May 21, 1997 Earthquake: Galicia, Portugal, Spain
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Galicia, Portugal, Spain on May 21, 1997 at 23:50:43 UTC, 19 km below the surface. It killed 2 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
- May 21, 1997
- Time
- 23:50:43 UTC
- Place
- Galicia, Portugal, Spain
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 19 km (12 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 42.881° N, 7.193° W
- Country
- Spain
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
One person died from a heart attack and minor damage in the Galicia region. Felt in many parts of northern and western Spain. Also felt in northern Portugal. (reference #1053)
This seism occurred at 11:51 p.m. UTC (0.51 a.m. Portuguese local time) and reached a magnitude of 5.3 and an intensity of VII (MM56 scale) next to the epicentre, in the Northwestern Spanish region of Galicia. Despite its relatively low magnitude, two deaths were caused by cardiac disease triggered by the earthquake […] The 21st May 1997 earthquake was felt not only in Galicia (Spain) but in almost half of Continental Portugal. (reference #14043)
More
Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent 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 10865.