This is a list of earthquakes in 1963. 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. Maximum intensities are indicated on the Mercalli intensity scale and are sourced from United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap data. A fairly active year with 17 events reaching above magnitude 7.0. The intensity of the events was stronger with 2 measuring above magnitude 8. Both events came within 3 weeks of each other. The strongest of 1963 was in the Kuril Islands, Russia and was magnitude 8.5. Macedonia had by far the most of the 1,488 fatalities. A fairly modest magnitude 6.0 event in July resulted in 1,070 deaths and substantial destruction. Libya had one of the worst events in its history in February. Again a fairly moderate magnitude 5.6 ended up with 300 deaths in the area.

Overall

By death toll

Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Skopje, Macedonia 2 , Marj District 3 , Kermanshah Province 4 , off the east coast of Taiwan Note: At least 10 casualties

By magnitude

Rank Magnitude Death toll Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Kuril Islands, Russia 2 , Banda Sea 3 , Kuril Islands, Russia 4 , Puno Region = 5 , Acre (state) = 5 , south of Fiji 6 , Morobe Province, Papua and New Guinea 7 , Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands 8 , Kermadec Islands = 9 , off the east coast of Taiwan = 9 , east of the Kuril Islands, Russia = 9 Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands = 10 , south of Halmahera = 10 , south of Halmahera = 11 Fiji = 11 , Kuril Islands, Russia = 11 , Java Sea Note: At least 7.0 magnitude

Notable events

January

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , south of Alaska Peninsula 6.4 74.8 , Papua (province) 6.0 25.0 , West Timor 6.0 35.0 , off the east coast of Mindanao 6.0 50.0 , west of New Hanover Island, Papua and New Guinea 6.5 35.0 , south of Alaska Peninsula 6.6 35.0 , northwest of Ryukyu Islands 6.7 50.0

February

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Araucanía Region 6.4 25.0 , Araucanía Region 6.0 25.0 Aftershock. , off the east coast of 7.2 30.0 The 1963 Su-ao earthquake left 15 people dead and another 18 were injured. Some homes were destroyed. 15 18 , Solomon Islands 6.4 20.0 , Barat Daya Islands 6.6 220.0 , Madang Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.1 64.7 , Marj District 5.6 25.0 300 people were killed and a further 375 were injured in the 1963 Marj earthquake. Many homes were damaged or destroyed. Costs reached $5 million (1963 rate). 300 375 , Morobe Province, Papua and New Guinea 7.5 186.6 , West New Britain Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.7 35.0

March

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the east coast 6.3 20.0 , off the north coast 6.1 15.0 , off the east coast 6.1 15.0 Aftershock. , east of the Kuril Islands, Russia 7.2 15.0 , northeast of Sumba 6.3 20.0 , Kermanshah Province 6.0 20.0 100 people were killed and major damage was caused. 100 , Kermadec Islands 7.3 10.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.5 15.0 Aftershock. , off the west coast of Honshu 6.3 15.0 , off the north coast of 6.9 10.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.6 35.0 Aftershock. , West New Britain Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.1 35.0

April

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the west coast of Sumatra 6.1 59.4 , Timor 6.0 70.0 , San Martin Region 6.5 119.8 , Papua (province) 6.1 46.9 , south of Halmahera 7.1 30.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , south of Halmahera 7.1 30.0 , southern Qinghai Province 6.7 20.0 A few homes were damaged or destroyed. , Yunnan Province 5.8 30.0 Some homes were destroyed. , Halmahera 6.0 28.8 Aftershock. , southeast of Halmahera 6.3 60.0 Aftershock.

May

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Vanuatu 6.8 142.9 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.2 46.5 , León Department 5.6 50.0 Some damage was caused. , Morona-Santiago Province 6.6 20.0 , Kodiak Island, Alaska 6.0 36.6 , San Juan Province, Argentina 6.0 15.0 , Aysén Region 6.4 15.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.8 65.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.9 30.0 , Kamchatka, Russia 6.1 30.0

June

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , south of Halmahera 6.1 30.0 6.0 20.0 , Talaud Islands 6.1 65.0 , Heilongjiang Province 5.9 35.0 Some damage was reported. , Cook Inlet, Alaska 6.3 45.0 , Xinjiang Province 6.0 95.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.9 25.0

July

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , south of Fiji 6.8 181.3 , off the south coast 6.0 35.0 , Abkhazia, Georgia 6.4 30.0 Ligurian Sea 6.3 15.0 Ligurian Sea 6.1 15.0 This came a minute after the last event. , Skopje, Socialist Republic of Macedonia 6.0 15.0 This event struck directly under Skopje. 1,070 people were killed and 3,300 were injured. Extensive damage was caused with costs being $1 billion (1963 rate). 1,070 3,300 , Kermadec Islands 6.6 25.0 rowspan="2"| Doublet earthquake. , Kermadec Islands 6.5 25.0

August

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , East New Britain Province, Papua and New Guinea 6.0 50.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.5 35.0 , Puno Region 7.7 550.0 Some damage was reported. , south of Kyushu 6.4 35.0 , Fiji 7.0 570.0 , southern Xinjiang Province 6.5 15.0 1 person died and 40 homes were destroyed. 1 , off the north coast 6.6 25.0

September

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , New Ireland (island), Papua and New Guinea 6.2 15.0 , Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands 7.4 35.0 A large event followed a couple of days later. This is an example of a doublet earthquake. , off the central coast 6.0 68.0 Foreshock. , Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands 7.2 45.0 , eastern Sea of Marmara 6.2 30.0 1 person was killed and at least 51 were injured. 7 homes were destroyed and 163 were damaged. 1 51+ , off the central coast 6.9 64.1 1 person was killed and some damage was caused. 1

October

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the east coast of Kyushu 6.2 35.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 7.0 37.5 Foreshock. , Kuril Islands, Russia 8.5 35.0 The 1963 Kuril Islands earthquake caused some property damage. A tsunami was observed. , Seram 6.0 25.0 , Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Tajikistan 6.5 35.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 7.8 28.2 Aftershock. 6.3 16.5

November

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Amazonas Region 6.2 25.0 , Banda Sea 8.1 65.0 Some damage was caused. , Papua (province) 6.3 25.0 , Acre (state) 7.6 590.7 , Acre (state) 6.3 593.9 Aftershock. , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.5 21.2 Aftershock. , Gulf of California 6.4 15.0 , Gulf of California 6.1 15.0 Aftershock.

December

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Antofagasta Region 6.3 35.0 , Java Sea 7.0 661.5 , Sunda Strait 6.5 45.0 Some homes were damaged. , south of Fiji 7.6 55.0

References