February 19, 1845 Earthquake: Magdalena River, Colombia
A magnitude 4 earthquake struck Magdalena River, Colombia on February 19, 1845. It killed 1,000 people.
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 19, 1845
- Place
- Magdalena River, Colombia
- Magnitude
- 4 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Volcano
- The eruption it came with
- Epicenter
- 4.500° N, 75.400° W
- Country
- Colombia
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,000 with its tsunami and other effects
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.
19 Feb 1845, 4.5N 75.4W, magnitude 4.0 (Ms) (reference #1205)
19 Feb 1845, 7.8N 72.2W (reference #1118)
1845 February 19. Around 7 o'clock, according to Colonel Joaquin Acosta's communication to the Paris Academy of Sciences. A great underground noise was felt on the banks of the Magdalena, between two distant points about 4 "miriadas" (sic), it was followed by an earthquake that caused the displacement of the Rinz snow-capped mountain, in the Lagunillas ravine. About a thousand souls perished. The stream that forked in two reached the plains, the most considerable being the one that went to the Magdalena through the Lagunillas ravine. (reference #1211)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 25, 1999, Armenia, Calarca, Pereira, Caldas, Huila, Colombia
- June 6, 1994, Cauca, Huila, Colombia
- June 16, 1805, Honda,mariquita, Colombia
- February 9, 1967, Huila, Neiva, Rivera,san Antonio, Colombia
- November 23, 1979, Manizales-Armenia, Colombia
- July 30, 1962, Mistrato, Manizales, Colombia
- February 8, 1995, Cali, Pereira, Armenia, Calarca, Colombia
- December 20, 1961, Eje Cafetero, Colombia
- July 12, 1785, Bogota,engativa,caxica,soacha, Colombia
- February 5, 1938, Eje Cafetero, Colombia
- September 4, 1966, Colombia
- May 24, 2008, Meta, Quetame, Colombia
- August 31, 1917, Bogota, Ubaque, Soacha, Caqueza, Colombia
- January 19, 2024, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
- January 26, 2019, Cauca, Huila, Colombia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1845The 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 1867.