August 14, 1978 Earthquake: Spain
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Spain on August 14, 1978 at 14:17:50 UTC, 30 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- August 14, 1978
- Time
- 14:17:50 UTC
- Place
- Spain
- Magnitude
- 4.4 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 30 km (19 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 36.630° N, 6.871° W
- Country
- Spain
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
August 14, 1978, 14:17:50.4 UTC, 36.63 N, 6.871 W. Strait of Gibraltar. Felt in the province of Huelva, Spain. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 1587, Loule, Portugal
- January 29, 1909, Tetuan (Tetouan),romars, Morocco
- April 5, 1504, Carmona, Spain
- March 6, 1719, Algarve, Spain, Portugal
- January 12, 1856, Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
- 216 BC, Cadiz, Spain
- December 27, 1722, Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
- May 26, 881, Spain, Algeria, Morocco
- May 6, 1773, Tangiers, Morocco
- 1464, Sevilla (Seville), Spain
- 241 BC, Cadiz, Spain
- 1777, Tangier,sale, Morocco
- 1276, El Araish (Larache), Morocco
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 8260.