World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1979
Historic Earthquake
1979 Tumaco Earthquake
12 December 1979 · Off Shore, Pacific Ocean · Colombia
On 12 December 1979 at 07:59 UTC, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Colombia (Off Shore, Pacific Ocean), at a depth of 23 km. It occurred on the North Andes Plate, 81 km from its boundary with the Nazca Plate (subduction zone). It killed at least 600 people and injured 20,000. 10,000 homes were destroyed. It is the 99th most powerful of the earthquakes recorded since 1900.
- Date
- 12 December 1979
- Time
- 07:59 UTC
- Magnitude
- 8.1
- Depth
- 23 km
- Maximum Intensity
- IX (Mercalli)
- Deaths
- 600
- Injuries
- 20,000
- Homes Destroyed
- 10,000
- Estimated Damage
- 8 million US dollars
- Tsunami
- See the tsunami (6.0 m wave)
- Plate
- North Andes Plate
- Country
- Colombia
- Nearest Volcano
- Chachimbiro (163 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 20162016 Ecuador Earthquake · M 7.8663 deaths
- 19981998 Bahía de Caráquez Earthquake · M 7.23 deaths
- 1987Napo Province, Quito · M 7.25,000 deaths
- 1976Esmeraldos · M 6.710 deaths
- 19581958 Ecuador-Colombia Earthquake · M 7.6115 deaths
- 1956Ecuador · M 7.3
- 1938Alangasi, Sangolqui · M 7.0
- 19061906 Ecuador-Colombia Earthquak · M 8.81,000 deaths
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth