This is a list of earthquakes in 1979. Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they result in damage and/or casualties, or are notable for some other reason. Events in remote areas will not be listed but included in statistics and maps. Countries are entered on the lists in order of their status in this particular year. 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 quiet year once again although there was a number of events which caused significant fatalities. The largest of only 8 magnitude 7.0+ events reached 7.9 and struck Indonesia in September. Ecuador was affected by a magnitude 7.7 in December which left 600 people dead. Other areas suffering from deadly events included Iran, Colombia, Indonesia and present day Montenegro.

By death toll Rank Death toll Magnitude Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , off the coast of Esmeraldas Province 2 Iran, South Khorasan Province 3 , South Khorasan Province 4 , Bar Municipality, Montenegro 5 , Yapen 6 , Valle del Cauca Department 7 , Jiangsu Province 8 , West Java 9 , Bali 10 , Bali 11 , Arequipa Region 12 Iran, South Khorasan Province Listed are earthquakes with at least 10 dead.

By magnitude Rank Magnitude Death toll Location MMI Depth (km) Date 1 , Yapen 2 , off the coast of Esmeraldas Province 3 , Guerrero 4 , off the south coast of South Island = 5 , southeast Alaska = 5 , Babuyan Islands = 5 , Makira = 5 Iran, South Khorasan Province Listed are earthquakes with at least 7.0 magnitude.

By month

January

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , South Khorasan Province 6.7 33.0 200 people were killed and at least 101 were injured. Some damage was caused. 200 101 , Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan 6.0 0.0 Nuclear test. , Guerrero 6.6 41.0 , Vanuatu 6.3 25.0 , Alaska Peninsula 6.0 17.0

February

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the southeast coast of Mindanao 6.1 142.0 , Alaska Peninsula 6.7 33.0 , Vanuatu 6.2 60.0 , Arequipa Region 6.9 53.0 18 people were killed and at least 51 were injured. Some damage was caused. 18 51 , off the east coast of Honshu 6.4 10.0 , southeast Alaska 7.1 15.0 Some damage was reported due to the 1979 Saint Elias earthquake.

March

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the north coast of Minahasa Peninsula 6.0 28.0 , Central Province (Papua New Guinea) 6.1 33.0 , Guerrero 7.6 49.0 The 1979 Petatlán earthquake killed 5 people and injured 35 . 200 homes were destroyed with property damage costs $30 million (1979 rate). 5 35 , Yunnan Province 6.2 33.0 , off the south coast 6.1 80.0

April

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , off the coast of Ulcinj Municipality, Montenegro 5.3 10.0 Foreshock to April 15 event. Some damage was caused. , Molucca Sea 6.8 37.0 , Bar Municipality, Montenegro 6.9 10.0 The 1979 Montenegro earthquake was one of the worst in the Balkan Peninsula. 131 people died and at least 1,001 were injured. Substantial property damage was caused with costs of $2.7 billion (1979 rate). 131 1,001 , Atacama Region 6.1 23.0

May

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Mindanao 6.0 23.0 , southeast of the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia 6.4 79.0 , Alaska Peninsula 6.4 71.0 Minor damage was caused. , Bali 5.7 76.0 Foreshock to May 30 event. Some damage was caused. , Puno Region 6.0 208.0 , Kotor Municipality, Montenegro 6.2 8.0 Aftershock of April 15 event. 65 people were hurt and some damage was caused. 65 , Bali 6.1 25.0 22 deaths were caused along with $4.15 million (1979 rate) in damage. 22

June

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Western Australia 6.1 6.0 Damage with costs of $1.5 million (1979 rate) was caused. , Oaxaca 6.3 107.0 , East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan 6.3 0.0 Nuclear test. , Madang Province 6.2 189.0 Some damage was caused.

