This is a list of earthquakes in 1955. 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. This was somewhat a year of contrast. The number of magnitude 7.0+ quakes was up on the previous year. The largest quake only reached 7.5 in magnitude. The death toll during the year was relatively low with most of the 504 deaths coming in the Philippines in March. Four-hundred died in the quake which struck Mindanao. Other deadly events struck most notably China and Egypt.

Overall

By death toll

Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , western Mindanao 2 , Sichuan Province 3 Egypt off north coast of Egypt 4 , north of Quetta 5 , Alajuela Province Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank Magnitude Death toll Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Kermadec Islands 2 , western Mindanao 3 , south of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea = 4 , off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia = 4 , Volcano Islands 5 , Sichuan Province = 6 , Auckland Islands = 6 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska = 6 southern Indian Ocean = 6 , off the coast of Coquimbo Region = 6 , southern Great Nicobar = 6 , Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

January

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the coast of central 6.1 25.0 , Auckland Islands 7.0 15.0 , Vanuatu 6.6 15.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , Vanuatu 6.5 15.0 , Vanuatu 6.2 35.0 Aftershock. , Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands 6.6 62.7 , Fox Islands (Alaska) 6.8 17.6 , Fox Islands (Alaska) 6.5 40.0 Aftershock. , western Xizang Province 6.5 35.0 , Mato Grosso 6.3 15.0

February

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , south of Hokkaido 6.0 55.0 , Vanuatu 6.2 65.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , Vanuatu 6.1 65.0 , north of Quetta 6.0 15.0 12 people were killed and more than 100 were hurt. Some damage was caused. 12 100+ , Kermadec Islands 7.5 15.0

March

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , northern Yukon Territory 6.3 10.0 , off the west coast of southern Sumatra 6.1 38.3 , off the southwest coast of Negros (island) 6.1 15.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , southwest Negros (island) 6.3 15.0 , Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region 6.3 124.9 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 7.0 100.0 , off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia 7.2 59.2 , Kachin State 6.0 60.0 southern Indian Ocean 7.0 20.0 , Ryukyu Islands 6.3 51.0 , western Mindanao 7.4 35.0 During the 1955 Lanao earthquake, 400 people were killed and property damage costs were $5 million (1955 rate). 400 , western Mindanao 6.3 35.0 Aftershock.

April

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , south of 6.5 25.0 , León Department 6.2 15.0 Some damage was reported. , Gulf of California 6.5 15.0 , Gulf of California 6.0 15.0 Aftershock. , western Mindanao 6.3 15.0 Aftershock. , Peloponnese (region) 5.6 25.0 Some damage was caused. , western Sichuan Province 7.1 10.0 39 people were killed and 113 were injured in the 1955 Zheduotang earthquake. 500 homes were destroyed. 39 113 , southern Xinjiang Province 6.9 20.0 rowspan="2"| Some homes were destroyed. Doublet earthquake. , southern Xinjiang Province 6.9 20.0 , off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia 6.5 28.5 , Thessaly 6.2 15.0 8 people were killed and 149 were injured. 459 homes were destroyed and 8,352 were damaged. 8 149 , off the coast of Coquimbo Region 7.0 15.0 1 person drowned due to a tsunami hitting the coast. A few homes were destroyed. 1 , off the coast of Coquimbo Region 6.1 25.0 Aftershock. , off the coast of Coquimbo Region 6.3 15.0 Aftershock. , Thessaly 5.9 15.0 7 people were killed and major damage was caused. 7 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.5 114.9 , northern Xinjiang Province 6.3 15.0 A few homes were destroyed. , off the coast of 6.1 50.0 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 6.4 35.0 , Managua Department 6.0 15.0

May

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the east coast of Honshu 6.6 10.0 , Napo Province 6.5 15.0 , Babuyan Islands 6.0 0.0 Unknown depth. , Bonin Islands 6.7 487.0 , southern Great Nicobar 7.0 25.3 , southeast Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 6.3 40.0 , Cordoba Province, Argentina 6.5 179.4 , Volcano Islands 7.2 558.9 , Papua (province) 6.3 55.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.8 155.0 , south of Hokkaido 6.0 95.0

June

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 6.7 20.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.2 36.5 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake , off the east coast of Honshu 6.1 30.0 , Nantou County 6.2 35.0 , Yunnan Province 6.2 15.0 4,524 homes were destroyed. , off the coast of Jalisco 6.5 15.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.1 30.0 , off the southeast coast 6.2 30.0 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 6.7 30.4 , , Xizang Province, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) 6.2 15.0

July

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia 6.2 52.1 6.1 15.0 , Aydin Province 6.6 15.0 4 people were killed and major damage was reported. 4 , Imbabura Province 6.0 15.0 Substantial damage was reported. , Arequipa Region 6.8 88.6 , Barat Daya Islands 6.5 35.0 , west of Negros (island) 6.1 15.0 , off the east coast 6.1 15.0 , Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku 6.3 15.0 , Los Lagos Region 6.1 15.0

August

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured 6.7 360.2 , west coast of Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea 7.0 179.2 , Papua (province) 6.7 41.3 , off the west coast of 6.7 44.8

September

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Alajuela Province 5.8 15.0 10 people were killed and some damage was caused. 10 , off the west coast of 6.4 44.1 , Gulf of Tomini 6.5 294.1 , Lake Albert (Uganda) 6.3 15.0 , south of Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea 6.3 50.0 , off the west coast of southern Sumatra 6.0 40.6 , south of Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea 6.4 15.0 Egypt, off the north coast 6.2 63.7 22 people were killed and 12 were injured in the 1955 Alexandria earthquake. Major damage was caused in the area. 22 12 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 6.0 55.0 , Vanuatu 6.0 15.0 , off the east coast of 6.6 45.0 , Yunnan Province 6.7 10.0 At least 1 person was killed and 15,000 homes were destroyed. 1 , off the southeast coast of 6.3 15.0 , east of Mindanao 6.6 91.8 , Chiapas 6.7 202.8

October

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Sichuan Province 5.9 15.0 A few homes were destroyed. , Neuquen Province 6.5 167.3 , south of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 6.1 50.0 Foreshock. , south of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 7.3 20.0 , eastern Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 6.3 35.0 , east of Sulawesi 6.4 35.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.5 362.0

November

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , O'Higgins Region 6.5 112.0 6.1 65.0 , Atacama Region 6.3 33.8 , far northern Kuril Islands, Russia 6.7 53.3

December

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the coast of Tarapaca Region 6.3 35.0 , Bonin Islands 6.9 10.0 , Chin State 6.2 35.0 , east of Mindanao 6.1 15.0

References