July 12, 1870 Earthquake: Honduras, Guatemala
An earthquake struck Honduras, Guatemala on July 12, 1870.
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 12, 1870
- Place
- Honduras, Guatemala
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Country
- Honduras
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.
1870 July 12. "A heavy and rapid earthquake, felt in El Salvador, caused some dan1age in the Provinces of Santa Rosa (Honduras) and Jutiapa (Guatemala)." Rockstroh, Fuchs, and Perrey date the earthquake on 13 July. According to Montessus de Ballore. "The San Salvador newspapers unanimously attribute it to July 12." […] "At 04:50 ... an earthquake causing considerable damage to the Provinces of Santa Rosa and Jutiapa."
More
Significant earthquakes of 1870The 1800sThis 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 10895.