May 6, 1951 Earthquake: Jucuapa, El Salvador
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Jucuapa, El Salvador on May 6, 1951 at 23:08:00 UTC, 100 km below the surface. It killed 1,100 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
- May 6, 1951
- Time
- 23:08:00 UTC
- Place
- Jucuapa, El Salvador
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Focal depth
- 100 km (62 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.000° N, 87.800° W
- Country
- El Salvador
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,100
- Damage
- $23 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.
Reference #1051 lists 1100 deaths and $23 million damage.
Series of shocks killed 400, injured 4,000 and made 25,000 homeless. Chinameca, Jucuapa, and San Buenaventura virtually destroyed. Major damage in Berlin, Lolotique, and Nueva Guadalupe. Depth about 150 km. Mag 6-6.25. (reference #45)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua
- October 10, 1986, San Salvador, El Salvador
- April 14, 1854, San Salvador, El Salvador
- 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
- April 21, 1594, San Salvador, El Salvador
- September 7, 1915, El Salvador
More
Significant earthquakes of 1951The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1951Recent 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 3970.