October 2, 1878 Earthquake: Jucuapa, El Salvador
An earthquake struck Jucuapa, El Salvador on October 2, 1878.
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
- October 2, 1878
- Place
- Jucuapa, El Salvador
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.500° N, 88.400° W
- Country
- El Salvador
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 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.
October 2, 1878, Salvador, San Salvador, Usulatan, Jucuapua ruined, S. Maria, tecapa, Chenameca, many villages ruined, and lives lost. Intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
1878, Chinameca, Jucuapa, Santiago de María, Tecapa, Berlín
and small villages vecinos. Earthquake that totally destroyed these populations. (reference #1196)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El Salvador
- October 10, 1986, San Salvador, El Salvador
- April 14, 1854, San Salvador, El Salvador
- January 13, 2001, El Salvador, Guatemala
- March 4, 1873, Santa Tomas, San Vicente, El Salvador
- December 19, 1936, San Vicente, El Salvador
- February 13, 2001, San Juan Tepezontes-San Vicente-Cojutep, El Salvador
- April 11, 1873, Salvador,san Vicente, El Salvador
- February 26, 1902, El Salvador-Guatemala
- May 3, 1965, San Marcos, El Salvador
- April 20, 1765, Chiquimula, El Salvador, Guatemala
- June 19, 1982, San Salvador, Guatemala, El Salvador
- April 21, 1594, San Salvador, El Salvador
- September 7, 1915, El Salvador
- May 21, 1932, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
More
Significant earthquakes of 1878The 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 2263.