Last Updated on 4 August 2025 by Johan
Europe experiences moderate seismic activity, averaging one to five major earthquakes (magnitude ≥ 7.0) per decade. Since 1900, at least 136 such events have been recorded, primarily along active mountain belts and continental margins.
Seismic Zones in Europe
- Alpine–Himalayan Belt: stretches from the Atlantic’s Azores–Gibraltar Fault through the Alps, Carpathians, Balkans and into Turkey.
- Mediterranean Subduction Zones: southern Italy, Greece and Cyprus lie above convergent plate boundaries.
- Vrancea Zone (Romania): deep-focus earthquakes beneath the Carpathians generate some of the continent’s strongest tremors.
- North Anatolian Fault (Turkey): one of the most active strike-slip systems in Eurasia.
- Intraplate Regions: central and northern Europe record occasional light quakes due to ancient fault reactivation.
- Off-shore Transform Systems: Azores–Gibraltar, North Sea and Barents Sea margins host moderate seismicity.
Top 10 Largest Earthquakes in or Near Europe Since 1900
| # | Date | Magnitude | Location | Depth (km) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 May 1975 | 7.9 | North Atlantic, 347 km N of Porto Santo Island, Madeira (PT) | 33 | No major damage reported |
| 2 | 06 Feb 2023 | 7.8 | 38 km NW of Gaziantep, Turkey | 10 | Extensive aftershocks; regional building damage |
| 3 | 17 Aug 1999 | 7.6 | 4 km ESE of Derince, Turkey | 17 | Over 17,000 fatalities, widespread infrastructure loss |
| 4 | 09 Jul 1956 | 7.7 | Dodecanese Islands, Greece | 20 | Dozens of casualties, structural damage |
| 5 | 23 Mar 1977 | 7.5 | Spulber, Vrancea, Romania | 94 | Several hundred killed, significant urban destruction |
| 6 | 06 Feb 2023 | 7.5 | 22 km S of Elbistan, Kahramanmaras, Turkey | 7.4 | Thousands of deaths, mass evacuations |
| 7 | 25 May 1975 | 7.9 | North Atlantic, 347 km N of Porto Santo Island, Portugal | 33 | Same event as #1 (dual cataloguing) |
| 8 | 31 Mar 1970 | 7.2 | Western Turkey | 25 | Hundreds killed, major damage to towns and roads |
| 9 | 22 Jul 1967 | 7.2 | Western Turkey | 30 | Over 2,000 fatalities, thousands injured |
| 10 | 01 Jan 1999 | 7.2 | Western Turkey | 10 | Part of 1999 Marmara sequence; heavy urban losses |
Data compiled from VolcanoDiscovery’s historical catalog since 1900.
Consequences and Mitigation
Major earthquakes in Europe have demonstrated the critical need for strict building standards and rapid response frameworks. In high-risk areas—such as Turkey’s Marmara region, Greece’s islands and Romania’s Vrancea zone—modern seismic codes are enforced, and networks of accelerometers feed real-time alerts through the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). Cross-border cooperation under EU Civil Protection Mechanism ensures resource sharing and coordinated disaster relief.