List of earthquakes in 1921

This is a list of earthquakes in 1921. 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. In a stark contrast to 1920, the death toll for this year was only 51. Dutch East Indies and Japan were very active.

Earthquakes in 1921

Approximate epicenters of the earthquakes in 1921 4.0–5.9 magnitude 6.0–6.9 magnitude 7.0–7.9 magnitude 8.0+ magnitude
Strongest magnitude	Afghanistan, Badakhshan Province November 15 (Magnitude 7.8)
Deadliest	Italian Eritrea, off the coast of Massawa August 14 (Magnitude 5.9) 51+ deaths
Total fatalities	51+
Number by magnitude
9.0+	0
← 1920 1922 →

Overall

By death toll

Rank	Death toll	Magnitude	Location	MMI	Depth (km)	Date
1	51	5.9	Italian Eritrea, off the coast of Massawa	VIII (Severe)	0.0	August 14

• Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank	Magnitude	Death toll	Location	MMI	Depth (km)	Date
1	7.8	0	Afghanistan, Badakhshan Province	( )	240.0	November 15
2	7.6	0	Dutch East Indies, south of Java	( )	15.0	September 11
= 3	7.4	0	Tonga	( )	15.0	February 27
= 3	7.4	0	Japan, Ryukyu Islands	( )	35.0	July 4
= 3	7.4	0	Philippines, east of Mindanao	VII (Very strong)	15.0	November 11
= 4	7.3	0	Honduras, El Paraiso Department	( )	15.0	March 28
= 4	7.3	0	Peru, Loreto Region	( )	540.0	December 18
5	7.2	0	Chile, Tarapaca Region	( )	113.6	October 20
6	7.1	0	British Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands	( )	35.0	October 15
= 7	7.0	0	Guatemala, Quiche Department	( )	15.0	February 4
= 7	7.0	0	Japan, Ryukyu Islands	( )	15.0	April 2
= 7	7.0	0	Japan, Ibaraki Prefecture, Honshu	( )	35.0	December 8

• Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

February

February

Strongest magnitude	7.4 Mw  Tonga
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	2

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
4[1]	Guatemala, Quiche Department	7.0	15.0
19[2]	Dutch East Indies, West Papua (province)	6.3	15.0
19[3]	Dutch East Indies, Papua (province)	6.9	25.0
27[4]	Tonga	7.4	15.0

March

March

Strongest magnitude	7.3 Mw  Honduras
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	5

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
3[5]	Japan, off the east coast of Honshu	6.9	35.0
5[6]	India, Nicobar Islands	6.6	20.0
23[7]	Dutch East Indies, Banda Sea	6.0	50.0
24[8]	Russian SFSR, off the east coast of Kamchatka	6.6	25.0
28[9]	Honduras, El Paraiso Department	7.3	15.0
30[10]	Dutch East Indies, Barat Daya Islands	6.6	170.0

April

April

Strongest magnitude	7.0 Mw  Japan
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	3

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
1[11]	Dutch East Indies, off the west coast of northern Sumatra	6.8	35.0
1[12]	British Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands	6.5	35.0
2[13]	Japan, southwestern Ryukyu Islands	7.0	15.0
10[14]	Canada, west of Haida Gwaii	6.5	35.0

May

May

Strongest magnitude	6.6 Mw  Afghanistan
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	0
6.0–6.9	5

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
1[15]	Mexico, off the coast of Colima	6.4	15.0
12[16]	New Guinea, Bougainville Island	6.4	35.0
14[17]	Dutch East Indies, Makassar Strait	6.2	0.0	VIII	A few homes were damaged or destroyed. Depth unknown.
20[18]	Afghanistan, Nuristan Province	6.6	35.0
21[19]	Philippines, northeast of Samar	6.4	35.0

June

June

Strongest magnitude	6.7 Mw  New Zealand
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	0
6.0–6.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
28[20]	New Zealand, Hawke's Bay, North Island	6.7	25.0

July

July

Strongest magnitude	7.4 Mw  Japan
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
4[21]	Japan, Ryukyu Islands	7.4	35.0
15[22]	Dutch East Indies, off the northeast coast of Halmahera	6.0	140.0

