July 29, 1978 Earthquake: Patzun, Guatemala
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Patzun, Guatemala on July 29, 1978 at 14:37:32 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 17 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
- July 29, 1978
- Time
- 14:37:32 UTC
- Place
- Patzun, Guatemala
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 14.843° N, 91.022° W
- Country
- Guatemala
The toll
- Deaths
- 17
- 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.
Five people killed, many injured, and considerable damage and landslides in Patzun area. Felt at Guatemala City. (reference #1053)
July 29, 1978, 14:37 UTC, Tecpan, 5.0 MS, 17 killed. (reference #1177)
July 1978, Guatemala, 17 killed. (reference #1280)
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 8, 2025, Guatemala City, Escuintla, Sacatepequez
- June 14, 2017, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepequez, Mexico, Guatemala
- November 3, 1988, S Palin, San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala
- March 13, 1976, Guatemala
- October 27, 1979, Guatemala
- July 7, 2014, San Marcos, Mexico, Guatemala
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 4810.