May 1834 Earthquake: Agana, Guam, US Territories

Name: May 1834 Earthquake: Agana, Guam, US Territories
Location: Agana, Guam, US Territories

May 1834

An earthquake struck Agana, Guam, US Territories in May 1834.

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: May 1834
Place: Agana, Guam, US Territories
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 14.000° N, 143.300° E
Country: US Territories

The toll

Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed: Many (101 to 1,000)

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.

1834, May. Destructive earthquake on Guam Island. Considerable havoc and great panic at Agana and in the other towns of the island. Destructive earthquake. Laid in ruins all the masonry buildings. (reference #1072)

1834, May. Philippines. Guam Island in the Ladrones. Intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)

1825 and 1834. During the months of April and May of the years 1825 and 1834 terrible earthquakes were experienced on this island, causing great damage to buildings and spreading consternation among tbe inhabitants, who believed their last hour had come (reference #2519)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1834 The 1800s Recent 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 9923.