November 29, 1978 Earthquake: Oaxaca, Mexico
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Oaxaca, Mexico on November 29, 1978 at 19:52:47 UTC, 18 km below the surface. It killed 9 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
- November 29, 1978
- Time
- 19:52:47 UTC
- Place
- Oaxaca, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 18 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 16.010° N, 96.591° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 9
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- 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.
Eight people killed, many injured and extensive damage in the Mexico City area. One person killed and several injured in the state of Oaxaca. Felt throughout southern Mexico and in Guatemala and El Salvador. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 30, 1999, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 11, 1870, Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
- August 2, 1968, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 16, 2018, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1982, Guererro, Orziba, Oaxaca, Guadalupe, Mexico
- October 5, 1801, Oaxaca, Mexico
- August 23, 1965, Mexico City, Oaxaca
- September 23, 2017, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 17, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 5, 1854, Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
- December 23, 1937, Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
- March 20, 2012, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 9, 1951, Miahiatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 30, 2010, San Andres Huaxpaltepec, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1978The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1978Recent 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 4819.