January 20, 1834 Earthquake: Putumayo,pasto, Popayan, Santa Marta, Colombia
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Putumayo,pasto, Popayan, Santa Marta, Colombia on January 20, 1834 at 12:00 UTC, 15 km below the surface.
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
- January 20, 1834
- Time
- 12:00 UTC
- Place
- Putumayo,pasto, Popayan, Santa Marta, Colombia
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.100° N, 76.930° W
- Country
- Colombia
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Injuries
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- 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.
In Santiago, a landslide obstructed Quinchoa river causing flooding. In Santiago, 80 disappeared. In Pasto 50 dead, 50 injured. Some dead in La Laguna, Mocondino. Two injured in Popayan. Damages to churches, homes and buildings in over 20 towns/sites. (reference #12871)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 16, 1868, San Pablo, Guayaquil,ibarra, Colombia, Ecuador
- March 6, 1987, Napo Province, Quito, Tulcan, Ecuador
- March 31, 1983, SW, Popayan, Colombia
- December 14, 1923, Ipiales, Colombia
- January 9, 1936, Colombia
- November 16, 1827, Bogota, Neiva, Popayan, Pasto, Huila, Colombia
- August 7, 1935, Funes, Colombia
- August 12, 2014, Quito, Ecuador
- June 12, 2018, Pasto, Colombia
- July 14, 1947, Pasto, Colombia
- March 1, 1834, Pasto, Colombia
- February 9, 2013, Cauca, Narino, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Colombia
- August 15, 1868, El Angel, Concepcion, Ecuador
- July 25, 2022, Ecuador, Colombia
- March 6, 2007, Cauca, Sotara, Purace,, Colombia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1834The 1800sRecent 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 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1766.