Major Earthquakes around the World, 2012 The following table lists the date, location, and magnitude of major earthquakes around the world during 2012. DateLocationMagnitude1 Jan. 11Sumatra, Indonesia7.2 Feb. 2Vanuatu7.1 March 20Ometepec, Mexico7.4 March 25Talca, Chile7.1 April 11Aceh Province, Indonesia8.6 April 11Aceh Province, Indonesia8.2 April 12Baja California, Mexico7.0 May 21Northern Italy6.0 Source:various NOTE: A major earthquake is defined here as having a magnitude of 6.0 or more. 1. Unless otherwise indicated, magnitudes listed are moment magnitudes, the newest, most uniformly applicable magnitude scale.