August 25, 1948 Earthquake: Salta, Argentina
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Salta, Argentina on August 25, 1948 at 06:09:28 UTC, 30 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
- August 25, 1948
- Time
- 06:09:28 UTC
- Place
- Salta, Argentina
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 30 km (19 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 24.556° S, 64.522° W
- Country
- Argentina
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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.
1948-08-25 06:09:28.20 UTC, 24.556 S 64.522 W, magnitude 6.9 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
The most affected department was Anta, with the greatest damage reported in the localities of Palomitas, La Trampa, Sta. Rita and Las Pavas, where some houses fell and cracks formed in the ground. The earthquake was felt throughout northern Argentina. The intensity was IX degrees Mercalli. (reference #14044)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 24, 1930, La Poma, Argentina
- September 13, 1692, Santiago, Esteco, Rio DE Las Piedras, Argentina
- February 27, 2010, Salta, Argentina
- October 17, 2015, Galpon, Argentina
- January 14, 1863, Jujuy, Argentina
- October 19, 1844, Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman, Argentina
- October 9, 1871, Salta, Argentina
- May 12, 1959, Salta, Argentina
- July 6, 1874, Oran, Argentina
More
Significant earthquakes of 1948The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1948Recent 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 10881.