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Compare earthquakes

Choose two to four earthquakes and see their magnitude, depth, time and location side by side, and how much more energy and ground-motion amplitude a larger magnitude implies.

Data collected 2026-10-23 14:04 UTC · M4.5+ only · Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

1. Choose 2 to 4 earthquakes

2 of 4 selected. Showing the last 7 days. .

Earthquakes, newest first (135)

2. Compare

Magnitude relationships

Each row compares the larger earthquake with the smaller one. These are approximate relationships between magnitudes, not predictions of damage, of shaking at a place, or of tsunami risk.

  • M 7.0 191 km ENE of Nagqu, China vs M 6.3 197 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

    Magnitude difference
    0.7
    Energy released
    about 11× more
    Ground-motion amplitude
    about 5× larger

How the comparison works

Magnitude is logarithmic. For two earthquakes with magnitudes M1 and M2, the ground-motion amplitude recorded on a seismogram differs by about 10(M1−M2), and the radiated seismic energy differs by about 101.5×(M1−M2).

Approximate ratios for a given magnitude difference
DifferenceAmplitudeEnergy
0.11.3×1.4×
0.53.2×5.6×
1.010×32×
2.0100×1,000×

What this does not tell you. These are approximate relationships between reported magnitudes. They are not predictions of damage, of the shaking at any particular place, or of tsunami risk. Shaking depends on distance, depth, rock and soil, and building type; a deep large earthquake can be felt less strongly than a shallow smaller one. Magnitudes are rounded to one decimal, are preliminary, and USGS may revise them, so the ratios are shown to two significant figures.

USGS significance is a score USGS assigns from magnitude, reported shaking and estimated impact. It is shown as published and is not calculated here. Only earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and above are collected, so smaller events cannot be compared.