". National Geophysical Data Center. May 15, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
27. "M6.5 - off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. May 23, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
28. "Significant Earthquake IRAN: TURBAT-HAKLARI". National Geophysical Data Center. May 25, 1923. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
29. "M6.9 - near the east coast of Honshu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. June 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
30. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. June 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
31. "M6.8 - Tonga". United States Geological Survey. June 18, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
32. "M7.2 - Myanmar". United States Geological Survey. June 22, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
33. "M6.2 - Taiwan region". United States Geological Survey. July 2, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
34. "M6.4 - Fiji". United States Geological Survey. July 12, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
35. "M7.0 - Kyushu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. July 13, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
36. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. July 13, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
37. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. July 23, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
38. "North San Jacinto Fault Earthquake". Southern California Earthquake Data Center. July 23, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
39. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. August 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
40. "M6.3 - Sucre, Venezuela". United States Geological Survey. August 8, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
41. "M6.3 - Sabah, Malaysia". United States Geological Survey. August 11, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
42. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. August 12, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
43. "M6.5 - Gulf of California". United States Geological Survey. August 28, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
44. "M8.1 - near the south coast of Honshu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
45. "Significant Earthquake JAPAN: TOKYO, YOKOHAMA". National Geophysical Data Center. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
46. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
47. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
48. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
49. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
50. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
51. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
52. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
53. "M6.4 - near the south coast of Honshu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. September 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
54. "M7.8 - near the south coast of Honshu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. September 2, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
55. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 2, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
56. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 2, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
57. "M6.5 - near the south coast of Honshu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. September 26, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
58. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 2, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
59. "M6.8 - Bangladesh". United States Geological Survey. September 9, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
60. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. September 14, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
61. "M6.5 - near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. September 16, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
62. "M6.4 - northeastern Iran". United States Geological Survey. September 17, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
63. "Significant Earthquake IRAN: QALEH JAQ KMEN: BODZHNURD". National Geophysical Data Center. September 17, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
64. "M6.8 - southern Iran". United States Geological Survey. September 22, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
65. "Significant Earthquake IRAN: SIRJAN". National Geophysical Data Center. September 22, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
66. "M6.3 - Pakistan". United States Geological Survey. October 1, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
67. "M7.4 - Papua region, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. October 7, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
68. "M6.5 - Jan Mayen Island region". United States Geological Survey. October 10, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
69. "M6.3 - Sumba region, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. October 15, 1923. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
70. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. November 2, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
71. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. November 3, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
72. "M6.8 - Ryukyu Islands, Japan". United States Geological Survey. November 3, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
73. "M7.0 - New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. November 4, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
74. "M6.9 - Ryukyu Islands, Japan". United States Geological Survey. November 5, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
75. "M6.2 - Araucania, Chile". United States Geological Survey. November 6, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
76. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. November 6, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
77. "M6.6 - Taiwan region". United States Geological Survey. November 18, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
78. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. November 6, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
79. "M6.2 - Aegean Sea". United States Geological Survey. December 5, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
80. "Significant Earthquake COLOMBIA: IPIALES". National Geophysical Data Center. December 14, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
81. "M6.5 - Tajikistan". United States Geological Survey. December 28, 1923. Retrieved December 28, 2015.