Significant earthquakes of 1854

July 20, 1854 Earthquake: Bagneres, Gripp, Lourdes, Arges, France

July 20, 1854

An earthquake struck Bagneres, Gripp, Lourdes, Arges, France on July 20, 1854 at 01:45 UTC.

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
July 20, 1854
Time
01:45 UTC
Place
Bagneres, Gripp, Lourdes, Arges, France
Intensity
9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
43.000° N, 0.100° W
Country
France

The toll

Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

July 20, 1854, 02h45m, 43 N, 0.1 W, intensity VII-IX. A severe shock in the Pyrenees, 100 houses fissured at Bagneres and Gripp, the church at Lourdes and many other churches injured, particularly at Saint-Savin, houses damaged at Argdes, in Spain felt at San Sebastian, Vich and Navarra.

(reference #1099)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1854The 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 1962.