May 3, 1965 Earthquake: San Marcos, El Salvador
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck San Marcos, El Salvador on May 3, 1965 at 10:01:35 UTC, 23 km below the surface. It killed 125 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 3, 1965
- Time
- 10:01:35 UTC
- Place
- San Marcos, El Salvador
- Magnitude
- 6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 23 km (14 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.500° N, 89.300° W
- Country
- El Salvador
The toll
- Deaths
- 125
- Injuries
- 1,138
- Damage
- $35 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.
May 3, 1965, 10:01:35.2 UTC, 13.5 N, 89.3 W, magnitude 6, depth about 23 km. This violent earthquake left 125 persons dead, about 500 injured, and an estimated 48,000 homeless. Many of the victims were from the town of Ilopango which was almost completely destroyed. Several buildings were wrecked in San Slavador, Cisneros District, San Marcos, and Santo Tomas. (reference #45)
Epicenter between San Marcos and Santo Tomas. Considerable destruction within a range of 15 km, more than 120 deaths. The main earthquake had been preceded by 3 months of weaker earthquakes. Intensity 6 to 6.25. (reference #1554)
125 killed, 1138 injured, $35 million damage. (reference #1250)
125 killed, 500 injured, $35 million damage. (reference #1280)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 26, 1917, Guatemala City
- April 19, 1902, Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Guatemala
- October 10, 1986, San Salvador, El Salvador
- May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El Salvador
- April 14, 1854, San Salvador, El Salvador
- January 13, 2001, El Salvador, Guatemala
- March 4, 1873, Santa Tomas, San Vicente, El Salvador
- June 3, 1773, St. Jago, Guatemala
- 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
- September 3, 1874, Antigua,chimaltenango,amatitlan, Guatemala
- February 26, 1902, El Salvador-Guatemala
- July 29, 1773, Antigua, Guatemala
- April 20, 1765, Chiquimula, El Salvador, Guatemala
More
Significant earthquakes of 1965The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1965Recent 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 4353.