Are earthquakes in 2026 more frequent than before?

Over the past month, three earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher struck Indonesia, Colombia, and Mexico, killing hundreds of people. In June, two powerful quakes just seconds apart flattened parts of northern Venezuela.

This string of disasters raises a familiar question after every major tremor: Is the Earth shaking more than before?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the world records about 20,000 earthquakes each year, an average of 55 per day. However, most are too weak to be felt. Only when quakes reach magnitude 6 or higher does widespread damage typically occur.

The 10 largest earthquakes of 2026

The Philippines recorded the strongest earthquake of 2026, a magnitude 7.8 off Mindanao in June, killing more than 100 people. Two quakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 in Venezuela, also in June, claimed more than 6,300 lives. The most recent quakes in Mexico (July), Colombia, and Indonesia (August) were all magnitude 7.4 or stronger.

A decade of earthquakes and where 2026 stands

From 2016 to 2025, the world averaged 133 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or higher each year. The lowest was 99 in 2024, and the highest was 157 in 2021.

As of mid-August this year, there have been 91 quakes of magnitude 6 or above globally, including 11 above magnitude 7. Both figures are slightly above the pace of the past decade but remain within normal bounds. No quake has reached magnitude 8 or 9, the most destructive levels.

What makes an earthquake deadly depends more on location than magnitude. Depth, distance from cities, and building resilience matter more than the number on the scale. The deadliest quakes over the past decade often were not the strongest but those occurring beneath populated centers.

Is there an 'earthquake season'?

No. Long-term data show earthquakes occur year-round with no seasonal pattern. Scientists have never predicted the exact timing of a major quake because tectonic stress builds along fault lines over decades or centuries, unrelated to any 12-month cycle. Aftershocks can last months or even years after a large quake.

Instead of predicting individual quakes, seismologists calculate the probability of major temblors in a region over many years, work that underpins building codes. They also run early-warning systems to alert people as soon as a quake begins.

How do earthquakes happen?

Simply put, earthquakes occur when the Earth's crust shakes. The outermost shell is divided into tectonic plates, about 100 km thick, that move slowly over the hot, slowly churning mantle rock below, pulling and pushing the plates over millions of years.

Tectonic plates are always moving, but their edges often lock together, accumulating stress until rock breaks along faults that can stretch hundreds of kilometers. Many faults are well mapped, but others are only discovered when they rupture.

Where do earthquakes occur?

The most seismically active region is the Pacific Ring of Fire, accounting for about 90% of global quakes. It runs along the Americas' western edge, up to Russia's Far East, and down through Southeast Asia and New Zealand, including Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Quakes can also strike outside the Ring. The Alpide belt, stretching from Java through the Himalayas to Turkey and the Mediterranean, produces 17% of the world's largest quakes. Additionally, rare tremors can occur along ancient faults far from plate boundaries.

How are earthquakes measured?

Magnitude is measured on the moment magnitude scale, reflecting energy released at the epicenter. The scale is logarithmic, meaning each step up corresponds to shaking about 10 times stronger and roughly 32 times more energy released.

Quakes of 4.0–4.9 are considered light but can cause minor damage. A magnitude 5 quake can cause moderate damage to buildings. A 6.0 is often considered strong, releasing about 1,000 times the energy of a 4.0. A 7.0 is a major quake, capable of significant loss of life and infrastructure. Anything 8.0 or above is classified as great, able to nearly destroy a large area.

The largest earthquakes ever recorded

The strongest quake ever recorded was magnitude 9.5 in Valdivia, Chile, on May 22, 1960, generating tsunamis across the Pacific. Four years later, a 9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, became the second-strongest in history.

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1–9.3 quake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed about 228,000 people across the Indian Ocean.