This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Whenever there's a series of destructive or notable earthquakes, scientists get asked the same question: Are earthquakes becoming more frequent? Over the past three months, multiple large earthquakes have occurred near population centers around the world, resulting in devastating impacts on people and infrastructure: In addition, there have been moderate-sized earthquakes on Hawai'i Island (M6.0) and in Granada, Spain (M5.2) that have caused minor to moderate damage.
To answer that question, we need to look at the data. Earth is a dynamic planet, and there are always earthquakes occurring somewhere. Most are too small or too far away to feel and go unnoticed by most people.
However, there is a large earthquake somewhere (greater than M6.5) about every eight days on average. This means there are usually around 46 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or greater each year. As of Aug. 21, there have been 26 earthquakes of M6.5 or more in 2026, shown as yellow dots in the global map above.
Statistically, the number of M6.5 or larger earthquakes so far this year is on track to be slightly fewer than average and slightly below the annual frequency over the past 40 years, which is shown by the dashed line in this chart. Earthquakes are primarily clustered along tectonic plate boundaries and are caused by the motion of these plates. These regions have higher seismic hazard, such as near the well-known San Andreas Fault in California, the Alpine Fault in New Zealand, the southern Caribbean and around the edge of the Pacific plate, the so-called Ring of Fire, where volcanoes are another geohazard.
To improve our understanding of earthquakes and their hazards, we monitor and record earthquakes globally, but also strategically install sensitive instruments in seismically active regions. Over the past few decades, the data from these instruments have dramatically increased, while new technologies and methodologies have been developed to learn more about earthquakes. We have more data to better detect and locate earthquakes, but there are not more events.
We know this because the average number of large earthquakes in our catalogs remains constant. Scientists have been able to catalog the largest earthquakes for a very long time. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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