Earthquakes in 2009 resulted in 1,853 fatalities. The 2nd Sumatra earthquake caused an estimated 1,117 deaths to that island, while other majors events struck Italy and Costa Rica. Also notable, the 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami registered an 8.1 on the moment magnitude scale, the most powerful earthquake in 2009. The tsunami associated with the Samoa earthquake caused tsunami advisories and warning across the Pacific Ocean rim, also known as the Ring of Fire.
Compared to other years
Overall
By death toll Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date Indonesia, Sumatra 90.0 308 Italy, L'Aquila 9.46 Samoa 15.0 Costa Rica, Alajuela 4.5 Indonesia, Java 49 Afghanistan, Kabul 5.9 Bhutan 14.0 Note: At least 10 dead
By magnitude Rank Magnitude Death toll Location Date Samoa Vanuatu New Zealand Papua, Indonesia Vanuatu Tonga Sumatra Andaman Islands Papua, Indonesia Kuril Islands, Russia Vanuatu Honduras Fiji Talaud Islands Izu Islands, Japan Kermadec Islands, New Zealand Java, Indonesia Note: At least 7.0 magnitude
By month
January
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured3, West Papua offshore, west northwest of Manokwari7.717.0VI The 2009 West Papua earthquakes killed four people, injured 250 others and damaged 840 buildings.42503, Badakhshan, south of Jurm6.6204.8IV One person killed, five others injured and several homes destroyed in the Mardan-Peshawar area.153, West Papua offshore, west northwest of Manokwari7.423.0VII Aftershock of the 2009 West Papua earthquakes. - -4, Peloponnese offshore, south southeast of Kardamyli4.310.0V One person killed and another injured after a wall collapsed in Messenia. 1 17, West Papua offshore, west northwest of Manokwari6.016.0IV Aftershock of the 7.7 and 7.4 events three days prior. - -8, Alajuela, north northeast of Sabanilla6.114.0IX The 2009 Cinchona earthquake left 98 people dead or missing, more than 100 others injured, and 1,087 homes damaged or destroyed. 98 100+13Mid-Indian Ridge6.010.0 - - - -15, Loyalty Islands offshore, east southeast of Tadine6.727.0 - - - -15, Kuril Islands offshore, south of Kuril'sk7.436.0IV - - -18, Kermadec Islands offshore6.433.0 - - - -19southeast of the Loyalty Islands6.612.0 - - - -19southeast of the Loyalty Islands6.035.0 -Aftershocks of the 6.6 event. - -21southeast of the Loyalty Islands6.124.0 - - -21, Junín, north of Llocllapampa4.610.0V Fifty homes destroyed and 500 others damaged in the Paccha area. - -22, West New Britain offshore, northeast of Kimbe6.144.0V - - -22, Maluku offshore, northeast of Lospalos, Timor Leste6.1146.7II - - -25, Xinjiang, north northeast of Qapqal5.119.0V The 2009 Xinjiang earthquake destroyed 218 homes and damaged 2,928 others in the Qapqal-Zhaosu area. - -
February
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured3, Ica offshore, west northwest of Pisco6.021.0V - - -9, Piura offshore, south southwest of Sechura6.015.0V - - -11, North Maluku offshore, south southeast of Sarangani, Philippines7.220.0VIDue to the 2009 Talaud Islands earthquake, one person died, 264 others were injured, 597 homes were destroyed and 623 others were damaged. 1 26411, North Maluku offshore, southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.035.0VIAftershocks of the 7.2 event. - -11, North Maluku offshore, south southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.026.0V - -11, North Maluku offshore, southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.035.0VI - -11, North Maluku offshore, southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.327.0VI - -15, Piura, south southwest of Sechura6.121.0IV - - -20, Xinjiang, north northwest of Tumxuk5.317.2VI More than 331 homes collapsed and 5,613 others damaged in the Akqi-Kalpin area. - -20, Azad Kashmir, northwest of Uri, India5.512.0VI At least 44 people injured, some buildings damaged and landslides occurred in the epicentral area. - 4422, North Maluku offshore, south southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.032.0V Aftershock of the 7.2 event in February 11. -28 offshore, South Sandwich Islands region6.315.0 - - - -
March
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured6, Victoria, southeast of Korumburra4.514.0VSome buildings damaged and power outages in the epicentral area. - -6north of Svalbard6.59.0 - - - -12, Chiriqui offshore, south of Punta de Burica6.39.0III - - -16, North Maluku offshore, southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.335.0V Aftershock of the 7.2 event in February 11. - -20, ʻEua offshore, south of ʻOhonua7.631.0VIA small tsunami was generated, with heights of up to recorded in Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. - -26, Jharkhand, south southeast of Chaibasa4.110.0VFive people injured and some buildings damaged in Chaibasa. - 528, Papua, west southwest of Abepura6.093.0V - - -31, Jinotega, south southwest of Quilalí4.435.0IIIThree homes destroyed and ten damaged in San Juan del Rio Coco. - -
April
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured1, East Sepik offshore, east of Wewak6.410.0VI - - -4, Davao offshore, southeast of Pondaguitan6.348.0V - - -6, Abruzzo, southeast of Sassa6.38.8X The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake caused catastrophic damage in central Italy, most especially in the L'Aquila area. At least 308 people were killed, over 1,500 were injured and over 3,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. 308 1,5007, Kuril Islands offshore, east northeast of Kuril'sk6.931.0IV - - -7, Abruzzo, southwest of San Panfilo d'Ocre5.515.1VI Aftershock of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. One person died of a heart attack in Rome and additional buildings collapsed in the L'Aquila area. 1 -9, Abruzzo, southeast of Capitignano5.415.4VII Aftershock of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. Additional damage to buildings occurred in the L'Aquila area. - -9, Rajasthan, north northwest of Jaisalmer5.144.3V Six people injured, 12 homes collapsed and 3,000 others damaged in the Jaisalmer area. - -15, West Sumatra offshore, southwest of Sungai Penuh6.322.0VI - - -16 offshore, South Sandwich Islands region6.720.0 - - - -16, Nangarhar, east of Ḩukūmatī Azrah5.25.9VIThe April 2009 Afghanistan earthquake killed 19 people, injured 51 others and destroyed 200 homes in four villages near the epicenter.195116, Nangarhar, east of Ḩukūmatī Azrah5.14.0VI17, Tarapacá offshore, north northwest of Iquique6.125.0V - - -19, North Maluku offshore, southeast of Sarangani, Philippines6.125.0III Aftershock of the 7.2 event in February 11. - -21, Kuril Islands offshore, west northwest of Severo-Kurilsk6.2152.0IV - - -26, Kermadec Islands offshore6.1131.7 - - - -27, Guerrero, west northwest of Pochotillo5.835.0V Two people died of heart attacks and four homes destroyed in the Acapulco area. 2 -
May
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured1, California, northwest of Malibu4.413.9IV One person injured in Torrance and some damage in the epicentral area. - 13, Suchitepéquez, south of San Lucas Tolimán6.3108.0V - - -4, Santa Ana, southeast of Atiquizaya4.749.4VTen homes destroyed and 32 others damaged in the Atiquizaya area. - -10, Galápagos offshore, east northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno6.16.0 - - - -12, West New Britain, north of Kandrian6.189.0V - - -16, Kermadec Islands offshore6.543.0III - - -17, Tabuk, east northeast of Umluj4.610.0VForeshock of the 5.7 event on May 19. Some homes damaged or destroyed in the Umluj area. - -20, Tabuk, east northeast of Umluj5.75.0VII Seven people injured in the Medina area. - 720, Jammu and Kashmir, south of Kishtwar4.920.8IVSome homes destroyed and more than 100 others damaged in the Doda area. - -24, Kermadec Islands offshore6.04.0 - - - -24, Valandovo, west northwest of Stathmós Mourión, Greece5.30.1VOver 594 homes damaged or destroyed in the Valandovo area. - -28, Bay Islands offshore, northwest of Guanaja7.319.0VIIThe 2009 Swan Islands earthquake killed seven people, injured 136 others, destroyed more than 1,300 homes and damaged 9,200 others across Honduras. More than 55 homes destroyed and 199 damaged in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. Five homes destroyed and more than 20 others damaged in Monkey River, Belize. 7 13629, Shefa offshore, north of Port Vila5.713.0VITen people injured, many buildings and roads damaged or destroyed, utilities disrupted and landslides occurred in the Tongoa area. - 10
June
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured2, Shefa offshore, west of Port Vila6.315.0VI Four people injured, some buildings damaged, utilities disrupted and landslides in the Tongoa area. - 44, Prince Edward Islands offshore6.016.0 - - - -4, Hokkaido offshore, east southeast of Shizunai-furukawachō6.429.0VI - - -6northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge6.014.0 - - - -12, Shefa offshore, west northwest of Port Vila6.015.0III - - -13, Almaty, south southeast of Tekeli5.411.0VIIOne person killed, 18 others injured and more than 250 homes damaged or destroyed in the Tekeli area. 1 1814, Davao offshore, southeast of Caburan6.135.0VI - - -16, Bouvet Island offshore6.110.0 - - - -23, East New Britain offshore, east southeast of Kokopo6.764.0V - - -
July
DateCountry and locationMwDepth(km)MMINotesCasualtiesDeadInjured1, Crete offshore, south of Néa Anatolí6.419.0II - - -3, Sinaloa offshore, south southwest of Campo Pesquero el Colorado6.010.0IV - - -4, Guna Yala offshore, north northwest of El Porvenir6.138.0VThirty-two people injured and ten buildings damaged in the Panama City area. - 326, Alaska, Rat Islands offshore, southeast of Attu Station6.122.0 - - - -6, Alaska, Rat Islands offshore, southeast of Attu Station6.122.0 - - - -7, Nunavut offshore, north northeast of Pond Inlet6.119.0 - - - -8southeast of Easter Island6.012.0 - - - -9, Yunnan, east of Dali5.77.0VII The 2009 Yunnan earthquake killed one person, injured 329, destroyed 10,000 homes and damaged 30,000 others in Yao'an County. 1 32913, Puno, south southwest of Tirapata6.1198.9IV - - -13, Hualien offshore, east of Hualien City6.317.0V - - -15, Southland offshore, west southwest of Te Anau7.812.0VI The 2009 Dusky Sound earthquake damaged buildings, caused power and telephone outages, as well as landslides throughout Southland. The South Island was moved to the west after the earthquake. A tsunami with a maximum height of was observed in Jackson Bay. - -15, New Ireland offshore, south southwest of Kavieng6.113.4 - - - -
August