September 1799 Earthquake: Cartago, Colombia
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Cartago, Colombia in September 1799.
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
- September 1799
- Place
- Cartago, Colombia
- Magnitude
- 5 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 7.500° N, 73.500° W
- Country
- Colombia
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 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.
December 1799. Cartago, on the Cauca, west of Bogota. 1799 or 1800.
1799 or 1800 (date uncertain). Following catastrophic earthquakes one decided to transfer the seat of [ the Costa rican] government from Cartago (the capital) to San Jose, that is to say 20 km more with the NW. This last city became the capital of the republic of Costa Rica in 1821, at the time of the proclamation of independence. Note: likely refers to earthquakes of 7 May 1822.
(all above from reference #1908)
1799, end of. Colombia and Venezuela, Cartago, Truxillo. Intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
September, 1799. To this month end a tremor felt from Cartago in Colombia to Trujillo in Venezuela. (reference #1118)
September 1799. 7.5 N, 73.5 W. (reference #1219)
September 1799. 7.5 N, 73.5 W, magnitude 5, intensity VII. (reference #1205)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 18, 1875, Cucuta,san Cayetano,villa del Rosario, Colombia
- July 9, 1950, Anboledas, Colombia
- February 26, 1849, Tachira (Lobatera), Venezuela
- July 29, 1967, Colombia
- October 18, 1981, Venezuela-N Colombia
- April 18, 1974, NE, Cepita, San Andreas, Colombia
- March 6, 1869, San Cristobal, Bogota, Venezuela, Colombia
- March 16, 1644, Pamplona, San Cristobal, Colombia, Venezuela
- December 31, 1868, Robador,simacota,barichara DE Cabrera, Colombia
- February 15, 1796, N Santander,pamplona, Colombia
- January 16, 1644, Merida, Pamploma,herran, Venezuela, Colombia
- March 10, 2015, Antioquia, Santander, Colombia
- November 26, 1980, E, Venezuela, Colombia
- February 17, 1869, San Cristobal,tachira (Lobatera), Venezuela
- June 16, 1961, Northeastern Colombia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1799The 1700sRecent earthquakes near here
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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1545.