Ten magnitude 7+ earthquakes struck worldwide in 2026

Ten earthquakes measuring magnitude 7.0 or greater have been recorded worldwide in 2026 through Aug. 10, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, with major seismic events stretching from Southeast Asia and the Pacific to Latin America.

The latest was a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia on Aug. 10, centered near San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó. The USGS placed the earthquake about 5 kilometers east of San José del Palmar at a depth of roughly 107 kilometers. Colombia’s Servicio Geológico Colombiano independently measured the quake at magnitude 7.4 and described it as the largest earthquake recorded in the country during the 21st century.

The year’s first magnitude-7 or stronger earthquake occurred on Feb. 22 near Malaysia. It was followed by major earthquakes near Tonga and Vanuatu in March, Indonesia and Japan in April, the Philippines in June, two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela later that month, Mexico in July and Colombia in August. In chronological order, the USGS catalog lists Malaysia M7.1, Tonga M7.5, Vanuatu M7.3, Indonesia M7.4, Japan M7.4, Philippines M7.8, Venezuela M7.2 and M7.5, Mexico M7.3 and Colombia M7.4.

The June 7 magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the Philippines remains the strongest globally this year so far. The earthquake struck south of Mindanao at a depth of 57 kilometers. USGS estimated that about 15 million people were exposed to moderate-to-severe shaking and assigned the event an orange PAGER alert, indicating that significant damage was likely.

One of the most unusual episodes came in Venezuela on June 24, where two magnitude-7 earthquakes occurred less than a minute apart. USGS classified the magnitude 7.2 event as a foreshock and said it was followed just 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock. The larger earthquake was shallow, occurring at a depth of about 10 kilometers, and USGS warned at the time that widespread damage and high casualties were probable.

The earthquakes also demonstrate why magnitude alone does not determine how destructive an event will be. February’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake beneath Malaysia, for example, occurred at an unusually great depth of 629 kilometers. USGS classified it as a deep-focus earthquake and gave it a green PAGER alert, noting that deep earthquakes generally produce less severe surface damage than similarly powerful shallow events.

By contrast, the magnitude 7.3 earthquake off southern Mexico on July 17 occurred at a depth of only about 22 kilometers. USGS said roughly four million people experienced moderate to very strong shaking. The earthquake resulted from thrust faulting along the active subduction zone where the Cocos plate moves beneath Mexico and Central America.

Several other events occurred along some of the world’s most seismically active plate boundaries. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake off Japan on April 20 was associated with thrust faulting near the Japan Trench, while the April 1 magnitude 7.4 earthquake near Indonesia occurred in the tectonically complex Molucca Sea region. The magnitude 7.3 Vanuatu earthquake on March 30 and magnitude 7.5 Tonga earthquake on March 24 were both intermediate-depth events associated with subduction-zone tectonics.

Ten major earthquakes does not necessarily signal an unusual global surge

Although a run of large earthquakes can appear alarming, the USGS cautions against interpreting short-term clusters as evidence that worldwide earthquake activity is increasing or that another major earthquake is imminent.

Long-term records indicate that the world averages about 16 earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater each year — roughly 15 in the magnitude-7 range and one magnitude 8.0 or greater. Annual totals naturally fluctuate above and below that figure. With 10 such earthquakes recorded through Aug. 10, the 2026 tally by itself is therefore not evidence of an abnormal global increase in seismic activity.

In Colombia, meanwhile, authorities were continuing to assess the effects of Monday’s earthquake. The country’s disaster management agency said initial reports indicated possible impacts across municipalities in Chocó, Caldas, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Quindío, while emergency teams and local authorities worked to determine the extent of damage.

The 2026 earthquake record remains ongoing. But through Aug. 10, USGS data confirms 10 magnitude-7 or stronger earthquakes worldwide, with no magnitude-8 event yet recorded this year.

Feb. 22 — Malaysia — M7.1

The earthquake struck about 57 km north-northwest of Kota Belud, Sabah, at a depth of 629 km, classifying it as an unusually deep-focus earthquake.

USGS said it involved strike-slip/oblique strike-slip and reverse faulting and was the first M7+ earthquake within 250 km of the epicenter since 1950.

March 24 — Tonga — M7.5

The magnitude-7.5 earthquake occurred about 158 km west of Neiafu at a depth of 234 km, making it an intermediate-depth event.

USGS said it resulted from normal faulting within the Pacific Plate as the plate subducts westward beneath the Australia Plate.

March 30 — Vanuatu — M7.3

 

The earthquake struck about 51 km east-northeast of Luganville at a depth of approximately 121 km and resulted from oblique-thrust faulting.

USGS said the quake occurred near the Australia-Pacific plate boundary, a highly active region where 19 M7+ earthquakes had occurred within 150 km during the preceding century.

April 1 — Indonesia — M7.4

The magnitude-7.4 earthquake occurred about 129 km east-southeast of Bitung, Indonesia, at a depth of roughly 35 km.

According to USGS, it involved reverse faulting near the interface between the subducted Halmahera slab and the overlying Sunda Plate in the tectonically complex Molucca Sea region.

April 20 — Japan — M7.4

The earthquake struck offshore, about 102 km east-northeast of Miyako, Japan, at a depth of approximately 25 km.

USGS determined that it resulted from thrust faulting near the Japan Trench subduction-zone interface and occurred about 192 km north of the rupture area of the 2011 M9.1 Tohoku earthquake.

June 7 — Philippines — M7.8

The strongest earthquake on this list struck about 25 km southwest of Kablalan in the southern Philippines at a depth of 57 km and resulted from thrust faulting.

USGS estimated that roughly 15 million people experienced moderate to severe shaking and assigned the earthquake an Orange PAGER alert, indicating significant damage was likely.

June 24 — Venezuela — M7.2

The magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck northern Venezuela, about 21 km east-northeast of San Felipe, at a depth of approximately 28 km.

USGS identified it as the first earthquake in a powerful doublet: it was a foreshock followed less than a minute later by an even larger M7.5 earthquake.

June 24 — Venezuela — M7.5

The M7.5 mainshock struck northern Venezuela at a shallow depth of about 10 km shortly after the M7.2 foreshock.

USGS said the earthquake resulted from shallow strike-slip faulting near the boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates and produced very strong to severe shaking.

July 17 — Mexico — M7.3

The earthquake struck offshore southern Mexico, about 52 km west of Puerto Madero, at a depth of approximately 22 km.

USGS said it resulted from reverse/thrust faulting in the subduction zone where the Cocos Plate descends beneath Mexico, with around four million people exposed to moderate-to-very-strong shaking.

Aug. 10 — Colombia — M7.4

The earthquake was centered near San José del Palmar in Chocó, western Colombia, at roughly 100 km depth and was felt across a broad area of the country.

Colombia’s SGC described it as the largest-magnitude earthquake recorded in Colombia in the 21st century and reported numerous aftershocks following the main event.