August 3, 1950 Earthquake: El Tocuyo, Venezuela
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck El Tocuyo, Venezuela on August 3, 1950 at 22:18:22 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 100 people.
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 3, 1950
- Time
- 22:18:22 UTC
- Place
- El Tocuyo, Venezuela
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 9.710° N, 69.819° W
- Country
- Venezuela
The toll
- Deaths
- 100
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
Singer et. al (1983) reports widespread seismic activity on August 3, including:
Ground movements, surface displacements, ruptures at Cerro de El Paraiso, Maracaibo; San Rafael, Sanare; La Culebrina, Humocaro Bajo
Rockfalls at La Aguada; El Penon, Humocaro Bajo; Las Adjuntas, El Tocuyo (100 deaths from reference #1595)
Landslides at La Boca, Anoategui; Barrio El Atlantico, Caracas; Humocaro Alto and Curamato, Guarico
Mudslide at Laguna La Gonzalez, Chabasquen
Also, the Lagunas del Catire overflowed in Caserio Providencia, Chabasquen. Three days later, on August 6, volcanic acivity commenced at Volcan de Humo, Sanare.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 24, 2026, Northern Venezuela
- April 5, 1975, Venezuela
- June 26, 1870, El Tocuyo, Venezuela
- July 18, 1986, Churuguara, Falcon, Lara, Venezuela
- August 17, 1991, Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- November 4, 1894, Carache, Venezuela
- November 17, 1888, Guanare, Venezuela
- July 14, 1899, Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- December 1775, Trujillo, Venezuela
- September 29, 1886, Trujillo, Venezuela
- November 27, 2009, Siquisique, Venezuela
- September 19, 1966, Venezuela
- August 12, 1834, Merida, Venezuela
- January 18, 1955, Off the Coast near LA Vela, Venezuela
More
Significant earthquakes of 1950The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1950Recent 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 3948.