List of earthquakes in 1968
| Strongest magnitude | Japan, off the east coast of Honshu (Magnitude 8.2) May 16 |
|---|---|
| Deadliest | Iran, South Khorasan province (Magnitude 7.1) August 31 10,488 deaths |
| Total fatalities | 12,081 |
| Number by magnitude | |
| 9.0+ | 0 |
This is a list of earthquakes in 1968. 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. Maximum intensities are indicated on the Mercalli intensity scale and are sourced from United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap data. There was a large resurgence in activity in 1968. 22 magnitude 7.0+ earthquakes struck various parts of the planet. The largest of these was a magnitude 8.2 event in Japan in May. Large aftershocks struck the area following the mainshock. New Zealand and Indonesia had some upheaval during the year. The high activity contributed to over 12,000 deaths across the world. The vast majority of this total was caused by a destructive event in Iran in August with nearly 10,500 deaths. Events in the Philippines, Italy and Indonesia also had significant fatalities.