October 27, 1979 Earthquake: Guatemala
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Guatemala on October 27, 1979 at 14:35:57 UTC, 58 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
- October 27, 1979
- Time
- 14:35:57 UTC
- Place
- Guatemala
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 58 km (36 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.833° N, 90.881° W
- Country
- Guatemala
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Injuries
- 23
- 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 people killed, 20 inured and considerable damage reported in El Salvador. Three people injured and damage reported in Guatemala. Felt (V) at San Salvador, El Salvador. Also felt in northern Nicaragua. This appears to be a multiple event. (reference #1053)
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
- April 14, 1854, San Salvador, El Salvador
- March 4, 1873, Santa Tomas, San Vicente, El Salvador
- June 3, 1773, St. Jago, Guatemala
- September 3, 1874, Antigua,chimaltenango,amatitlan, Guatemala
- February 26, 1902, El Salvador-Guatemala
- May 3, 1965, San Marcos, El Salvador
- July 29, 1773, Antigua, Guatemala
- April 20, 1765, Chiquimula, El Salvador, Guatemala
- November 7, 2012, San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu, Guatemala
- June 19, 1982, San Salvador, Guatemala, El Salvador
- September 18, 1991, Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola
- July 22, 1816, Soloma, Guatemala
More
Significant earthquakes of 1979The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1979Recent 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 4850.