1648 Earthquake: Leon, Nicaragua

Date

1648

Place

Leon, Nicaragua

Tsunami

None recorded

Epicenter

12.500° N, 86.800° W

Country

Nicaragua

Damage

Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

• December 23, 1972, Managua, NicaraguaM6.2 · 10,000 deaths · $3 billion · 77 km
• March 31, 1931, Managua, NicaraguaM5.6 · 2,450 deaths · $15 million · 142 km
• May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El SalvadorM6.5 · 1,100 deaths · $23 million · 122 km
• March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua1,000 deaths · $15 million · 79 km
• September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, NicaraguaM7.6 · 170 deaths · $30 million · 1,500 houses destroyed · 142 km
• July 6, 2000, Masaya, NicaraguaM5.4 · 7 deaths · 357 houses destroyed · 112 km
• May 21, 1932, El Salvador, Honduras, NicaraguaM7.1 · 5 deaths · 139 km
• April 10, 2014, Nagarote, Managua, NicaraguaM6.1 · 2 deaths · $3 million · 168 houses destroyed · 47 km
• September 28, 2016, Leon, NicaraguaM5.5 · 1 death · 6 houses destroyed · 32 km
• October 14, 2014, Gulf of Fonseca, El SalvadorM7.3 · 1 death · 5 houses destroyed · 144 km
• October 12, 1885, Leon,chinandega,managua, Nicaragua22 km
• 1663, Momotomba, Granada, Nicaragua24 km
• June 18, 1870, Leon, Nicaragua24 km
• May 6, 1938, Leon (Telica Volcano Destroyed), Nicaragua25 km
• January 24, 1956, Puerto Samoza, NicaraguaM7.3 · 35 km

Significant earthquakes of 1648The 1600sRecent earthquakes near here

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 973.