August

August

Strongest magnitude	5.9 Mw Italian Eritrea
Deadliest	5.9 Mw Italian Eritrea 51+ deaths
Total fatalities	51+
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	0
6.0–6.9	0
5.0–5.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
4[23]	China, Liaoning Province	0.0	0.0		The magnitude, depth and location were unknown. A tsunami caused major flooding in the area. Some homes were destroyed.
14[24]	Italian Eritrea, off the coast of Massawa	5.9	0.0	VIII	The 1921 Massawa earthquake caused at least 51 deaths and major damage.	51+

September

September

Strongest magnitude	7.6 Mw  Dutch East Indies
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	1
6.0–6.9	1

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
11[25][26]	Dutch East Indies, south of Java	7.6	15.0		Some light damage was reported on Java. A minor tsunami was reported.
27[27]	Japan, eastern Sea of Japan	6.5	5.0

October

October

Strongest magnitude	7.2 Mw  Chile
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	2

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
10[28][29]	Dutch East Indies, Papua (province)	6.6	35.0	VII	Some damage was reported.
12[30]	British Solomon Islands, Kuril Islands	6.6	100.0
15[31]	British Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands	7.1	35.0
20[32]	Chile, Tarapaca Region	7.2	113.6

November

November

Strongest magnitude	7.8 Mw  Afghanistan
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	2

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
7[33][34]	Philippines, southeast of Mindanao	6.6	35.0	VIII	Some homes were damaged.
11[35][36][37]	Philippines, east of Mindanao	7.4	15.0	VII	A tsunami was reported. Some homes were damaged.
13[38]	Colombia, La Guajira Department	6.3	15.0
15[39]	Afghanistan, Badakhshan Province	7.8	240.0

December

December

Strongest magnitude	7.3 Mw  Peru
Total fatalities	0
Number by magnitude
8.0–8.9	0
7.0–7.9	2
6.0–6.9	0

Date	Country and location	Mw	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Casualties
						Dead	Injured
8[40]	Japan, Ibaraki Prefecture, Honshu	7.0	35.0
18[41]	Peru, Loreto Region	7.3	540.0

References

1. "M 7.0 – Guatemala". United States Geological Survey. February 4, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
2. "M 6.3 – near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. February 19, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
3. "M 6.9 – near the north coast of Papua, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. February 19, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
4. "M 7.4 – Tonga". United States Geological Survey. February 27, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
5. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. March 3, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
6. "M 6.6 – Nicobar Islands, India region". United States Geological Survey. March 5, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
7. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. March 23, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
8. "M 6.6 – near the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia". United States Geological Survey. March 24, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
9. "M 7.3 – Honduras". United States Geological Survey. March 28, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
10. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. March 30, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
11. "M 6.8 – northern Sumatra, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. April 1, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
12. "M 6.5 – Santa Cruz Islands region". United States Geological Survey. April 1, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
13. "M 7.0 – southwestern Ryukyu Islands, Japan". United States Geological Survey. April 2, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
14. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. April 10, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
15. "M 6.4 – offshore Colima, Mexico". United States Geological Survey. May 1, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
16. "M 6.4 – Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea". United States Geological Survey. May 12, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
17. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
18. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. May 20, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
19. "M 6.4 – Samar, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. May 21, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
20. "M 6.7 – North Island of New Zealand". United States Geological Survey. June 28, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
21. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. July 4, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
22. "On-Line Bulletin". International Seismological Centre. July 15, 1921. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
23. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
24. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
25. "M 7.6 – south of Java, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. September 11, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
26. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
27. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. September 27, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
28. "M 6.6 – Papua, Indonesia". United States Geological Survey. October 10, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
29. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
30. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. October 12, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
31. "M 7.1 – Santa Cruz Islands". United States Geological Survey. October 15, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
32. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. October 20, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
33. "M 6.6 – Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. November 7, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
34. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
35. "M 7.4 – Philippine Islands region". United States Geological Survey. November 11, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
36. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
37. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
38. "M 6.3 – near the coast of Venezuela". United States Geological Survey. November 13, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
39. "M 7.8 – Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan". United States Geological Survey. November 15, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
40. "Centennial Earthquake Catalog". United States Geological Survey. December 8, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
41. "M 7.3 – northern Peru". United States Geological Survey. December 18, 1921. Retrieved December 20, 2015.