July

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Chiriqui Province 6.5 28.0 $2 million (1979 rate) in damage were reported. , Kuril Islands, Russia 6.0 78.0 , Jiangsu Province 5.5 11.0 Despite being a moderate magnitude there was extensive damage caused by this event. 42 people were killed and 2,987 were injured. 113,909 rooms (homes) were destroyed and 272,884 were damaged. 11 bridges were damaged. 42 2,987 , Balikesir Province 5.2 10.0 200 homes were destroyed. , south of Java 6.9 31.0

August

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan 6.1 0.0 Nuclear test. , northern California 5.8 8.3 16 injuries were caused by the 1979 Coyote Lake earthquake. Some damage was caused in the area. Costs were $500,000 (1979 rate). 16 , off the northeast coast 6.1 588.0 , Vanuatu 6.1 17.0 , East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan 6.1 0.0 Nuclear test. , Badakhshan Province 6.1 229.0 , Puntarenas Province 6.4 40.0 , western Inner Mongolia 5.9 33.0 104 people were injured and 400 homes were destroyed. 104 , Vanuatu 6.0 10.0 , Babuyan Islands 7.1 15.0

September

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Yapen 7.9 5.0 During the 1979 Yapen earthquake, 115 people were killed and at least 101 were injured. Most of the deaths were from a tsunami which swept across nearby islands. 1,000 homes were destroyed. 115 101 Italy, Umbria 5.9 16.0 5 people were killed and at least 5,000 were injured. Major damage was caused. 5 5,000 , off the west coast of northern Sumatra 6.8 27.0

October

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Jutiapa Department 5.0 33.0 40 people were hurt and some damage was caused. 40 , off the south coast of South Island 7.4 33.0 , Baja California 6.4 15.0 The 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake caused major damage in the area. 91 people were injured. Extensive damage was caused to buildings and infrastructure. Costs were $30 million (1979 rate). 91 , Biak 6.0 33.0 Aftershock of September 12 event. , Bali 6.2 38.0 2 people were killed and 40 were hurt. Some damage was caused. 2 40 , Makira 7.1 22.0 , offshore Escuintla Department 6.8 58.0 VII 4 deaths were caused as well as 20 injuries in El Salvador. 3 people were hurt in Guatemala. Some damage was caused. Doublet earthquake. 4 23 , offshore Escuintla Department 6.6 65.0 , East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan 6.0 0.0 Nuclear test.

November

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , Vanuatu 6.1 33.0 , West Java 6.1 62.0 30 people were killed and 200 were injured. Damage costs of $16 million (1979 rate) were reported. 30 200 , Epirus (region) 5.4 40.0 1 person died and 3 were injured. Major damage was caused. 1 3 6.1 30.0 , Vanuatu 6.1 45.0 , off the south coast of Sumatra 6.3 47.0 6.6 32.0 Iran, South Khorasan Province 6.6 33.0 Foreshock to the 1979 Ghaenat earthquakes mainshock on November 27. 350 deaths were caused along with major damage. 350 6.9 33.0 Some damage was reported. , Mindanao 6.1 85.0 , Valle del Cauca Department 6.4 108.0 72 people were killed and 600 were injured. $20 million (1979 rate) in damage was reported. 72 600 Iran, South Khorasan Province 7.1 10.0 In the 1979 Ghaenat earthquakes, 17 people died and 24 were injured. Major damage was caused. 17 24

December

+DateCountry and location Mw Depth (km) MMINotes Casualties Dead Injured , East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan 6.0 0.0 Nuclear test. Iran, South Khorasan Province 6.0 31.0 Aftershock of November 27 event. Further damage was reported. , off the coast of Esmeraldas Province 8.2 24.0 Deadliest event of 1979. 600 people were killed in the 1979 Tumaco earthquake and a tsunami which was generated. 20,000 people were injured. 10,000 homes were destroyed and costs reached $8 million (1979 rate). 600 20,000 , southern Sumatra 6.6 33.0 8 people were killed and 162 were hurt. 2,500 homes were destroyed. 8 162 , off the east coast of Bali 6.3 33.0 The 1979 Bali earthquake left 27 people dead and 200 were injured. Some damage was caused. 27 200 , East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan 6.0 0.0 Nuclear test. , Cumbria, England 4.5 10.0 Some minor damage was caused in the area.

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