January 10, 1998 Earthquake: Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Solola, Guatemala
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Solola, Guatemala on January 10, 1998 at 08:20:05 UTC, 33 km below the surface.
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 10, 1998
- Time
- 08:20:05 UTC
- Place
- Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Solola, Guatemala
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 14.374° N, 91.473° W
- Country
- Guatemala
The toll
- Injuries
- 27
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100); Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
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.
1998, Jan 10. At least 16 people injured in Quezaltenango and 3 injured in San Marcos Departments. Five people injured in the Guatemala City area. Three people also injured in El Salvador. Landslides, power outages and buildings damaged in Quezaltenango and San Marcos Departments. Several houses destroyed in Solola Department. Felt throughout southern and western Guatemala as far as Alta Verapaz and Zacapa Departments. Also felt in El Salvador and parts of southern Mexico. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 26, 1917, Guatemala City
- April 19, 1902, Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Guatemala
- June 3, 1773, St. Jago, Guatemala
- September 3, 1874, Antigua,chimaltenango,amatitlan, Guatemala
- July 29, 1773, Antigua, Guatemala
- November 7, 2012, San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu, Guatemala
- September 18, 1991, Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola
- July 22, 1816, Soloma, Guatemala
- September 25, 1968, S Chiapas, Mexico-Guatemala
- July 29, 1978, Patzun, Guatemala
- July 8, 2025, Guatemala City, Escuintla, Sacatepequez
- June 14, 2017, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepequez, Mexico, Guatemala
- November 3, 1988, S Palin, San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala
- March 13, 1976, Guatemala
- October 27, 1979, Guatemala
More
Significant earthquakes of 1998The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1998Recent 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 5483.