List of earthquakes in 1953
This is a list of earthquakes in 1953. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the list as they wouldn't have generated significant media interest. All dates are listed according to UTC time. This was a fairly active year. There were no great quakes above magnitude 8.0+ as experienced in previous years. Magnitude 7.0+ quakes numbered 12 in all. Japan led the way in magnitude terms. Other large quakes struck Chile, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Turkey. The quakes with the most human casualties were in Turkey, Iran and Greece with the vast majority of the death toll coming from these events.
Overall
By death toll
| Rank | Death toll | Magnitude | Location | Depth | Date |
| 1 | 1070 |  Balikesir Province, Turkey | |||
| 2 | 970 |  Semnan Province, Iran | |||
| 3 | 476 |  just east of Cephalonia, Greece | |||
| 4 | 40 |  off the west coast of Paphos, Cyprus | |||
| 5 | 37 | Edirne Province, Turkey |
- Note: At least 10 casualties
By magnitude
| Rank | Magnitude | Death toll | Location | Depth | Date |
| 1 | 1 |  off the southeast coast of Honshu, Japan | |||
| 2 | 9 |  Bio-Bio Region, Chile | |||
| 3 | 0 |  southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea | |||
| 3 | 3 | Antofagasta Region, Chile | |||
| 4 | 1070 | Balikesir Province, Turkey | |||
| 4 | 0 |  west of Saint Lucia | |||
| 4 | 6 |  off the coast of Tumbes Region, Peru | |||
| 5 | 0 |  Vanuatu | |||
| 6 | 0 | Torres Islands, Vanuatu | |||
| 7 | 0 |  Near Islands, Alaska | |||
| 7 | 0 |  Kermadec Islands, New Zealand |
- Note: At least 7.0 magnitude
Notable events
January
- A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Near Islands, Alaska on January 5 at a depth of 21.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Kuril Islands, Russia on January 5 at a depth of 49.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea on January 7 at a depth of 55.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Yukon Territory, Canada on January 11 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Kuril Islands, Russia on January 12 at a depth of 54.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck south of Hokkaido, Japan on January 19 at a depth of 44.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Molucca Sea, Indonesia on January 20 at a depth of 70.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Nippes, Haiti on January 25 at a depth of 35.0 km. Two people were killed and some damage was caused.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Islands on January 30 at a depth of 93.0 km.
February
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck south of Hokkaido, Japan on February 6 at a depth of 45.1 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Semnan Province, Iran on February 12 at a depth of 15.0 km. Nine-hundred and seventy people were killed.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the Dodecanese Islands, Greece on February 14 at a depth of 80.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Northern Mariana Islands on February 14 at a depth of 75.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Islands on February 26 at a depth of 25.0 km.
March
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Vanuatu on March 3 at a depth of 35.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina on March 4 at a depth of 581.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on March 5 at a depth of 52.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Kuril Islands, Russia on March 5 at a depth of 30.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southern Mindanao, Philippines on March 14 at a depth of 35.0 km.
- A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Balikesir Province, Turkey on March 18 at a depth of 10.0 km. One-thousand and seventy people died and property damage costs were around $3.57 million.
- A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck west of Saint Lucia on March 19 at a depth of 128.8 km.
April
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on April 1 at a depth of 10.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on April 1 at a depth of 20.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea on April 2 at a depth of 55.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan on April 4 at a depth of 28.4 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck east of Taiwan on April 5 at a depth of 35.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia on April 6 at a depth of 63.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Acre, Brazil on April 14 at a depth of 617.6 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Loreto Region, Peru on April 17 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Xizang Province, China on April 23 at a depth of 10.0 km.
- A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea on April 23 at a depth of 35.0 km. A tsunami was generated. Damage was relatively minor with costs of $13,000 being reported.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the west coast of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands on April 29 at a depth of 19.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Vanuatu on April 30 at a depth of 45.0 km.
May
- A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Yunnan Province, China on May 3 at a depth of 35.0 km. Some homes were destroyed.
- A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Bio-Bio Region, Chile on May 6 at a depth of 66.0 km. Nine people were killed and 26 were injured. Major damage was caused and costs reached around $500 million.
- A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the Gulf of Tomini, Indonesia on May 20 at a depth of 115.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck south of Hokkaido, Japan on May 26 at a depth of 49.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Hermanas Mirabal Province, Dominican Republic on May 31 at a depth of 16.7 km.
June
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the Banda Sea, Indonesia on June 10 at a depth of 50.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck south of Kodiak Island, Alaska on June 15 at a depth of 20.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck south of Fiji on June 16 at a depth of 113.9 km.
- A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Edirne Province, Turkey on June 18 at a depth of 35.0 km. The epicentre was very close to the Bulgaria border. Thirty-seven people died and some damage was caused.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck southwest of Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea on June 18 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck southern Kamchatka, Russia on June 23 at a depth of 48.4 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Flores, Indonesia on June 25 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Flores, Indonesia on June 26 at a depth of 25.0 km. This followed an identical magnitude quake the previous day and is an example of a doublet earthquake.
