January 25, 1947 Earthquake: La Union, El Salvador, Nicaragua
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck La Union, El Salvador, Nicaragua on January 25, 1947 at 03:52:44 UTC, 45 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 25, 1947
- Time
- 03:52:44 UTC
- Place
- La Union, El Salvador, Nicaragua
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 45 km (28 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 12.851° N, 87.824° W
- Country
- Nicaragua
The toll
- Deaths
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- 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.
1947 Jan 26. A catastrophe at 4 o'clock in the morning struck this port, leaving it almost in rubble. Many buildings were destroyed, with a number of casualties. (reference #1196)
1947 Jan 26. VIII: La Union, V: Conchagua (S). towns in rubble, buildings fell. (reference #14066)
1947-01-25 03:52:44.23 UTC, 12.851 N 87.824 W, magnitude 6.2 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua
- May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El Salvador
- October 10, 1986, San Salvador, El Salvador
- April 14, 1854, San Salvador, El Salvador
- March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua
- January 13, 2001, El Salvador, Guatemala
- March 4, 1873, Santa Tomas, San Vicente, El Salvador
- December 19, 1936, San Vicente, El Salvador
- February 13, 2001, San Juan Tepezontes-San Vicente-Cojutep, El Salvador
- April 11, 1873, Salvador,san Vicente, El Salvador
- February 26, 1902, El Salvador-Guatemala
- September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
- May 3, 1965, San Marcos, El Salvador
- April 20, 1765, Chiquimula, El Salvador, Guatemala
- June 19, 1982, San Salvador, Guatemala, El Salvador
More
Significant earthquakes of 1947The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1947Recent 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 3848.