April 1830 Earthquake: Guatemala
An earthquake struck Guatemala in April 1830.
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
- April 1830
- Place
- Guatemala
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Country
- Guatemala
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.
1830 April. Beginning on the 1st, an extensive series of tremors in Guatemala (Vassaux, 1969). On the 12th there were 35 tremors counted: one of them caused damage in Amatitlan, Pinula and Petassa (or Petapa) to which Milne (1911) assigns Intensity III on his 3 degree scale. According to Montessus (1888) it is probable that the tremor of March 21, at 14:30, ‘affected all the Antilles’. On the 23rd at 21:00, another great earthquake caused important damage in the new Guatemala. It continued to tremble until 18 May. (reference #124)
1830 April 12 and 23 (reference #1055)
1830 March 1 - May 18, about 125 earthquakes in Guatemala. Damage in San Juan Arnatitlan, San Miguel Petapa, San Cristobal (Palin), Santa Ines Petapa, Villa Nueva, Hacienda El Rosario, the capital of Guatemala and the churches of Santa Teresa, Recoleccion, San Francisco. (reference #14059)
More
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 10894.