August 12, 1903 Earthquake: Mendoza, Argentina
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Mendoza, Argentina on August 12, 1903 at 23:00 UTC, 70 km below the surface. It killed 3 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
- August 12, 1903
- Time
- 23:00 UTC
- Place
- Mendoza, Argentina
- Magnitude
- 6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 70 km (43 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 32.100° S, 69.100° W
- Country
- Argentina
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- 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.
It affected Greater Mendoza, particularly Las Heras, where it affected the towns of Uspallata, Punta de Vacas and Puente del Inca. There were 3 deaths and significant damage to buildings in the city. The intensity of the earthquake was VII Mercalli degrees. (reference #14044)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 20, 1861, Mendoza, San Luiz, Argentina
- January 15, 1944, San Juan Province, Argentina
- December 17, 1920, Mendoza, Argentina
- November 23, 1977, Mendoza, San Juan Province, Argentina
- January 26, 1985, West Central, Mendoza, LA Ligua, Argentina
- June 11, 1952, San Juan, Argentina
- August 2, 2017, Santiago, Chile
- April 14, 1927, Mendoza, Chile, Argentina
- January 19, 2021, San Juan Province, Argentina
- October 27, 1894, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, Argentina
- December 10, 2008, Potrerillos, Argentina
- May 22, 1782, Mendoza, Argentina
- August 5, 2006, Mendoza, Argentina
- January 15, 1940, San Juan, Argentina
- July 12, 1687, Santiago, Chile
More
Significant earthquakes of 1903The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1903Recent 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 10875.