October 29, 1900 Earthquake: Macuto, Venezuela

Name: October 29, 1900 Earthquake: Macuto, Venezuela
Start: 1900-10-29
Location: Macuto, Venezuela

October 29, 1900 · M7.7 · 25 deaths

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Macuto, Venezuela on October 29, 1900 at 09:11:00 UTC. It killed 25 people.

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 29, 1900
Time: 09:11:00 UTC
Place: Macuto, Venezuela
Magnitude: 7.7 (Mw)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 11.000° N, 66.000° W
Country: Venezuela

The toll

Deaths: 25
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed: Many (101 to 1,000)
Houses damaged: 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.

Centeno-Grau (1969) placed the epicenter between Isla La Orchila and the coast at Macuto, citing a 50-second shock that killed 25 at Gaurenas. Charallano, San Casimiro, and Cua were destroyed. Great damage occurred at Caracas, Guatire, Higuerote, Tacarigua, Rio Chico, Brochico, Macuto, and Curiepe. Fiedler (1961) estimated the earthquake affected a million square kilometers. Singer et. al (1983) reported numerous phenomena: fault activity, liquefaction, surface ruptures at Los Roques; a channel altered at Puente Colorado; a landslide at Farallon La Tortuga; and collapse at Isla Borrachas. Severe shocks were reported at Trinidad.

October 29, 1900, 09:11 UTC, 11 N, 66 W, shallow depth, magnitude 8.4 MS. (reference #88)

October 29, 1900, 09:11 UTC, 11 N, 66 W, depth 25 km, magnitude 8.4 MS, intensity VIII. (reference #1209)

October 29, 1900, 04:42 [local time], 10.9 N, 66.8 W, magnitude 7.4 MS, depth 50 km, intensity IX-X. Earthquake in Caracas. The damage was especially strong in Macuto, Guarenas and Guatire. Many buildings in Caracas were cracked and some collapsed. The earthquake was perceptible in almost all Venezuela. The main movement was followed by around 250 secondary movements during the 3 years following, all were registered in Caracas. (reference #1502)

October 29, 1902, Trinidad (V). At 5:20 a.m. Very severe shocks.--Port of Spain Gazette [October 30, 1900]

29 Oct 1900, 09:11:00 UTC, 11N 66W, Mw 7.69 (reference #10476)

October 29, 1900, 05:12. 20 houses destroyed, 21 dead, 50+ injured in the capital. (reference #14452)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1900 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1900 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 2583.