Significant earthquakes of 1938

January 2, 1938 Earthquake: Ometepec, Mexico

January 2, 1938

An earthquake struck Ometepec, Mexico on January 2, 1938.

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 2, 1938
Place
Ometepec, Mexico
Intensity
7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
16.100° N, 98.300° W
Country
Mexico

The toll

Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 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.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1938The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1938Recent 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 3608.