August 18, 1980 Earthquake: W, Guayaquil, Ecuador
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck W, Guayaquil, Ecuador on August 18, 1980 at 15:07:52 UTC, 55 km below the surface. It killed 8 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
- August 18, 1980
- Time
- 15:07:52 UTC
- Place
- W, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 55 km (34 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.948° S, 80.017° W
- Country
- Ecuador
The toll
- Deaths
- 8
- Injuries
- 100
- Damage
- $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.
Reference #1250 lists $5 million damage.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 4, 1797, Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador
- June 20, 1698, Tungurahua,cotopaxi,chimborazo, Ecuador
- February 1640, Ecuador
- February 22, 1757, Cotopaxi,tungurahua, Latacunga, Ecuador
- March 3, 1924, Ecuador
- March 28, 1996, Cotopaxi, Pastaza, Tungurahua, Ambato, Ecuador
- March 18, 2023, Tumbes, Azuay, El Oro, Guayas, Peru, Ecuador
- July 30, 1960, Ecuador
- December 12, 1953, Peru-Ecuador
- August 4, 1998, Bahia DE Caraquez, Canoa, Ecuador
- July 14, 2022, Guayas, Ecuador
- January 30, 1943, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- January 24, 2005, Puerto Lopez, Salango, Near West Coast, Ecuador
- October 2, 1933, Ecuador
- September 28, 1906, Ecuador
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 4891.