List of important earthquakes in Algeria between 1365 and 1990 

Location

Date

Io

M

Deaths.

Observations

Algiers

03-01-1365

Large

Large

Many

Destructive⁽⁷⁾: Algiers was totally destroyed. 100 aftershocks during the night. Sea-wave flooded part of Algiers

Algiers

10-03-1673

Large

Large

?

Destructive⁽⁷⁾: Comparable to 1716 earthquake. 71 aftershocks

At. Méti.

03-02-1716

X

7.5⁽¹⁾

20000

Destructive: Algiers: Many houses aftershocks (4, 5 and 26-02 and during mai a juin).

Algiers

29-11-1722

Large

Large

Many

Severe shock in Algiers⁽⁷⁾ Little damage. 75 km SW of Algiers: many houses destroyed. Several people killed. Similar to the 1716 earthquake.

Oran (T)

09-10-1790

LX-X⁽⁶⁾

6.5-7.5⁽¹⁾

2000

Destructive⁽⁶⁾: damages at bottom of Murdjajo mountain. 3 strong aftershocks: 19-10(Io = V): 21/10(Io = V); 25/10(Io = VI-VII). Felt at Malte.

Mascara

-03-1819

IX

6.5⁽¹⁾

?

Serious damages at Mascara and few damages at Oran.

Blida

02-03-1825

X-XI

7.5⁽¹⁾

7000

Destruction of Blinda and few damages at Algiers. 11violents aftershocks between 2 and 6/03.

Djijeli (T)

22-08-1856

X

7.5⁽¹⁾

?

Destructive^{(9)(15)(16)(17)}: Tsunamis felt in a radius of about 700 km (Algiers, La Calle, Batna, Nice, St. Pierre de Sardaigne, Mahon, …). Foreshock (21/08). The foreshock and main shock destroyed 3/4 of the houses in Djijeli and seriously damaged the rest of the town. Aftershocks until October. Important aftershock (Io = VIII).

Kherba

09-03-1858

IX

6.5⁽⁸⁾

?

Destructive⁽⁸⁾: Totally destroyed the region between El Attaf and Ain Della and damages extended to the northeast of Cheliff river. It was strongly felt at least 110 km away. Widely felt in the Mitidja plain.

Aftershocks: 12/03 and 14/05.

Mitidja

02-01-1867

X-XI

7.5⁽¹⁾

0100

Destructive⁽¹²⁾: Mouzaia was totally destroyed. 160 injuries. Felt at Blinda, El Affroun, Oued Djer, Borkiba, Kolea, Boufarik, Cherchell, Tipasa, Marengo, Douera, Alger, Médéa, Duperré….

Ground deformation at Dj. Nador. Foreshocks. 20 aftershocks until 09/01. Strong aftershock (29/6).  

Au.Biskra

16-11-1869

IX

6.5⁽¹⁾

0030

Damages⁽¹³⁾ at Biskra and in vicinity Felt at Batna and Sétif. Vertical movement observed. 11 aftershocks between 16-20/11.

Gouraya

15-01-1891

X

7.5(1)

0038

Destructive⁽¹⁴⁾: Serious damages: Gouraya and Ville Bourg was totally destroyed. 53 buildings and houses destroyed or damaged. Damages at Cherehell, Kherba, El Affroun, Mouzaia, Blida, Milliana, Orleans Ville. Vertical movement observed at Gouraya. Felt at Saida, Djelfa. Strong aftershocks Macro seismic radius = 200 kms.

El Kalaâ

S. el Ghouz.
(Aumale)

29-11-1887

24-06-1910

IX-X (VIII)⁽⁴⁾

X (VIII)⁽³⁾

6.5-7.5⁽¹⁾

6.4⁽²⁾(6.6)⁽³⁾

0020

0081

Destructive⁽⁵⁾: El-Kalaâ and Dehba: several houses and the mosque was destroyed. Thiouanet: serious damages (80 houses were totally destroyed). Felt at Oran, Arzew, Relizane, Mostaganem, and Mascara. Strong aftershock occurred few mn after (see text).

Importants⁽³⁾ damages at El Euch, Tablat and Masque ray. Local villages in the plain of Gachtulas were totally destroyed. Aftershocks until January 1911, large aftershocks (20/08, M = 4.8 and 07/01/1911, M = 5.5).

A. el Hassan
(Cavaignac)

25-08-1922

IX-X

5.1⁽²⁾

0002

Destructive: Cavaignac was totally destroyed. Vertical movement (1m) observed. Felt at Flatters, Hanoteau, Montenotte, Ténès (VIII) and at Orléans ville, Churchill (VI)….

El At.-El Ab.
(Carnot)

07-09-1934

IX(VII) ⁽⁸⁾

5.0⁽⁸⁾

no vic.

Damages at Carnot St. Cyprien and El Attaf. Landslides have been observed at month of Carnot.

Felt at Algiers, 92 aftershocks between 05-30/09.

Bejaïa

12-02-1946

VIII-IX

5.6⁽²⁾

0264

1000 houses destroyed. 112 injuries.

Chlef

(Orléanville: El-Asnam)

09-09-1954

X-XI

6.7⁽²⁾

1243

Destructive: 20,000 building destroyed. Landslides and liquefaction of the ground. Maximum vertical movement(10) has been measured (1.33 m) in vicinity of Ouled Abbas. Many aftershocks.

FM: 254, 30, 266

M’sila

21-02-1960

VIII

5.6⁽²⁾

0047

Damages at Mélouza. 88 injuries.

M’sila

01-01-1965

VIII

5.5⁽²⁾

0005

1300 houses destroyed. FM: 193, 9, 288.

Mansourah⁽¹⁾

24-11-1973

VII

5.1

.0004

Damages at Mansourah, Medjana. El Mehir and Theniet Enasr. 50 injuries. Many reported missing.

Aftershocks (24-25-26/11).

List of Recent earthquakes

Chlef

(Orléanville: El-Asnam)

10-10-1980

IX

7.3⁽²⁾

2633

Destructive: 8369 injuries, 348 reported missing. 6,778,948 disaster victims, 70% of buildings destroyed. Seismogenic thrust fault has been observed (36 km). Maximum vertical movement⁽¹¹⁾ has been measured (6 m) between Zebabdja and Ouled Abbas. Strong aftershock 1 hour after (M = 6.5) and many aftershocks (1 year) FM: 225, 54, 83, 2.20²⁶

Constantine(1)

(near El-Khroub village)

27-10-1985

VIII

5.9⁽²⁾

0010

Few damages at El-Aria, Béni Yakoub more than 300 injuries. Surface ruptures. Strike-slip fault. Many aftershocks (more 1 month). FM: 217, 84, 19, 5.2 10^24.

El Affroun

31-10-1988

VII

5.4⁽²⁾

no vic.

Many damages. 500 disastered families and 5 injuries.

Dj. Chenoua⁽¹⁾

29-10-1989

VIII

6.0⁽²⁾

0022

Many damages at Sidi (near Tipasa city) Moussa (in vicinity of epiecenter) and Nador. Few damages at Algiers (la Casbah). Thrust fault. Many aftershocks (3 months). FM: 246, 56, 86, 8.0 0²⁴