October 24, 1956 Earthquake: Off Coast, Nicaragua

Date

October 24, 1956

Time

14:42:18 UTC

Place

Off Coast, Nicaragua

Magnitude

7.1 (Mw)

Focal depth

35 km (22 mi)

Tsunami

Yes: the tsunami it caused

Epicenter

11.682° N, 86.556° W

Country

Nicaragua

Damage

Limited (under about $1 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.

• December 23, 1972, Managua, NicaraguaM6.2 · 10,000 deaths · $3 billion · 94 km
• March 31, 1931, Managua, NicaraguaM5.6 · 2,450 deaths · $15 million · 193 km
• May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El SalvadorM6.5 · 1,100 deaths · $23 million · 199 km
• March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua1,000 deaths · $15 million · 61 km
• September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, NicaraguaM7.6 · 170 deaths · $30 million · 1,500 houses destroyed · 116 km
• July 6, 2000, Masaya, NicaraguaM5.4 · 7 deaths · 357 houses destroyed · 66 km
• April 10, 2014, Nagarote, Managua, NicaraguaM6.1 · 2 deaths · $3 million · 168 houses destroyed · 82 km
• September 28, 2016, Leon, NicaraguaM5.5 · 1 death · 6 houses destroyed · 85 km
• October 14, 2014, Gulf of Fonseca, El SalvadorM7.3 · 1 death · 5 houses destroyed · 195 km
• October 1, 2004, Chinandega, Leon, NicaraguaM5.6 · 34 km
• April 29, 1881, San Juan del Sur,chinandega,managua, Nicaragua34 km
• January 24, 1956, Puerto Samoza, NicaraguaM7.3 · 60 km
• April 14, 2014, Managua, Ciudad Sandino, NicaraguaM5.2 · 7 houses destroyed · 60 km
• January 4, 1968, Managua, NicaraguaM4.6 · $2 million · 61 km
• February 16, 1922, NicaraguaM6.4 · 66 km

Significant earthquakes of 1956The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1956Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

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 10947.