January 1, 1980 Earthquake: Terceira, Angra do Heroismo, Azores
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Terceira, Angra do Heroismo, Azores on January 1, 1980 at 16:42:42 UTC, 13 km below the surface. It killed 69 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
- January 1, 1980
- Time
- 16:42:42 UTC
- Place
- Terceira, Angra do Heroismo, Azores
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 13 km (8 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.727° N, 27.750° W
- Country
- Azores
The toll
- Deaths
- 69
- Injuries
- 600
- Damage
- $5 million
- Houses destroyed
- 15,000
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.
January 1, 1980, 16:42:40 UTC, 38.815 N, 27.780 W, depth 10 km, magnitude 6.0 mb (GS), 6.7 MS (GS), 7.2 MS (BRK). At least 56 people killed, 400 or more injured and extensive damage (VIII) on Terceira. At least 4 people killed, some injured and extensive damage on San Jorge. Damage also reported on Graciosa. (reference #1053)
69 deaths, 600 injured, 5 million damage. (reference #1250)
On January 1, 1980, an earthquake of ML 7.2 and MMI IX caused heavy damage on Terceira Island, especially at Angra do Heroismo but also at other settlements on the island. Sao Jorge and Graciosa Islands felt the devastating effects of this event. In total, the earthquake killed 61 people. (reference #12490)
01 January 1980 16:42:42.14; 38.727, -27.75; Mw 6.9; 12.9 depth. (reference #9910)
59 deaths, >400 injured, Severe damage in Terceira and in the eastern part of Sao Jorge. More than 15 000 buildings with severe damage or destroyed [...] The estimated direct costs of the 1980 Terceira earthquake were around E125 million (Bedo 1992) (reference #13058)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 9, 1757, Sao Jorge, Azores
- July 9, 1998, Faial, Pico, Terceira, Azores
- August 31, 1926, Fayal Island, Azores
- June 13, 1730, Luz, Azores
- May 17, 1547, Santa Barbara, Fregues, Azores
- February 18, 1964, Azores
- November 23, 1973, Pico, Faial, Terceira, Azores
- June 26, 1989, Graciosa, Terceira, Azores
- December 21, 1852, Faial, Azores
- May 4, 1614, Praia, Azores
- May 14, 1958, Azores
- August 12, 1720, Sao Miguel (San Miguel), Azores
- December 8, 1720, Atlantic, Azores
- November 21, 1988, Sao Miguel Island, Azores
- February 28, 1968, Azores
More
Significant earthquakes of 1980The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1980Recent 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 4868.