List of earthquakes in 1979

Earthquakes in 1979
4.0–5.9 magnitude; 6.0–6.9 magnitude;	7.0–7.9 magnitude; 8.0+ magnitude;
Strongest magnitude	Indonesia, Yapen (Magnitude 7.9) September 12
Deadliest	Ecuador, off the coast of (Magnitude 8.2), December 12 600 deaths
Total fatalities	1,649
Number by magnitude
9.0+	0
8.0–8.9	1
7.0–7.9	7
6.0–6.9	86
5.0–5.9	1,374
4.0–4.9	2,973
	← 1978 1980 →

This is a list of earthquakes in 1979. Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they result in damage and/or casualties, or are notable for some other reason. Events in remote areas will not be listed but included in statistics and maps. Countries are entered on the lists in order of their status in this particular year. 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. A fairly quiet year once again although there was a number of events which caused significant fatalities. The largest of only 8 magnitude 7.0+ events reached 7.9 and struck Indonesia in September. Ecuador was affected by a magnitude 8.2 in December which left 600 people dead. Other areas suffering from deadly events included Iran, Colombia, Indonesia and present day Montenegro.