April 29, 1898 Earthquake: Leon, Chinandega, Managua, Nicaragua
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Leon, Chinandega, Managua, Nicaragua on April 29, 1898 at 16:18 UTC, 33 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
- April 29, 1898
- Time
- 16:18 UTC
- Place
- Leon, Chinandega, Managua, Nicaragua
- Magnitude
- 7.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 12.000° N, 86.000° W
- Country
- Nicaragua
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.
Reference #1006 lists earthquake on April 29, 1898, 16:18 UTC, 12 N, 86 W, magnitude 7.9.
Reference #88 lists earthquake on April 29, 1898, 16:18 UTC, 12 N, 86 W, shallow depth, magnitude 7.9.
Reference #1199 lists earthquakes from April 29, 1898, 16:40 UTC to May 12, 1898, 12.4 N, 86.9 W. Earthquakes for one day causing much damage at Leon, intensity VII-VIII at Leon and Chinandega. VII at Managua. Widely felt from Lakes to Gulf of Fonseca. Large trees uprooted at Simon.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua
- March 31, 1931, Managua, Nicaragua
- March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua
- September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
- April 14, 1973, Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito, Costa Rica
- July 6, 2000, Masaya, Nicaragua
- April 10, 2014, Nagarote, Managua, Nicaragua
- September 28, 2016, Leon, Nicaragua
- January 4, 1968, Managua, Nicaragua
- April 14, 2014, Managua, Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua
- December 16, 1985, Rivas, Masaya, Nicaragua
- November 5, 1926, Managua,granada,masaya,chinandega, Nicaragua
- October 1, 2004, Chinandega, Leon, Nicaragua
- April 29, 1881, San Juan del Sur,chinandega,managua, Nicaragua
- October 24, 1956, Off Coast, Nicaragua
More
Significant earthquakes of 1898The 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 2536.