May 12, 1959 Earthquake: Salta, Argentina
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Salta, Argentina on May 12, 1959 at 09:46:59 UTC, 25 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
- May 12, 1959
- Time
- 09:46:59 UTC
- Place
- Salta, Argentina
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 25 km (16 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 23.070° S, 64.907° W
- Country
- Argentina
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
1959-05-12 09:46:59.10 UTC, 23.07 S 64.907 S, magnitude 6.6 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)
The most affected areas were the departments of Oran and San Martin. In the town of San Andres, 60 km west of Oran, it caused the greatest damage, destroyed houses and caused hillsides to slide down. The intensity was estimated at VIII degrees Mercalli. (reference #14044)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1959The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1959Recent 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 10883.