March 23, 1899 Earthquake: Salta, Southern, Argentina, Bolivia

Name: March 23, 1899 Earthquake: Salta, Southern, Argentina, Bolivia
Start: 1899-03-23
Location: Salta, Southern, Argentina, Bolivia

March 23, 1899 · M6.9

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Salta, Southern, Argentina, Bolivia on March 23, 1899 at 18:00 UTC, 10 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: March 23, 1899
Time: 18:00 UTC
Place: Salta, Southern, Argentina, Bolivia
Magnitude: 6.9 (Ms)
Focal depth: 10 km (6 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 21.970° S, 63.670° W
Country: Bolivia

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 #1204 lists earthquake on March 23, 1899, 18:00 UTC, 21.970 S, 63.67 W, magnitude 6.9, intensity IX.

Reference #1218 lists earthquake on March 23, 1899, 18:00 UTC, 21.9 S, 63.66 W, depth 10 km, magnitude 5.79, intensity X.

Reference #14044 lists earthquake on March 23, 1899, 22.1 S, 63.8 W, intensity VIII. It destroyed the towns of Yacuiba (Bolivia) and what is now called Salvador Mazza in Salta, and the population fled to Campo Duran. Its intensity was VIII degrees Mercalli.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1899 The 1800s Recent earthquakes near here This 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 2550.