14 Facts About Earthquakes – Statistics and Data in 2023

Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.

Whether you live in a state that experiences earthquakes all the time or just want to learn a bit more about this interesting phenomenon, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve taken the time to track down 14 different earthquake statistics and highlight them for you here. Not only that, but we also addressed some of the most frequently asked questions about earthquakes! When it comes to the ground shifting beneath your feet, we’ve covered it all.

• How Common Are Earthquakes?
• Damage From Earthquakes
• Other Earthquake Facts

The 14 Earthquake Statistics

1. 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur around the “Ring of Fire.”
2. There are 500,000 detectable earthquakes each year on average.
3. Each year, Southern California averages 10,000 earthquakes.
4. Florida and North Dakota have the fewest earthquakes in the United States.
5. Alaska has the most earthquakes in the United States.
6. The NEIC tracks 55 earthquakes each day on average.
7. The deadliest earthquake occurred in 1556 and killed 830,000 people in China.
8. Earthquakes cost the United States $6.1 billion annually in building damages.
9. The largest recorded earthquake in the United States was magnitude 9.2.
10. The largest recorded earthquake in the world was magnitude 9.5.
11. Most earthquakes occur at depths less than 50 miles from the Earth’s surface.
12. The San Andreas fault consists of multiple faults.
13. Most of the time, you cannot hear an earthquake — instead, you hear surface objects moving around.
14. The interior of Antarctica has icequakes.

How Common Are Earthquakes?

1. 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur around the “Ring of Fire.”

(United States Geological Survey)

It sounds like something straight out of Hollywood, but the Ring of Fire is a completely real place around the Pacific Ocean. The ring extends from New Zealand, up to Russia, across to Alaska, and down the Americas all the way to the bottom of Chile.

It’s the most active area of the planet’s tectonic plates, and as such, it’s where the vast majority of earthquakes occur!

2. There are 500,000 detectable earthquakes each year on average.

(United States Geological Survey)

Not only do we know where most of the earthquakes occur, but we also know about how many occur each year. On average, there are about 500,000 detectable earthquakes each year, but just because we can detect them doesn’t mean we can feel them.

Most earthquakes are extremely small, and as such, without seismic meters, we wouldn’t even know that so much activity is going on beneath the surface!

3. Each year, Southern California averages 10,000 earthquakes.

(United States Geological Survey)

California is known for its earthquakes, and considering that Southern California alone experiences about 10,000 earthquakes per year on average, that’s no surprise. Once again, while there might be a ton of earthquakes, most are extremely small that you can’t even feel during your day-to-day activities.

4. Florida and North Dakota have the fewest earthquakes in the United States.

(United States Geological Survey)

If you’re looking to live in the United States and avoid earthquakes altogether, the states that experience the fewest earthquakes are Florida and North Dakota. Earthquakes are so rare in these areas that it’s not surprising to go a full year without a single one occurring in these states.

5. Alaska has the most earthquakes in the United States.

(United States Geological Survey)

While the first state that comes to mind when it comes to earthquakes in California, the state that actually experiences the most earthquakes in Alaska. Not only does Alaska experience more earthquakes each year on average, but they also tend to be more powerful.

However, considering much of the state of Alaska is empty, the earthquakes impact fewer people than they do in California.

6. The NEIC tracks 55 earthquakes each day on average.

(National Earthquake Information Center)

The National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is the premier earthquake tracking system in the United States, and on average, it can pick up 55 earthquakes a day. That’s over 20,000 earthquakes a year that a single agency tracks!

Damage From Earthquakes

7. The deadliest earthquake occurred in 1556 and killed 830,000 people in China.

(United States Geological Survey)

While most earthquakes don’t kill people, they certainly have the power to do so. The deadliest-ever earthquake occurred almost 500 years ago in China, and it killed close to 830,000 people!

While there are no seismic charts for this earthquake, it’s estimated to have been a magnitude 8, and it started rockslides that took out almost the entire city.

8. Earthquakes cost the United States $6.1 billion annually in building damages.

(Federal Emergency Management Agency)

While earthquakes can lead to fatalities, the more common result of modern earthquakes is extensive property damage. Each year, earthquakes in the United States cause $6.1 billion in property damages, which means insurance is a must in earthquake-prone areas!

Other Earthquake Facts

9. The largest recorded earthquake in the United States was magnitude 9.2.

(United States Geological Survey)

On March 28, 1964, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake struck Prince William Sound, Alaska, making it the largest earthquake ever to hit the United States. The earthquake lasted 4.5 minutes and occurred just 6 miles under the surface.

