March 13, 1976 Earthquake: Guatemala
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Guatemala on March 13, 1976 at 16:30:41 UTC, 5 km below the surface. It killed 4 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
- March 13, 1976
- Time
- 16:30:41 UTC
- Place
- Guatemala
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 14.767° N, 91.061° W
- Country
- Guatemala
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- 50
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
Four reported killed in the Patzun area, some injured. Considerable damage and landslides. (reference #1053)
March 13, 1976, 16:30 UTC, Tecpan, 5.4 MS, 4 killed, 50 injured. (reference #1177)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 26, 1917, Guatemala City
- April 19, 1902, Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Guatemala
- June 3, 1773, St. Jago, Guatemala
- September 3, 1874, Antigua,chimaltenango,amatitlan, Guatemala
- July 29, 1773, Antigua, Guatemala
- November 7, 2012, San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu, Guatemala
- September 18, 1991, Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola
- July 22, 1816, Soloma, Guatemala
- September 25, 1968, S Chiapas, Mexico-Guatemala
- July 29, 1978, Patzun, Guatemala
- July 8, 2025, Guatemala City, Escuintla, Sacatepequez
- June 14, 2017, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepequez, Mexico, Guatemala
- November 3, 1988, S Palin, San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala
- October 27, 1979, Guatemala
- July 7, 2014, San Marcos, Mexico, Guatemala
More
Significant earthquakes of 1976The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1976Recent 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 4714.