May 30, 1929 Earthquake: Mendoza, Argentina
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Mendoza, Argentina on May 30, 1929 at 09:43:26 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 31 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
- May 30, 1929
- Time
- 09:43:26 UTC
- Place
- Mendoza, Argentina
- Magnitude
- 6.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 34.858° S, 67.692° W
- Country
- Argentina
The toll
- Deaths
- 31
- Injuries
- 65
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- 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.
1929-05-30 09:43:26.56 UTC, 34.858 S 67.692 W, magnitude 6.68 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
1929-05-30 09:43:24UTC, 35 S 68 W, MMI IX, magnitude 6.8 Ms (reference #1203)
Las Malvinas and Villa Atuel towns [San Rafael area (southern Mendoza province)] Mendoza: Heavily cracked houses. Unleveling and partial subsidence of the ground. Drying of adobe houses. 31 dead and 65 injured. (reference #14045)
Destroyed buildings in Colonia Las Malvinas and Villa Atuel, San Rafael Department. It caused the death of 30 people and numerous injuries. The earthquake was felt as far north as San Juan, Buenos Aires to the east, Neuquén and Río Negro to the south. Its intensity was VIII degrees Mercalli. (reference #14044)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
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 10878.