January 30, 1943 Earthquake: Guayaquil, Ecuador
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 30, 1943 at 05:33:03 UTC, 100 km below the surface.
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 30, 1943
- Time
- 05:33:03 UTC
- Place
- Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 100 km (62 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 2.100° S, 80.500° W
- Country
- Ecuador
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
January 30, 05:33.1 UTC, 2.1 S, 80 W, depth 100 km, Ecuador. Many buildings damaged in Guayaquil. (reference #45)
January 30, 1943, 05:33:03 UTC, 2 S, 80.5 W, magnitude 5.99 MS, intensity VI. (reference #1220)
January 30, 1943, 05:33:03 UTC, 2 S, 80.5 W, depth 100 km, magnitude 6.9 MS. (reference #130)
January 30, 1943, 05:33:03 UTC, 2 S, 80.5 W, depth 100 km, magnitude 6.9 MS, 6.2 mb, intensity VI. (reference #1207)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 14, 1942, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- March 18, 2023, Tumbes, Azuay, El Oro, Guayas, Peru, Ecuador
- July 30, 1960, Ecuador
- August 18, 1980, W, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- December 12, 1953, Peru-Ecuador
- August 4, 1998, Bahia DE Caraquez, Canoa, Ecuador
- July 14, 2022, Guayas, Ecuador
- October 2, 1933, Ecuador
- January 24, 2005, Puerto Lopez, Salango, Near West Coast, Ecuador
- November 1, 1904, Ecuador
- January 7, 1901, Esmeraldas, Ecuador
- September 28, 1906, Ecuador
- August 29, 1674, Chimborazo,bolivar,quito, Ecuador
- February 24, 1913, Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture, Ecuador
- January 16, 1956, Ecuador
More
Significant earthquakes of 1943The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1943Recent 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 8238.