March 28, 1921 Earthquake: Nicaragua, El Salvador
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Nicaragua, El Salvador on March 28, 1921 at 07:49:28 UTC, 65 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 28, 1921
- Time
- 07:49:28 UTC
- Place
- Nicaragua, El Salvador
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 65 km (40 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 12.610° N, 87.216° W
- Country
- Nicaragua
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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.
1921 MAR 28. VI-VII: Gulf of Fonseca to Usulutan. some houses damaged or destroyed (reference #14066)
1921-03-28 07:49:28.78 UTC, 12.61 N 87.216 W, magnitude 7.2 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua
- March 31, 1931, Managua, Nicaragua
- May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El Salvador
- March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua
- January 13, 2001, El Salvador, Guatemala
- December 19, 1936, San Vicente, El Salvador
- September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
- July 6, 2000, Masaya, Nicaragua
- May 21, 1932, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
- April 10, 2014, Nagarote, Managua, Nicaragua
- September 28, 2016, Leon, Nicaragua
- October 14, 2014, Gulf of Fonseca, El Salvador
- January 12, 1937, Chinandega,port Corinto, Nicaragua
- February 20, 1940, Corinto,chinandega, Nicaragua
- 1648, Leon, Nicaragua
More
Significant earthquakes of 1921The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1921Recent 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 10912.