This is a list of earthquakes in 1961. 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. A fairly busy year although the largest event was only a magnitude 7.6. This was a big contrast to 1960 which had three events above magnitude 8. Peru had the largest event. Japan had five magnitude 7.0+ events. Overall there was not a great deal of deaths with the total being 128. Iran had the most with 60 from an event in June.

Overall

By death toll

Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Fars province 2 , Amhara Region 3 , Tolima Department 4 , Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank Magnitude Death toll Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Madre de Dios Region = 2 , Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu = 2 , Ucayali Region 3 , Kermadec Islands = 4 , Gulf of Tomini = 4 , Vanuatu = 4 , South Sandwich Islands = 5 , off the east coast of Honshu = 5 , Madre de Dios Region = 6 , eastern Hokkaido = 6 , South Sandwich Islands = 7 , off the east coast of Honshu = 7 , Kermadec Islands = 7 , southern Xinjiang Province = 7 , Ryukyu Islands Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

January

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands 6.8 79.3 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 6.5 31.9 , East Sepik Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.9 142.7 , southeast of the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia 6.6 35.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , southeast of the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia 6.6 35.0 , Kuril Islands, Russian SFSR 6.6 58.5 , off the east coast of Honshu 7.2 30.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.3 30.0 Aftershock. , off the east coast of Honshu 7.0 30.0 Aftershock. , off the east coast of Honshu 6.7 30.0 Aftershock. , Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands 6.8 15.0

February

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the east coast 6.1 35.0 , Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea 6.5 45.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.9 38.1 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.3 34.0 Aftershock. , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.0 45.7 Aftershock. , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.1 33.9 Aftershock. , Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu 7.5 35.0 2 people were killed and a further 7 were injured. 170 homes were damaged and another 170 were destroyed. A tsunami was reported. 2 7 , Luzon 6.1 15.0 , Fox Islands (Alaska) 6.1 30.0

March

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Kermadec Islands 7.0 30.0 , Hubei Province 4.9 0.0 25 homes were destroyed. Unknown depth. , Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti 6.2 15.0 , west of New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 6.1 30.0 , off the north coast of Flores 6.5 45.0 2 people were killed and a further 6 were injured. Some damage was caused. 2 6 , Flores 6.0 35.0 Aftershock. , Auckland Islands 6.7 15.0 6.8 213.0 , Gulf of Tomini 7.3 144.8 , Andreanof Islands, Alaska 6.1 45.4

April

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , southern Xinjiang Province 6.8 20.0 , southern Xinjiang Province 6.3 20.0 Aftershock. , Araucania Region 6.2 25.0 , Northern Mariana Islands 6.5 104.6 , off the east coast 6.9 35.0 , San Vicente Department 6.0 65.0 , southern Xinjiang Province 7.0 35.0 53 homes were destroyed. , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.7 31.6

May

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , west of Bougainville Island, Papua and New Guinea 6.2 60.0 , east of Mindanao 6.3 75.0 , Bio-Bio Region 6.1 25.0 , southeast of Kyushu 6.0 25.5 6.0 27.0 , off the coast of Mugla Province 6.4 35.0 , Chinandega Department 6.2 102.4 , south of Fiji 6.6 228.0 , Gulf of California 6.0 15.0 , East New Britain Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.0 50.0

June

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Amhara Region 6.2 25.0 30 people were killed and at least 101 were injured. Some damage was caused. 30 101+ , Amhara Region 6.0 20.0 Aftershock. , western Xizang Province 6.2 15.0 , Caspian Sea, offshore Azerbaijan 6.0 35.0 , Fars province 6.4 15.0 60 people were killed and major damage was caused. 60 , Yunnan Province 5.6 15.0 5,740 homes were destroyed. , off the west coast 6.0 100.0 , Cesar Department 6.2 114.4 , Kermadec Islands 7.4 421.1 , off the west coast of Tablas Island 6.0 25.0 , Badakhshan Province 6.7 195.1 , Yunnan Province 6.1 15.0 11,400 homes were destroyed.

July

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Vanuatu 6.6 34.9 , West New Britain Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.5 48.4 , Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia 6.1 35.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia 6.2 35.0 , Ryukyu Islands 7.0 30.6 , Vanuatu 6.1 25.0 Foreshock. , Vanuatu 6.0 25.0 Foreshock. , Vanuatu 7.3 25.0 A tsunami was caused with minor damage being reported. , off the north coast 6.5 145.0 , Pastaza Province 6.6 142.1

August

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , eastern Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 6.4 25.0 , eastern Hokkaido 7.1 43.9 , eastern Sulawesi 6.0 20.0 , Vanuatu 6.0 50.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.5 151.0 , Madre de Dios Region 7.6 612.2 , Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu 6.8 15.0 10 people were killed and some damage was caused. 10 , Madre de Dios Region 7.2 597.5 Foreshock. , Ucayali Region 7.5 619.9

September

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , South Sandwich Islands 7.3 129.2 , Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan 6.0 130.0 , Kenai Peninsula, Alaska 6.0 44.0 , South Sandwich Islands 7.1 100.9 , off the coast of 6.1 120.6 , off the east coast 6.1 34.1 , Chuquisaca Department 6.5 574.8 , eastern Bismarck Sea, Papua and New Guinea 6.0 15.0 , Minahasa Peninsula 6.0 75.0

October

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Gansu Province 5.7 0.0 10 homes were destroyed. Unknown depth. , west of Halmahera 6.8 120.0 , Papua (province) 6.3 265.0 , Concepcion, Chile 6.6 20.0 At least 1 person was killed and some damage was caused. 1+ , Neuquen Province 6.2 149.0 , Talaud Islands 6.2 15.0 , Bismarck Sea, Papua and New Guinea 6.5 20.0 , Batu Islands 6.2 28.9

November

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the east coast of Hokkaido 6.5 43.0 , La Altagracia Province 6.0 155.0 , Minahasa Peninsula 6.6 185.0 , off the southeast coast of Kyushu 6.2 65.0 , Bacan Islands 6.2 25.0

December

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , southern Qinghai Province 6.1 15.8 , off the coast of Los Lagos Region 6.7 25.0 , Papua (province) 6.0 15.0 , Tolima Department 6.7 162.9 23 people were killed and major damage was caused. 23 , Hokkaido 6.0 118.0 , off the coast of Bio-Bio Region 6.1 25.0 , Wellington Region, North Island 6.4 20.0 , Rat Islands, Alaska 6.5 15.0

References