March 28, 1996 Earthquake: Cotopaxi, Pastaza, Tungurahua, Ambato, Ecuador
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Cotopaxi, Pastaza, Tungurahua, Ambato, Ecuador on March 28, 1996 at 23:03:49 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 27 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
- March 28, 1996
- Time
- 23:03:49 UTC
- Place
- Cotopaxi, Pastaza, Tungurahua, Ambato, Ecuador
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.036° S, 78.737° W
- Country
- Ecuador
The toll
- Deaths
- 27
- Injuries
- 100
- Damage
- $7 million
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
ECUADOR. Mw 6.0 (GS), 5.9 (HRV). Me 5.6 (GS). Ms 5.1 (BRK). At least 27 people killed, about 100 injured, several thousand homeless and considerable damage and destruction to homes, bridges and water pipes in Cotopaxi, Pastaza and Tungurahua Provinces. Landslides blocked several roads in the epicentral area. Minor damage (VI) at Ambato, Latacunga and San Miguel de Salcedo. Felt (IV) at Quito; (III) at Ibarra;
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 16, 1868, San Pablo, Guayaquil,ibarra, Colombia, Ecuador
- February 4, 1797, Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador
- June 20, 1698, Tungurahua,cotopaxi,chimborazo, Ecuador
- August 5, 1949, Tungurahua, Ecuador
- February 1640, Ecuador
- March 6, 1987, Napo Province, Quito, Tulcan, Ecuador
- February 22, 1757, Cotopaxi,tungurahua, Latacunga, Ecuador
- March 3, 1924, Ecuador
- July 30, 1960, Ecuador
- August 18, 1980, W, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- August 11, 1990, Pamasqui, Quito, Ecuador
- August 12, 2014, Quito, Ecuador
- August 4, 1998, Bahia DE Caraquez, Canoa, Ecuador
- September 22, 1987, Ambato, Latacunga, Riobamba, Ecuador
- January 31, 2018, Pastaza, Ecuador
More
Significant earthquakes of 1996The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1996Recent 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 5437.