World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1980
Historic Earthquake
1980 Azores Islands Earthquake
1 January 1980 · Terceira, Angra Do Heroismo · Azores (Portugal)
On 1 January 1980 at 16:42 UTC, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Azores (Portugal) (Terceira, Angra Do Heroismo), at a depth of 13 km. It occurred on the African Plate, 19 km from its boundary with the Eurasian Plate (mid-ocean ridge). It killed at least 69 people and injured 600. 15,000 homes were destroyed.
- Date
- 1 January 1980
- Time
- 16:42 UTC
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Depth
- 13 km
- Maximum Intensity
- VIII (Mercalli)
- Deaths
- 69
- Injuries
- 600
- Homes Destroyed
- 15,000
- Estimated Damage
- 5 million US dollars
- Tsunami
- See the tsunami (0.4 m wave)
- Plate
- African Plate
- Country
- Azores (Portugal)
- Nearest Volcano
- Sao Jorge (30 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 1998Faial, Pico · M 6.210 deaths
- 1968Azores (Portugal) · M 7.6
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth