This is a list of earthquakes in 1946. 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. Several great shocks affected the planet in 1946. The largest was one of the most significant in human terms. The quake itself was a magnitude 8.6 striking on April 1 in Alaska resulting in a tsunami mainly affecting Hawaii. The consequence of this apart from many deaths was the foundation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. This organisation has helped to substantially reduce the death toll of tsunamis in the Pacific, although there have been a few exceptions, including the 2011 Japan event. Japan itself was heavily affected in 1946 by a large quake hitting in December, causing 1,362 deaths. The Dominican Republic was another nation that suffered great destruction in August. Turkey, Peru, and Turkmenistan all saw earthquakes causing many deaths. In general, 1946 was a busy year, with 21 events measuring above 7.0 and three exceeding a magnitude of 8.0.
This was one of the largest events of all time. The 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake caused a large tsunami that resulted in major destruction on Hawaii. 167 people were killed and property damage was $26 million (1946 rate). The disaster prompted the formation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The 1946 Dominican Republic earthquake was one of the worst disasters to hit the country. The earthquake caused few deaths however a major tsunami left 1,790 people dead. Many homes were destroyed.
The 1946 Nankai earthquake was one of the largest quakes to hit Japan. The south coast is vulnerable to Nankai megathrust earthquakes. 1,362 people were killed and 2,600 were injured. 36,000 homes were destroyed. A tsunami washed the shoreline contributing to the devastation with wave heights around 20 feet.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^Ambraseys, N. N.; Melville, C. P. (February 10, 1946). "The Seismicity of Kuhistan, Iran". The Geographical Journal. 143 (2). JSTOR: 179–199. doi:10.2307/1795872. JSTOR1795872.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 6.3 – Taiwan region". United States Geological Survey. June 2, 1946. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
^"M 6.3 – Taiwan region". United States Geological Survey. June 2, 1946. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 6.9 – Atacama, Chile". United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1946. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
^"M 6.9 – Atacama, Chile". United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1946. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 6.5 – Solomon Islands". United States Geological Survey. August 11, 1946. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
^"M 6.1 – central Peru". United States Geological Survey. September 30, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
^"M 6.1 – central Peru". United States Geological Survey. September 30, 1946. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 7.5 – Kyrgyzstan". United States Geological Survey. November 2, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
^"M 7.5 – Kyrgyzstan". United States Geological Survey. November 2, 1946. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 6.9 – Turkmenistan". United States Geological Survey. November 4, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
^"M 6.9 – Turkmenistan". United States Geological Survey. November 4, 1946. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 6.4 – western Xizang". United States Geological Survey. November 6, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
^"M 6.4 – western Xizang". United States Geological Survey. November 6, 1946. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^"M 6.8 – central Peru". United States Geological Survey. November 10, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
^"M 6.8 – central Peru". United States Geological Survey. November 10, 1946. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^"M 6.9 – Tonga". United States Geological Survey. November 12, 1946. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
^"M 6.6 – Taiwan region". United States Geological Survey. December 4, 1946. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
^"M 6.6 – Taiwan region". United States Geological Survey. December 4, 1946. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Significant Earthquake Information". doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service: NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. "Tsunami Event Information". doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Retrieved March 23, 2024.