Significant Earthquakes 1973 - 2011

As Jesus sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?' And Jesus answered and said unto them:

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." - Matthew 24:7

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." - Mark 13:8

"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." - Luke 21:11

Global Earthquake and Volcano Overview

Earthquakes magnitude 7.0 or greater in the world, 2002-2011 as of July 15, 2011:
2002: 11
2003: 13
2004: 11
2005: 10
2006: 09
2007: 16
2008: 12
2009: 15
2010: 22
2011: 12

The graph below shows significant earthquakes by year from 1973 through today (only earthquakes that are greater than or equal to magnitude 6.0 are shown). It is often useful to limit the display to a certain 'class' of earthquakes to improve the accuracy of trend analysis. Over the years, earthquake monitoring equipment has become more prevalent and sensitive, leading to the ability to record more and more earthquakes that might have previously gone unnoticed. However, this is more true for smaller earthquakes, and less true for more significant earthquakes. Limiting the view to higher magnitudes helps to correct for this possibility.

You can experiment with other ways of viewing this earthquake information by clicking on the four different menu options to the left and top of the graph.

Quake Strength - You can use this option to limit the view to only the more significant earthquakes, or to include even the smallest earthquakes in the graph.

Data to Graph - Change this to show different types of information. You can experiment with this setting and then use the help button again to see an explanation of each of the available options.

Graph by - Use this menu to see the summary of earthquakes by year or by month.

Graph Style - This menu item allows you to see either the raw information (first option), earthquakes, or to choose between two different ways of examining the trend over time.

Tied to all of this earthquake activity is the recent uptick in volcanic activity.

Earthquake Facts and Statistics Graphs
USGS Significant Earthquakes and News