December 22, 1999 Earthquake: Ain Temouchent, Northern, Algeria
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Ain Temouchent, Northern, Algeria on December 22, 1999 at 17:36:56 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 24 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
- December 22, 1999
- Time
- 17:36:56 UTC
- Place
- Ain Temouchent, Northern, Algeria
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 35.321° N, 1.281° W
- Country
- Algeria
The toll
- Deaths
- 24
- Injuries
- 175
- Damage
- $60.9 million
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000); 3,000 with its tsunami and other effects
- 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.
Twenty-four people killed, about 175 injured and 3,000 houses destroyed (VII) in the Ain Temouchent area. Felt at Arzew, Mascara, Oran and Tlemcen. Felt at Oujda, Morocco. Felt (III) at Almeria, Cartagena and Melilla, Spain. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 9, 1790, Cartagena, Santa Fe, Oran, Spain, Algeria
- August 18, 1994, Mascara, Algeria
- November 29, 1887, Kalaa, Algeria
- July 13, 1967, Near Sig, Algeria
- January 9, 2008, Oran, Algeria
- June 6, 2008, Oran, Algeria
- March 1819, Mascara, Algeria
- 1579, Melilla, Morocco
- 1660, Melilla, Morocco
- 1791, Melilla, Morocco
- April 1808, Melilla, Morocco
- April 8, 1821, Melilla, Morocco
- February 1848, Melilla, Morocco
- October 27, 1910, Penon DE LA Gomera, Melilla, Canary I, Morocco
- February 16, 1930, Off Southern Coast, Spain
More
Significant earthquakes of 1999The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1999Recent 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 5550.