August 27, 2012 Earthquake: Off the Coast, Nicaragua
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Off the Coast, Nicaragua on August 27, 2012 at 04:37:19 UTC, 28 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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 27, 2012
- Time
- 04:37:19 UTC
- Place
- Off the Coast, Nicaragua
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 28 km (17 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 12.139° N, 88.590° W
- Country
- Nicaragua
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
2012, August 27, 04:37:19.4 UTC. Felt (II) at Antiguo Cuscatlan, Nueva San Salvador and San Salvador. Also felt at Apopa, Mejicanos, Santo Tomas and Usulutan. Felt at Tegucigalpa, Honduras and at Managua, Nicaragua. A small tsunami with maximum wave heights (one-half peak-to-trough) was recorded at the following selected tide stations: 11 cm at Acajutla, El Salvador; 35 cm on Isla Baltra, 22 cm on Isla Santa Cruz and 21 cm at La Libertad, Ecuador. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El Salvador
- October 10, 1986, San Salvador, El Salvador
- April 14, 1854, San Salvador, El Salvador
- January 13, 2001, El Salvador, Guatemala
- March 4, 1873, Santa Tomas, San Vicente, El Salvador
- December 19, 1936, San Vicente, El Salvador
- February 13, 2001, San Juan Tepezontes-San Vicente-Cojutep, El Salvador
- April 11, 1873, Salvador,san Vicente, El Salvador
- February 26, 1902, El Salvador-Guatemala
- September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
- May 3, 1965, San Marcos, El Salvador
- April 20, 1765, Chiquimula, El Salvador, Guatemala
- June 19, 1982, San Salvador, Guatemala, El Salvador
- April 21, 1594, San Salvador, El Salvador
- May 21, 1932, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
More
Significant earthquakes of 2012The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2012Recent 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 9934.