January 17, 1929 Earthquake: Cumana, Venezuela
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Cumana, Venezuela on January 17, 1929 at 11:52:00 UTC. It killed 50 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
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
- January 17, 1929
- Time
- 11:52:00 UTC
- Place
- Cumana, Venezuela
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 10.500° N, 64.200° W
- Country
- Venezuela
The toll
- Deaths
- 50
- Injuries
- 800
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
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.
Cumana was destroyed by an earthquake that killed 50 and injured 800 people. It was also felt in Caracas and Barcelona. It was followed by a tsunami that caused great damage. Singer et. al (1983) reported the rupture of an active fault, landslides, liquefaction, settlement and collapse at Pointe Guzman Blanco at Rio Manzanares, and other earthquake-related phenomena throughout the area.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 14, 1797, Cumana, Cariaco, Venezuela
- July 15, 1853, Cumana, Venezuela
- July 9, 1997, Cariaco-Cumana, Venezuela
- June 12, 1974, Venezuela
- August 21, 2018, Sucre, Trinidad, Venezuela
- September 1, 1530, Cumana, Venezuela
- September 20, 1968, Carupano, Venezuela
- June 11, 1986, Venezuela
- 1543, Cumana, Isla Cubagua, Venezuela
- 1750, Cumana, Venezuela
- January 27, 1805, Cumana, Venezuela
- April 12, 1839, Cumana, Venezuela
- November 4, 1932, Cumana, Venezuela
- August 11, 2008, Cariaco-Cumana, Venezuela
- October 21, 1766, Cumana, San Juan Bautista, Trinidad, Venezuela
More
Significant earthquakes of 1929The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1929Recent 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 3385.