This is a list of earthquakes in 1974. 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. Activity was once again below average with 11 events reaching magnitude 7+. The largest came in October in Peru when a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Lima. Other magnitude 7.0+ events shook the Caribbean, China and the southwest Pacific Islands. Two events dominated the 25,000 deaths during 1974. China was struck by a magnitude 6.8 event in May with upwards of 20,000 deaths. At the end of the year, Pakistan was struck by a modest 6.2 magnitude earthquake causing 5,300 deaths. Gabon in central Africa was hit by a rare earthquake in September.
Overall
By death toll
Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Sichuan Province 2 , Kyhber Pakhtunkhwa 3 8.1 , off the coast of Lima 4 , off the south coast of Honshu 5 , Darien Province 6 , Lima Region Note: At least 10 casualties
By magnitude
Rank Magnitude Death toll Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , off the coast of Lima 2 = 3 , Darien Province = 3 , western Xinjiang Province = 4 , Vanuatu = 4 , Kermadec Islands = 4 , D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Papua New Guinea = 4 , off the coast of Lima = 5 , Solomon Islands = 5 , Araucania Region 6 , Solomon Islands Note: At least 7.0 magnitude
Notable events
January
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Antofagasta Region 7.0 105.0 Some damage to buildings. 3 , Lima Region 6.6 98.0 Ten people were killed and at least 101 were injured. Major damage in the Lima–Yauyos area. 10 101+ , Tucumán 6.0 10.0 Southwest Indian Ridge 6.1 10.0 , Vanuatu 6.7 34.0 Aftershock of December 28, 1973 event. , Vanuatu 6.3 35.0 Aftershock of December 28, 1973 event. offshore, Hokkaido 6.5 30.0 , Pagan region 6.0 138.6 , Aru Islands 6.4 30.0 , Solomon Islands 7.3 30.0 A tsunami was recorded on Choiseul Island. , Bougainville 6.2 62.0
February
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , İzmir Province 5.4 29.0 Two people were killed and 20 were injured. 2 20 , Solomon Islands 7.4 40.0 Shaking and tsunami damage on Choiseul and Shortland islands. , Maluku 6.0 25.0 , Unimak Island, Alaska 6.4 10.0 , Tafea 6.0 17.2 , Gorontalo 6.0 132.2 , Andaman Islands 6.1 25.0 , Luzon 6.4 17.0 , Wakayama 6.6 390.3 , off the north coast of North Island 6.5 20.0 , off the west coast 6.3 46.0
March
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Chiba 6.0 50.0 , Vanuatu 6.1 17.0 , Managua 6.1 122.7 Banda Sea 6.3 10.0 , Solomon Islands 6.6 30.0 , Kuril Islands 6.1 156.0 6.1 44.4 6.2 32.4 7.0 521.1 6.2 14.4 6.2 70.2
April
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Santander Department 5.2 24.0 4 people were killed and 10 were injured. Some damage was caused. 4 10 , Jiangsu Province 5.5 33.0 Minor damage. , south of 6.1 45.0
May
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured 6.1 35.0 , off the south coast of Honshu 6.4 11.2 30 102 Indian Ocean, Prince Edward Islands region 6.2 15.0 Pacific Ocean, central East Pacific Rise 6.1 15.0 , Sichuan Province 6.7 11.0 20,000 , North Sulawesi 6.3 45.0 6.5 35.0 6.0 10.0 , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.4 60.5 , Junin Region 6.1 111.0 , Okinawa 6.0 25.0 , West Java 6.4 131.0 , Vanuatu 6.2 13.0 Foreshock. , Gulf of California 6.3 33.0
June
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Sucre (state) 6.1 34.0 5 people were killed and at least 1 person was injured. Some damage was caused with costs reaching $2.5 million (1974 rate). 5 1+ , Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.1 33.0 Some damage was caused. , off the east coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea 6.1 70.0
July
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Tarija Department 5.9 13.0 Some damage was reported. , Kermadec Islands 7.2 33.0 , Kermadec Islands 6.6 33.0 Aftershock. , Govi-Altai Province 6.7 33.0 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.0 35.0 , Darien Province 7.3 12.0 11 people were killed and at least 1 person was injured. Some damage was caused. 11 1+ , Badakhshan Province 6.5 211.0
August
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Chiba Prefecture, Honshu 5.6 58.0 2 people died and 17 were injured. Some damage was caused. 2 17 , off the east coast of 6.0 32.0 , western Xinjiang Province 7.3 9.0 , Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan 6.1 9.0 Aftershock of China event. , Araucania Region 7.1 36.0 Some damage was caused.
September
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the south coast of Java 6.5 33.0 , Ogooue-Lolo Province 6.2 33.0 Some damage was caused. , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.7 43.0
October
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the coast of Lima 8.1 13.0 78 2,414 6.9 35.2 4 , southern Sumatra 6.1 80.1 , D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Papua New Guinea 7.1 48.0 , Vanuatu 6.3 36.0 , Banda Sea 7.5 157.2
November
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the south coast of Hokkaido 6.0 132.0 , off the coast of Lima 7.2 6.0 Aftershock of October 3 event. , Sunda Strait 6.1 51.0 , off the west coast of New Ireland (island), Papua New Guinea 6.1 18.0 , off the east coast of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu 6.9 33.0
December
+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Hormozgan Province 5.4 36.0 Some damage was caused. , Banda Sea 6.5 33.0 , south of Nias 6.9 20.0 , Ucayali Region 6.0 162.0 , Mentawai Islands 6.8 33.0 , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 6.2 22.0 5,300 people were killed and 17,000 were hurt in the 1974 Pattan earthquake. Many homes were damaged or destroyed. Costs were $3.255 million (1974 rate). 5,300 17,000 , off the west coast 6.1 39.0
References