February 26, 1678 Earthquake: Potosi, Bolivia
An earthquake struck Potosi, Bolivia on February 26, 1678.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 26, 1678
- Place
- Potosi, Bolivia
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 19.600° S, 65.800° W
- Country
- Bolivia
- Region
- South America
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #14060 states that in the handwritten documents of La Casa de la Olleria de la Villa de Potosi, the following quote is: ‘On the 26th day of the month of February, while we were in the convent of Ntra. Sra. de las Mercedes, in the chapel of the Soledad de los espanoles, we all felt together a strong earthquake that was long and caused considerable damage’. [note: translation from original Spanish supported by AI tools]
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #14060 Vega, B.A. (1996). Complementos a la historia sismica de Bolivia. Revista geofisica, (45), 73-124.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1678The 1600sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 10898.