A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
.svg)     Approximate epicenters of the earthquakes in 1969
| |||
| Strongest magnitude |  Soviet Union, Kuril Islands, Russia (Magnitude 8.2) August 11 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadliest |  China, Guangdong Province (Magnitude 5.7) July 25 3,000 deaths | ||
| Total fatalities | 4,024 | ||
| Number by magnitude | |||
| 9.0+ | 0 | ||
← 1968 1970 → | |||
This is a list of earthquakes in 1969. 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. Maximum intensities are indicated on the Mercalli intensity scale and are sourced from United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap data. Activity generally was slightly below average with 14 events reaching magnitude 7 or greater. In August, the largest event of the year struck the Kuril Islands, Russia measuring 8.2. Other large events struck offshore Portugal and Indonesia. The Americas had no events above magnitude 7 which is an uncommon occurrence. Of the 4,000 deaths from earthquakes two events dominated. Southeastern China had an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 in July which contributed 4,024 of the total. Indonesia had the bulk of the rest of the death toll.
Overall
By death toll
| Rank | Death toll | Magnitude | Location | MMI | Depth (km) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,000 | 5.7 | China, Guangdong Province
|
VIII (Severe) | 20.0 | July 25 |
| 2 | 664 | 7.0 |  Indonesia, West Sulawesi
|
VIII (Severe) | 15.0 | February 23 |
| 3 | 150 | 6.6 |  Peru, Junin Region
|
XI (Extreme) | 10.0 | October 1 |
| 4 | 53 | 6.7 |  Turkey, Manisa Province
|
VIII (Severe) | 10.0 | March 28 |
| 5 | 50 | 5.5 |  Iran, North Khorasan Province
|
VIII (Severe) | 10.0 | January 3 |
| 6 | 40 | 6.2 |  Ethiopia Afar Region
|
IX (Violent) | 10.0 | March 29 |
| 7 | 25 | 7.8 | Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault | VII (Very strong) | 10.0 | February 28 |
| 8 | 14 | 6.1 |  Yugoslavia, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
VIII (Severe) | 15.0 | October 26 |
| 9 | 12 | 6.3 |  South Africa, Western Cape
|
IX (Violent) | 15.0 | September 29 |
- Note: At least 10 casualties
By magnitude
| Rank | Magnitude | Death toll | Location | MMI | Depth (km) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.2 | 0 | Soviet Union, Kuril Islands, Russia
|
IX (Violent) | 30.0 | August 11 |
| 2 | 7.8 | 25 | Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault | VII (Very strong) | 10.0 | February 28 |
| = 3 | 7.6 | 0 | Indonesia, Talaud Islands
|
VII (Very strong) | 60.0 | January 30 |
| = 3 | 7.6 | 0 | Indonesia, off the west coast of northern Sumatra
|
VI (Strong) | 25.0 | November 21 |
| 4 | 7.4 | 0 | Soviet Union, off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia
|
X (Extreme) | 35.0 | November 22 |
| = 5 | 7.2 | 0 |  United Kingdom, south of Fiji
|
( ) | 660.0 | February 10 |
| = 5 | 7.2 | 0 | Indonesia, Banda Sea
|
IV (Light) | 430.5 | February 11 |
| = 5 | 7.2 | 0 | United Kingdom, east of Dominica
|
VI (Strong) | 20.0 | December 25 |
| = 6 | 7.1 | 0 |  New Hebrides, Vanuatu
|
VII (Very strong) | 112.9 | January 19 |
| = 6 | 7.1 | 0 | Soviet Union, Kuril Islands, Russia
|
( ) | 27.5 | August 14 |
| = 7 | 7.0 | 0 | United Kingdom, Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands
|
VIII (Severe) | 60.0 | January 5 |
| = 7 | 7.0 | 0 |  Japan, off the north coast of Hokkaido
|
VI (Strong) | 244.7 | January 19 |
| = 7 | 7.0 | 664 | Indonesia, West Sulawesi
|
IV (Light) | 15.0 | February 23 |
| = 7 | 7.0 | 0 | Japan, off the east coast of Kyushu
|
VII (Very strong) | 38.6 | April 21 |
- Note: At least 7.0 magnitude
Notable events
January
| Strongest magnitude | 7.6 Mw Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 5.5 Mw Iran 50 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 50 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 4 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 5 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 1 |
| Date | Country and location | Mw | Depth (km) | MMI | Notes | Casualties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead | Injured | ||||||
| 3[1][2][3] | Iran, North Khorasan Province |
5.5 | 10.0 | VIII | 50 people were killed and some damage was caused. | 50 | |
| 6[4][5] | United Kingdom, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands |
6.9 | 10.0 | V | |||
| 14[6][7] | Turkey, off the south coast |
6.4 | 25.0 | VI | |||
| 19[8][9] | Japan, off the north coast of Hokkaido |
7.0 | 244.7 | VI | |||
| 19[10][11] | New Hebrides, Vanuatu |
7.1 | 112.9 | VII | |||
| 24[12] | United Kingdom, Fiji |
6.7 | 593.5 | ||||
| 26[13][14] | Soviet Union, off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia |
6.1 | 31.3 | V | |||
| 27[15] |  United States, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia |
6.2 | 15.0 | ||||
| 30[16][17] | Indonesia, Talaud Islands |
7.6 | 60.0 | VII | |||
February
| Strongest magnitude | 7.8 Mw Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 7.0 Mw Indonesia 664 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 693 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 4 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 4 |
| Date | Country and location | Mw | Depth (km) | MMI | Notes | Casualties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead | Injured | ||||||
| 3[18][19] | Indonesia, Talaud Islands |
6.8 | 35.0 | VI | Aftershock. | ||
| 4[20][21] | Indonesia, Gulf of Tomini, Sulawesi |
6.1 | 45.0 | V | |||
| 4[22][23] | Peru, off the north coast |
6.2 | 35.0 | IV | |||
| 10[24] | United Kingdom, south of Fiji |
7.2 | 660.0 | ||||
| 11[25][26][27] | China, Xinjiang Province |
6.1 | 13.3 | VIII | 4 people were killed and at least 1 person was injured. Many homes were destroyed. | 4 | 1+ |
| 11[28][29] | Indonesia, Banda Sea |
7.2 | 430.5 | IV | |||
| 23[30][31][32][33] | Indonesia, West Sulawesi |
7.0 | 15.0 | VIII | 64 people were killed in the 1969 Sulawesi earthquake. A further 600 died in a tsunami which flooded the area. 97 people were injured. 1,287 homes were destroyed. | 664 | 97 |
| 28[34][35][36] | Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault | 7.8 | 10.0 | VII | The 1969 Portugal earthquake struck far offshore in the Atlantic Ocean but caused some damage on land. 25 people were killed and another 80 were injured. Some damage was caused. | 25 | 80 |
March
| Strongest magnitude | 6.7 Mw 2 events |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | 6.7 Mw Turkey 53 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 95 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 8.0–8.9 | 0 |
| 7.0–7.9 | 0 |
| 6.0–6.9 | 12 |
| 5.0–5.9 | 1 |