July
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the far northern Kuril Islands, Russia on July 1 at a depth of 53.4 km.
- A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Vanuatu on July 2 at a depth of 236.2 km.
- A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand on July 4 at a depth of 350.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck just off the eastern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea on July 6 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck northern Sumatra, Indonesia on July 7 at a depth of 238.6 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck southern Xinjiang Province, China on July 9 at a depth of 10.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Papua, Indonesia on July 12 at a depth of 28.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck south of Fiji on July 20 at a depth of 102.7 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck just east of Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan on July 21 at a depth of 37.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the Northern Mariana Islands on July 26 at a depth of 190.4 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the coast of El Salvador on July 29 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile on July 31 at a depth of 15.0 km.
August
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Antofagasta Region, Chile on August 9 at a depth of 117.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck just east of Cephalonia, Greece on August 9 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck just east of Cephalonia, Greece on August 11 at a depth of 10.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck just east of Cephalonia, Greece on August 12 at a depth of 10.0 km. With 476 people killed and 2,412 hurt, this was the most destructive of the earthquakes hitting the Ionian Islands at the time. About 27,773 homes were wrecked with property damage costs reaching around $100 million.
- A magnitude 6.2 aftershock struck just north of Zakynthos, Greece on August 12 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 aftershock struck east of Cephalonia, Greece on August 12 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Tonga on August 12 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Loyalty Islands on August 13 at a depth of 111.8 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southeast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea on August 25 at a depth of 30.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck central Hokkaido, Japan on August 27 at a depth of 169.9 km.
September
- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck east of Shumshu, Kuril Islands, Russia on September 4 at a depth of 56.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck just off the coast of Valparaiso Region, Chile on September 4 at a depth of 36.6 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck just off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on September 5 at a depth of 50.7 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Cankiri Province, Turkey on September 7 at a depth of 10.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck just off the west coast of Paphos, Cyprus on September 10 at a depth of 20.0 km. Forty deaths and 100 injuries were caused as well as the destruction of 500 homes.
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck south of Suva, the capitol of Fiji on September 14 at a depth of 10.0 km. Seven people were killed and 12 people were hurt. There was a localized tsunami in the area which contributed to the deaths and injuries. Some homes were destroyed. This was a rarity for Fiji as most of the earthquakes in the area are far deeper and therefore unlikely to cause damage.
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Tonga on September 17 at a depth of 35.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Kuril Islands, Russia on September 23 at a depth of 55.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand on September 29 at a depth of 310.8 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the far southern Gulf of California, Mexico on September 30 at a depth of 10.0 km.
October
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Bismarck Sea on October 6 at a depth of 20.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 foreshock struck western Xizang Province, China on October 8 at a depth of 10.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Kuril Islands, Russia on October 11 at a depth of 49.8 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck western Xizang Province, China on October 11 at a depth of 30.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the northern Gulf of California on October 13 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck southeast Hokkaido, Japan on October 14 at a depth of 113.2 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the southern tip of Cephalonia, Greece on October 21 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Potosi Department, Bolivia on October 27 at a depth of 271.9 km.
November
- A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck west of the Torres Islands, Vanuatu on November 4 at a depth of 35.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the Batu Islands, Indonesia on November 7 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on November 9 at a depth of 33.3 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on November 10 at a depth of 56.7 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Torres Islands, Vanuatu on November 13 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck off the southwest coast of Guatemala on November 17 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck off the southeast coast of Honshu, Japan on November 25 at a depth of 25.0 km. One death was reported. Some damage was caused and a small tsunami was recorded.
- A magnitude 6.5 aftershock struck off the southeast coast of Honshu, Japan on November 26 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.7 aftershock struck off the southeast coast of Honshu, Japan on November 26 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Fiji on November 27 at a depth of 15.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck northern Xinjiang Province, China on November 29 at a depth of 20.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Fiji on November 30 at a depth of 15.0 km.
December
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Ryukyu Islands, Japan on December 1 at a depth of 233.4 km.
- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Guerrero, Mexico on December 1 at an unknown depth.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck south of Fiji on December 1 at a depth of 499.4 km.
- A magnitude 6.6 earthquake Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea on December 2 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck western Xizang Province, China on December 3 at a depth of 30.0 km.
- A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Antofagasta Region, Chile on December 7 at a depth of 106.0 km. Three people died and damage costs were around $7.3 million.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan on December 7 at a depth of 35.0 km.
- A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Tumbes Region, Peru on December 12 at a depth of 25.0 km. Six people were killed and 20 were injured. Two-hundred homes were destroyed.
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Coquimbo Region, Chile on December 20 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the southeast coast of Honshu, Japan on December 20 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the west coast of Luzon, Philippines on December 22 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on December 24 at a depth of 25.0 km.
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia on December 25 at a depth of 35.0 km.