List of earthquakes in 1940

Earthquakes in 1940
4.0–5.9 magnitude; 6.0–6.9 magnitude;	7.0–7.9 magnitude; 8.0+ magnitude;
Strongest magnitude	Peru, Lima Region (Magnitude 8.2) May 24
Deadliest	Romania, Vrancea County (Magnitude 7.8) November 10 1,000 deaths
Total fatalities	1,448
Number by magnitude
9.0+	0
	← 1939 1941 →

This is a list of earthquakes in 1940. 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. Overall, with 13 magnitude 7.0+ events worldwide, this was a fairly busy year. The death toll was substantially lower than 1939. The most significant event in terms of lives lost was in Romania in November with 1,000 deaths. Other quakes in China and Peru resulted in significant fatalities.