March 31, 1931 Earthquake: Managua, Nicaragua
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Managua, Nicaragua on March 31, 1931 at 16:02:00 UTC. It killed 2,450 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
- March 31, 1931
- Time
- 16:02:00 UTC
- Place
- Managua, Nicaragua
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.200° N, 85.700° W
- Country
- Nicaragua
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,450
- Damage
- $15 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.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua
- March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua
- July 6, 2000, Masaya, Nicaragua
- April 10, 2014, Nagarote, Managua, Nicaragua
- September 28, 2016, Leon, Nicaragua
- March 31, 2009, San Juan del Rio Coco, Nicaragua
- November 5, 1926, Managua,granada,masaya,chinandega, Nicaragua
- October 5, 1925, Managua, Nicaragua
- 1663, Momotomba, Granada, Nicaragua
- June 18, 1870, Leon, Nicaragua
- April 14, 2014, Managua, Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua
- January 4, 1968, Managua, Nicaragua
- April 29, 1898, Leon, Chinandega, Managua, Nicaragua
- 1648, Leon, Nicaragua
- April 4, 1955, Managua, Nicaragua
More
Significant earthquakes of 1931The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1931Recent 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 3460.