Earthquakes in Samoa

In Samoa there are very strong earthquakes with far-reaching consequences. Earthquakes with a magnitude of over 8.0 destroy numerous houses within a radius of several hundred kilometers and are causing great damage and devastation. Due to the special tectonic situation of the country, there are more earthquakes than average.

Other natural hazards in Samoa:
› Tsunamis
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide


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Earthquakes in Samoa since 1950

The strongest earthquake in Samoa happened on 09/29/2009 in the region Samoa Islands with a magnitude of 8.1 on the Richter scale. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami with further victims and destructions.
DateRegionTiefeMagnitudeDeathsTotal damage
09/29/2009Samoa Islands10 km8.10
09/28/2006Samoa Islands9 km6.90
04/07/1995Apia; American Samoa (Pago Pago; Niue)56 km7.40
09/01/1981Apia; American Samoa (Pago Pago)31 km7.70
04/02/1977Apia22 km7.60
12/26/1975Samoa Islands38 km7.80
04/14/1957Samoa Islands 7.50


These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.