Open Earth

On this day: 13 March

The deadliest recorded disaster on 13 March was the 1992 magnitude 6.9 earthquake near Erzincan, which killed 653 people.

Historic disasters

14

Recorded deaths

831

Eruptions began

17

Major events since 1900

20

Disasters on 13 March in history

Damaging earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions from the NOAA Natural Hazards database, deadliest first.

  • M6.9 earthquake, Erzincan

    13 March 1992Turkey653 killed2,000 injured$750m damage

  • M6.5 earthquake, Yunnan: Tengchong

    13 March 1577China170 killed

  • M5.1 earthquake, Guatemala

    13 March 1976Guatemala4 killed50 injured

  • M5.1 earthquake, Tharrawaddy

    13 March 2017Myanmar (Burma)2 killed36 injured

  • M6.9 earthquake, Coquimbo, la Serena

    13 March 1975ChileTriggered a tsunami2 killed25 injured

  • M6.3 earthquake, Southwestern

    13 March 2014Japan18 injured

  • M6.0 earthquake, Saravan

    13 March 2005Iran

  • M7.5 earthquake, Yokohama

    13 March 1909JapanTriggered a tsunami

  • Earthquake, Limache, Almendral

    13 March 1896Chile

  • Ritter Island eruption (VEI 2)

    13 March 1888Papua New Guinea

  • Tsunami, Ritter Island

    13 March 1888Papua New GuineaWaves up to 15 m

  • Tsunami, Albanian Coasts

    13 March 1866Albania

  • Earthquake, Coiapo

    13 March 1846Chile

  • Earthquake, Switzerland

    13 March 1584Switzerland

Major events from our live records

Big earthquakes and major disasters on 13 March in recent decades.

Eruptions that began on 13 March

From the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program eruption record.

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