Luckily, the earthquake occurred in an area with a very small population, so the overall human impact from this massive earthquake was minimal.

10. The largest recorded earthquake in the world was magnitude 9.5.

(United States Geological Survey)

While the largest earthquake in the United States was a magnitude 9.2, the largest ever in the world was just slightly larger at 9.5. This earthquake occurred in Chile on May 22, 1960. This earthquake left over 2 million people without a home and killed around 1,655 people.

This earthquake, known as the Valdivia earthquake, lasted just over 10 minutes and also created a tsunami whose waves topped 82 feet!

11. Most earthquakes occur at depths less than 50 miles from the Earth’s surface.

(United States Geological Survey)

While the Earth has a very active core, which keeps geological activity going, that doesn’t mean earthquakes occur all the way through the Earth’s core. In fact, most earthquakes occur within 50 miles of the Earth’s surface.

The Earth’s core might be active, but the shifting of tectonic plates all occurs near the surface!

12. The San Andreas fault consists of multiple faults.

(United States Geological Survey)

The San Andreas fault is a bit of a misnomer. There’s not just “one fault” in the region that causes all the seismic activity. Instead, there are multiple faults along with multiple distances in the region that keep causing earthquakes.

There are multiple segments, and the entire segment is more than 800 miles long, and some segments are as deep as 10 miles!

13. Most of the time, you cannot hear an earthquake — instead, you hear surface objects moving around.

(United States Geological Survey)

Humans can’t start hearing sound until it hits the 20 Hz mark, which is far louder than most earthquakes. This means that while you can feel an earthquake, you can almost never hear one. Instead, all the noise you hear comes from surface objects shifting around, and these objects can be as large as buildings.

14.  The interior of Antarctica has icequakes.

(United States Geological Survey)

While tectonic plate movements cause earthquakes, if you’re looking for a similar but not identical geological process, all you need to do is head to Antarctica. The center of the continent is nothing but ice, and as it shifts around, it creates icequakes at the surface!

Frequently Asked Questions About Earthquakes

Just because we’ve highlighted some of the most interesting facts about earthquakes doesn’t mean that you don’t have any questions. We understand this, and that’s why we decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about earthquakes here.

What Causes Earthquakes?

While there are a few different causes of earthquakes, most earthquakes occur because of tectonic plates shifting. During these shifts, the plates catch on the edges due to friction. Eventually, the plates shift a bit more, and they collapse, causing massive shifts in the Earth.

Earthquakes occur when these plates finally shift off each other, and the resulting movement releases waves of energy throughout the Earth that shift everything around. Eventually, those waves settle down and the earthquake ends!

Where Do Earthquakes Occur?

Earthquakes occur at fault lines between different tectonic plates. Most of these fault lines are along the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean, but there are a few other locations throughout the world.

Also, keep in mind that this is where the most significant fault lines lay, but you can find minor fault lines all over the Earth’s surface. Because of this, earthquakes can occur just about anywhere on Earth, but they’re definitely more prominent in specific regions.

How Can Earthquakes Be Prevented?

Currently, there are no known ways to prevent earthquakes. The shifting of tectonic plates is a natural and necessary part of the Earth’s cycle, which means we don’t want to stop earthquakes even if we could.

However, while we can’t and shouldn’t stop earthquakes, there are measures that governments and people can take to reduce the damage caused by earthquakes.

Can Humans Cause Earthquakes?

While it’s common in Hollywood mythology for large objects and super-villains to cause earthquakes, that’s not really how it works. Still, while humans can’t cause earthquakes these ways, they can impact seismic activity through dams, fracking, and mining.

These activities can certainly lead to earthquakes. So, yes, humans can cause earthquakes.

Can Earthquakes Be Predicted?

While we can predict some natural events, earthquakes have eluded scientists. Currently, there is no way to predict when an earthquake is coming, and no scientist has ever successfully predicted a major earthquake.

Perhaps they’ll find a way in the future, but right now, it’s a random event that no one knows is coming!

Conclusion

While the last thing you likely think about when you roll out of bed in the morning is the ground shifting at your feet, the truth is earthquakes are far more common than you might think.

While the NEIC tracks 55 earthquakes a day, it also estimates that there are just under 1,400 earthquakes per day! One thing’s for sure, the ground’s not going to stop shifting any time soon!

Featured Image Credit: cobain86, Pixabay