World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1972
Historic Earthquake
1972 Nicaragua Earthquake
23 December 1972 · Managua · Nicaragua
On 23 December 1972 at 06:29 UTC, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Nicaragua (Managua), at a depth of 5 km. It occurred on the Caribbean Plate, 207 km from its boundary with the Cocos Plate (subduction zone). It killed at least 10,000 people and injured 20,000. It is the 37th deadliest of the earthquakes recorded since 1900.
- Date
- 23 December 1972
- Time
- 06:29 UTC
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Depth
- 5 km
- Deaths
- 10,000
- Injuries
- 20,000
- Estimated Damage
- 3.0 billion US dollars
- Plate
- Caribbean Plate
- Country
- Nicaragua
- Nearest Volcano
- Volcán Apoyeque (32 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 20122012 Costa Rica Earthquake · M 7.62 deaths
- 20122012 El Salvador Earthquake · M 7.3
- 2001January 2001 El Salvador Earthquake · M 7.7844 deaths
- 19921992 Nicaragua Earthquake · M 7.6170 deaths
- 1956Puerto Samoza · M 7.3
- 1950Nicaragua · M 7.7
- 1916Off Coast · M 7.5
- 1900Costa Rica · M 7.5
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth