This is a list of earthquakes in 1950. 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. The main event which dominated the year in terms of magnitude and deaths was the earthquake which struck India in August. With a magnitude of 8.6, it was one of the largest earthquakes of all time, and affected the eastern part of the country. There were 1,530 deaths, which was around three quarters of the yearly total. A number of other deadly events struck Venezuela and Peru. There were 21 magnitude 7.0+ quakes. Aside from India, Chile was hit by a magnitude 8.2 event in December that left one person dead. Aftershock sequences contributed to a large number of magnitude 6.0–6.9 events, especially in India and New Hebrides (which also saw four magnitude 7.0+ quakes).

Overall

By death toll

Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Arunachal Pradesh 2 , Lara (state) 3 , Cusco Region 4 , Hormozgan Province 5 , Java Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank Magnitude Death toll Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Arunachal Pradesh 2 , Antofagasta Region 3 , Vanuatu 4 = 5 , Sea of Okhotsk = 5 , Banda Sea = 6 , Badakhshan Province = 6 , Guanacaste Province 7 , Banda Sea = 8 , Papua (province) = 8 , near Champerico, Retalhuleu Department = 8 , Vanuatu = 8 , southeast of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea = 8 , Kermadec Islands = 9 , southwest of Aneityum, Vanuatu = 9 , Santiago del Estero Province = 9 , Vanuatu = 9 , Guerrero = 10 , southwest of Guam = 10 , Acre (state) = 10 , southeast of Mindanao Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

January

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , northern Luzon 6.5 30.0 , off the coast of Aisen Region 6.3 15.0 6.8 539.9 , southeast of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 6.5 69.9 , Hormozgan Province 5.7 15.0 20 people were killed and major damage was caused. 20 , Vanuatu 6.5 165.0 , Magallanes y la Antartica Chilena Region 6.8 15.0 At least 1 person was killed. Aftershock of events in the area from December 1949. 1+

February

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Shan State 6.9 35.0 rowspan="2"| Some damage was caused. Doublet earthquake. , Shan State 6.7 35.0 6.5 254.4 6.3 20.0 6.5 210.0 , Bayankhongor Province 6.1 15.0 , Ryukyu Islands 6.3 25.0 , Sea of Okhotsk 7.7 329.0

March

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , west of Guimaras Island 6.7 25.0 , Ucayali Region 6.8 150.0 , off the west coast of southern Sumatra 6.4 35.0 , Papua (province) 6.5 83.7

April

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Ryukyu Islands 6.0 55.0 , Buryatia 6.9 35.0 , off the west coast 6.0 35.0 , Wakayama Prefecture, Honshu 6.3 48.6

May

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Ahal Region 6.1 15.0 Mozambique Channel 6.2 15.0 Sea of Japan 6.7 579.3 , Vanuatu 6.7 35.0 , Cusco Region 6.0 100.0 83 people were killed and major damage was caused. 83 , northern Alaska 6.0 0.0 Unknown depth. , southwest of Guam 7.0 77.3 , southwest of Aneityum, Vanuatu 7.1 50.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. The second event was only 14 seconds after the first. , Vanuatu 6.9 35.0 6.8 588.3 , Hawaii (island), Hawaii 6.3 15.0 6.4 590.0 , Ryukyu Islands 6.2 46.0

June

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , southeast of Mindanao 6.0 15.0 , Loreto Region 6.8 115.5 , Manawatu-Whanganui, North Island 6.0 192.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.0 35.0 , Java 6.6 45.0 16 people were killed and another 50 were hurt. 50 homes were destroyed. 16 50 , Vanuatu 6.7 35.0 , off the north coast of Papua and New Guinea 6.3 20.0 , Vanuatu 6.9 35.0 , southeast of Mindanao 6.2 57.6 , off the west coast of Hokkaido 6.3 15.0

July

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Acre (state) 6.8 646.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , Acre (state) 7.0 646.2 , Acre (state) 6.4 633.8 Aftershock. , Badakhshan Province 7.5 215.4 , Bonin Islands 6.9 511.6 , northern Mindanao 6.1 15.0 6.5 35.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.8 20.0 , Vanuatu 6.4 15.0 , northern Molucca Sea 6.3 30.0 , southwest of Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea 6.7 65.0

August

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Guerrero 6.1 80.5 , southwest of Guam 6.5 20.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.5 96.0 , Lara (state) 6.4 15.0 100 people were killed. 100 , southern Mindanao 6.8 135.5 , Santiago del Estero Province 7.1 610.0 , Arunachal Pradesh 8.6 15.0 The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake was one of the largest of all time. 1,530 people were killed and major property damage was caused. Costs were around $20 million (1950 rate). Many large aftershocks followed. These events have been plotted on the map but are not listed to prevent cluttering. 1,530 , south of 6.9 609.8 , southern Qinghai Province 6.0 15.0 , eastern Kamchatka Krai 6.0 64.4 , northern Alaska 6.0 15.0 , off the west coast of Sumatra 6.3 55.0 , northeast Banda Sea 6.1 20.0 , southeast of Mindanao 7.0 120.0

September

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , south of the Kermadec Islands 6.5 50.0 , New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 6.3 25.0 , off the southeast coast of Honshu 6.1 35.0 , Vanuatu 7.1 141.3 , Yunnan Province 6.0 15.0 320 homes were destroyed. , Molucca Sea 6.2 35.0 , Rat Islands, Alaska 6.6 100.0 , Acre (state) 6.0 635.3 , Papua (province) 7.2 30.0 6.8 400.4 , northeast of Mindanao 6.0 25.0 , off the east coast of 6.1 15.0 , off the coast of Jalisco 6.6 15.0

October

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Guanacaste Province 7.5 97.9 At least 101 people were injured and some damage was reported. 101+ , Banda Sea 7.3 20.0 A tsunami swept across Ambon Island causing 1 death and major damage. 1 , southeast of New Britain, Papua and New Guinea 6.2 15.0 , Southland, New Zealand 6.0 15.0 , Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 6.2 35.0 , Vava'u 6.3 45.0 , Champerico 7.2 65.3 Many homes were destroyed or damaged. Several large aftershocks followed but are not listed to prevent cluttering.

November

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Banda Sea 7.7 199.7 , southeast of Shikoku 6.7 25.0 , Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 6.6 15.0 , Makira, Solomon Islands 6.0 35.0 , off the coast of Guerrero 6.1 20.0 Some damage was reported.

December

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Acre (state) 6.8 643.3 , Vanuatu 7.9 30.0 , Vanuatu 7.2 60.0 This large aftershock came only 4 minutes after the mainshock. , southeast of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 7.2 78.3 , southeast of the Ryukyu Islands 6.0 25.0 , Antofagasta Region 8.2 113.9 1 person was killed and at least 51 were injured in the 1950 Calama earthquake. 1 51+ , Ica Region 6.3 61.5 4 people were killed and 12 were injured. Some homes were destroyed. 4 12 , Kermadec Islands 7.2 298.4 , Acre (state) 6.2 644.5 Aftershock. , Vanuatu 6.5 65.0 7.8 215.9 , Guerrero 7.1 35.0 Some damage was reported. , Ambon Island 6.3 35.0 , Acre (state) 6.2 635.0 Aftershock. , western Xizang Province 6.1 15.0

References