Here is all the big quakes since 1975 I selected 7.9s to 9.5s to keep the numbers managable
NEIC: Earthquake Search Results
U. S. G E O L O G I C A L S U R V E Y
E A R T H Q U A K E D A T A B A S E
FILE CREATED: Sat Feb 23 20:10:36 2013
Global Search Earthquakes= 48
Catalog Used: PDE
Magnitude Range: 7.9 - 9.0
Data Selection: Historical & Preliminary Data
CAT YEAR MO DA ORIG TIME LAT LONG DEP MAGNITUDE IEM DTSVNWG DIST
NFO km
TF
PDE 1975 05 26 091151.50 36.00 -17.65 33 8.1 UKPAS 6D. .T.....
PDE 1975 07 20 143739.90 -6.59 155.05 49 7.9 MsGS 8D. .T.....
PDE 1976 01 14 164733.50 -28.43 -177.66 33 8.2 UKBRK .D. .T.....
PDE 1976 08 16 161107.30 6.26 124.02 33 7.9 MsGS 6C. .TS....
PDE 1977 04 21 042409.60 -9.97 160.73 33 8.1 UKPAS 7C. .T.....
PDE 1977 08 19 060855.20 -11.09 118.46 33 8.0 UKPAS .C. .T.....
PDE 1978 11 29 195247.60 16.01 -96.59 18 7.9 UKBRK .C. .......
PDE 1979 09 12 051751.40 -1.68 136.04 5 7.9 MsGS .C. .T.....
PDE 1980 07 17 194223.20 -12.52 165.92 33 8.0 UKBRK .F. .T.....
PDE 1983 03 18 090550 -4.88 153.58 88 7.9 MSBRK 7DM .T....M
PDE 1985 09 19 131747.35 18.19 -102.53 27 8.0 MwHRV 9CM .TS...M
PDE 1986 05 07 224710.87 51.52 -174.78 33 8.0 MwHRV 6DM .T.....
PDE 1986 10 20 064609.98 -28.12 -176.37 29 8.3 MSBRK .FM .T.....
PDE 1987 11 30 192319.59 58.68 -142.79 10 7.9 MwHRV 6DM .T.....
PDE 1989 05 23 105446.32 -52.34 160.57 10 8.2 MsGS 5FM .T.....
PDE 1994 06 09 003316.23 -13.84 -67.55 631 8.2 MwGS .CM ......S
PDE 1994 10 04 132255.84 43.77 147.32 14 8.3 MwHRV 9CM .T....S
PDE 1995 07 30 051123.63 -23.34 -70.29 45 8.0 MwGS 7CM .T....S
PDE 1995 10 09 153553.91 19.06 -104.21 33 8.0 MwHRV .CM ST....S
PDE 1995 12 03 180108.99 44.66 149.30 33 7.9 MwHRV 5FM .......
PDE 1996 01 01 080510.83 0.73 119.93 24 7.9 MwHRV .CM .T.....
PDE 1996 02 17 055930.55 -0.89 136.95 33 8.2 MwHRV .CM .T.....
PDE 1996 06 10 040335.48 51.56 -177.63 33 7.9 MwHRV 6FM .T.....
PDE 1996 06 17 112218.54 -7.14 122.59 587 7.9 MwHRV .DM .......
PDE 1998 03 25 031225.07 -62.88 149.53 10 8.1 MwHRV ..M .......
PDE 2000 06 04 162826.17 -4.72 102.09 33 7.9 MwHRV 6CM ......S
PDE 2000 06 18 144413.31 -13.80 97.45 10 7.9 MwHRV .FM .T.....
PDE 2000 11 16 045456.74 -3.98 152.17 33 8.0 MwHRV .CM STS...S
PDE 2001 06 23 203314.13 -16.26 -73.64 33 8.4 MwHRV 8CM .T....S
PDE 2002 11 03 221241 63.52 -147.44 4 7.9 MwHRV 9CM F.S...M
PDE 2003 09 25 195006.36 41.81 143.91 27 8.3 MwHRV 8CM .T....S
PDE 2004 12 23 145904.41 -49.31 161.35 10 8.1 MwHRV .FM .T.....
