September 28, 2016 Earthquake: Leon, Nicaragua
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Leon, Nicaragua on September 28, 2016 at 16:48:55 UTC, 8 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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
- September 28, 2016
- Time
- 16:48:55 UTC
- Place
- Leon, Nicaragua
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 8 km (5 mi)
- Intensity
- 4 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 12.442° N, 86.515° W
- Country
- Nicaragua
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 6
- Houses damaged
- 487
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 killed and 5 injured; 6 homes destroyed and 487 damaged; power outages occurred at La Paz Centro. Felt (IV) at Managua and (III) at Ciudad Sandino. Also felt at El Viejo, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Matagalpa, Nagarote, Nindiri, San Rafael del Sur, Telica and Ticuantepe. Felt (I) at La Union, El Salvador. Ticuantepe, Managua, Nicaragua - CDI: 4; Granada, Granada, Nicaragua - CDI: 4; Managua, Managua, Nicaragua - CDI: 4; El Viejo, Chinandega, Nicaragua - CDI: 3; León, León, Nicaragua - CDI: 3 (reference #13456)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua
- March 31, 1931, Managua, Nicaragua
- May 6, 1951, Jucuapa, El Salvador
- March 31, 1930, Managua, Nicaragua
- September 2, 1992, Masachapa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
- July 6, 2000, Masaya, Nicaragua
- May 21, 1932, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
- April 10, 2014, Nagarote, Managua, Nicaragua
- October 14, 2014, Gulf of Fonseca, El Salvador
- 1663, Momotomba, Granada, Nicaragua
- June 18, 1870, Leon, Nicaragua
- 1648, Leon, Nicaragua
- January 24, 1956, Puerto Samoza, Nicaragua
- October 12, 1885, Leon,chinandega,managua, Nicaragua
- April 14, 2014, Managua, Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua
More
Significant earthquakes of 2016The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2016Recent 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 10373.