May 8, 1939 Earthquake: Atlantic, Azores

Name: May 8, 1939 Earthquake: Atlantic, Azores
Start: 1939-05-08
Location: Atlantic, Azores

May 8, 1939 · M6.7

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Atlantic, Azores on May 8, 1939 at 01:46:53 UTC, 16 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.

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 8, 1939
Time: 01:46:53 UTC
Place: Atlantic, Azores
Magnitude: 6.7 (Mw)
Focal depth: 16 km (10 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 37.198° N, 24.356° W
Country: Azores

The toll

Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1939, May 8, 01:46:50 UTC. 37 N, 24.5 W, magnitude 7.1, intensity X. (reference #1193)

1939, May 8, 01:46:52.92 UTC. 37.053 N, 24.427 W, depth 15.7 km, magnitude 6.5 MS (ABE), 7.1 mb (ABE). (reference #9910)

1939, May 8, 01:46:53 UTC. 37.198 N, 24.356 W, depth 10 km, magnitude 6.66 Mw. (reference #10476)

1939, May 8, intensity VII, much damage, Sao Maria most affected (reference #13058)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1939 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1939 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 3640.