PDE 2005 03 28 160936.53 2.09 97.11 30 8.6 MwHRV 8CM 3TS....
PDE 2006 05 03 152640.29 -20.19 -174.12 55 8.0 MwHRV 7CM .T.....
PDE 2006 11 15 111413.57 46.59 153.27 10 8.3 MwGCMT 4CM .T.....
PDE 2007 01 13 042321.16 46.24 154.52 10 8.1 MwGCMT 6FM .T.....
PDE 2007 04 01 203958.71 -8.47 157.04 24 8.1 MwGCMT .CM UT....S
PDE 2007 08 15 234057.89 -13.39 -76.60 39 8.0 MwGCMT 9CM .T....M
PDE 2007 09 12 111026.83 -4.44 101.37 34 8.5 MwGCMT 6CM .TS....
PDE 2007 09 12 234903.72 -2.62 100.84 35 7.9 MwGCMT 6CM .......
PDE 2008 05 12 062801.57 31.00 103.32 19 7.9 MwUCMT ECM 5.S...M
PDE 2009 09 29 174810.99 -15.49 -172.10 18 8.1 MwGCMT 6CM .T.....
PDE 2010 02 27 063411.53 -36.12 -72.90 22 8.8 MwUCMT 9CM UTS....
PDE-W 2011 03 11 054624.12 38.30 142.37 29 9.0 MwWCMT XCM STS...M
PDE-W 2011 03 11 061540.28 36.28 141.11 42 7.9 MwUCMT 8FM .......
PDE-W 2012 04 11 083836.72 2.33 93.06 20 8.6 MwWCMT 7CM .T.....
PDE-W 2012 04 11 104310.85 0.80 92.46 25 8.2 MwUCMT 5FM .T.....
PDE-Q 2013 02 06 011227.07 -10.74 165.14 28 8.0 MwWCMT ..M .......
If I read this list right ( Help) the number of quakes appears to have gone down lately IIRC, or am I reading this wrong ?
Number of Earthquakes Worldwide for 2000 - 2012
Located by the US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center
(M4.5+ for most of the world; doesn't include US regional network contributions)
Magnitude
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
8.0 to 9.9
1
1
0
1
2
1
2
4
0
1
1
1
2
7.0 to 7.9
14
15
13
14
14
10
9
14
12
16
23
19
12
6.0 to 6.9
146
121
127
140
141
140
142
178
168
144
150
185
108
5.0 to 5.9
1344
1224
1201
1203
1515
1693
1712
2074
1768
1896
2209
2276
1401
4.0 to 4.9
8008
7991
8541
8462
10888
13917
12838
12078
12291
6805
10164
13315
9534
3.0 to 3.9
4827
6266
7068
7624
7932
9191
9990
9889
11735
2905
4341
2791
2453
2.0 to 2.9
3765
4164
6419
7727
6316
4636
4027
3597
3860
3014
4626
3643
3111
1.0 to 1.9
1026
944
1137
2506
1344
26
18
42
21
26
39
47
43
0.1 to 0.9
5
1
10
134
103
0
2
2
0
1
0
1
0
No Magnitude
3120
2807
2938
3608
2939
864
828
1807
1922
17
24
11
3
Total
22256
23534
27454
31419
31194
30478
29568
29685
31777
14825
21577
* 22289
* 16667
Estimated
Deaths
231
21357
1685
33819
228802
88003
6605
712
88011
1790
320120
21953
768
Starting in January 2009, the USGS National Earthquake Information Center no longer locates earthquakes smaller than magnitude 4.5 outside the United States, unless we receive specific information that the earthquake was felt or caused damage.
The values in the tables for the most recent years may fluctuate due to magnitude updates during the review process.
Bugger it lost its shape I'll link it instead and someone can tell me if I'm reading it wrong
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/e...qstats.php