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Country profile · USGS ComCat

Earthquakes in Nicaragua

Nicaragua ranks 30th of 215 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a highly seismically active country. Below: the full M6+ event history, magnitude and depth profile, and yearly trend, straight from USGS data.

1,413
M4+ events (since 2005)
62
Major M6+ (since 1900)
M7.7
Strongest
~67
M4+ per year

The verdict

Nicaragua has logged 1,413 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 and 62 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.7.

#30
of 215 countries by M4+ activity
1,413
catalogued M4+ events (2005–present)
M7.7
strongest earthquake on record
62
major M6+ events since 1900

Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4–5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage.

Major (M6+) earthquakes in Nicaragua by year

Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year

Value

What this shows Nicaragua's most active year for major earthquakes was 1996 (4 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2025

Magnitude distribution of major events

Breakdown of the 62 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Nicaragua.

M7.0-7.9

7

11.3%

M6.0-6.9

55

88.7%

Depth of major earthquakes

Hypocentral depth of the 62 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 41 km.

Shallow (<70 km)

54

87.1% of events

Intermediate (70–300 km)

8

12.9% of events

Deep (>300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Strongest earthquakes in Nicaragua

The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).

Mag Location Depth
7.7 83 km SSW of Corinto, Nicaragua 44.8 km
7.3 92 km SW of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 35.0 km
7.2 7 km SW of El Viejo, Nicaragua 65.0 km
7.2 116 km SW of Corinto, Nicaragua 15.0 km
7.1 12 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 35.0 km
7.1 9 km E of Granada, Nicaragua 160.4 km
7.0 43 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 35.0 km
7.0 15 km NNE of Telica, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.8 47 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua 30.0 km
6.8 36 km SSW of La Conquista, Nicaragua 52.5 km

Significant earthquake record (62 events)

Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Nicaragua since 1900, most recent first.

Mag Location Depth
6.6 55 km WSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 27.0 km
6.3 62 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua 20.0 km
6.5 80 km SW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 21.0 km
6.6 15 km N of Belén, Nicaragua 135.0 km
6.1 16 km SW of Valle San Francisco, Nicaragua 13.0 km
6.2 33 km SW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 60.0 km
6.5 44 km W of Masachapa, Nicaragua 30.0 km
6.0 7 km NNE of Belén, Nicaragua 177.0 km
6.3 6 km NNW of Cárdenas, Nicaragua 14.0 km
6.6 32 km W of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 27.0 km
7.0 43 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.3 129 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 9.0 km
6.2 33 km SW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 28.0 km
6.0 51 km S of El Rosario, Nicaragua 68.7 km
6.7 130 km SW of Corinto, Nicaragua 54.6 km
6.0 27 km SW of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 33.0 km
6.0 113 km SW of Corinto, Nicaragua 33.0 km
6.7 30 km WSW of Villa El Carmen, Nicaragua 33.0 km
6.6 39 km WSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 33.0 km
6.6 120 km SW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 25.0 km
6.4 181 km SSW of Corinto, Nicaragua 14.5 km
6.0 55 km SSW of Corinto, Nicaragua 10.0 km
6.0 58 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 10.0 km
7.7 83 km SSW of Corinto, Nicaragua 44.8 km
6.8 36 km SSW of La Conquista, Nicaragua 52.5 km
6.6 2 km WSW of Belén, Nicaragua 86.7 km
6.5 4 km S of Chichigalpa, Nicaragua 76.2 km
6.4 11 km SSW of El Rosario, Nicaragua 55.8 km
6.3 23 km E of Nandaime, Nicaragua 22.1 km
6.1 16 km WNW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 71.8 km
6.0 32 km W of Tola, Nicaragua 62.9 km
6.2 18 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua 57.3 km
6.3 10 km N of Managua, Nicaragua 10.0 km
6.5 23 km WNW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 55.0 km
6.6 34 km SSW of La Conquista, Nicaragua 40.0 km
7.1 9 km E of Granada, Nicaragua 160.4 km
6.2 6 km SW of El Viejo, Nicaragua 102.4 km
7.1 12 km SSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.0 10 km NNE of Villa El Carmen, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.2 24 km N of Telica, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.8 33 km W of Masachapa, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.8 60 km WSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.3 78 km SSW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.1 36 km WSW of Tola, Nicaragua 46.9 km
6.2 42 km WNW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 45.0 km
6.3 53 km W of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.1 14 km SSW of El Rosario, Nicaragua 70.0 km
6.1 22 km NE of La Paz Centro, Nicaragua 35.0 km
6.1 38 km SW of La Paz Centro, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.7 60 km SW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 25.0 km
6.8 47 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua 30.0 km
6.1 19 km S of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.2 20 km S of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.6 57 km WSW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 30.0 km
7.0 15 km NNE of Telica, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.4 19 km SW of Tola, Nicaragua 25.0 km
7.2 7 km SW of El Viejo, Nicaragua 65.0 km
6.1 110 km SW of Corinto, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.4 144 km SW of Masachapa, Nicaragua 15.0 km
7.3 92 km SW of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua 35.0 km
7.2 116 km SW of Corinto, Nicaragua 15.0 km
6.2 73 km WSW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua 35.0 km

Countries with similar seismic activity

Comparable catalogued earthquake frequency to Nicaragua.

El Salvador

1,498 M4+ events · strongest M7.3

M7.3

Pakistan

1,261 M4+ events · strongest M7.7

M7.7

Tajikistan

1,578 M4+ events · strongest M7.2

M7.2

Colombia

1,718 M4+ events · strongest M7.3

M7.3

Ecuador

1,069 M4+ events · strongest M7.8

M7.8

Canada

1,014 M4+ events · strongest M7.8

M7.8

Understand the data

How earthquakes are measured

Magnitude scales, seismographs, and depth.

Reading earthquake data

Interpreting magnitude, depth and frequency.

Earthquake preparedness

Before, during and after a quake.

Frequently asked questions

How many earthquakes have occurred in Nicaragua? ▼
The USGS catalog records 1,413 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater in Nicaragua since 2005, an average of about 67 per year. Separately, 62 significant (M6+) earthquakes are catalogued back to 1900.
What was the strongest earthquake in Nicaragua? ▼
The strongest catalogued earthquake in Nicaragua measured magnitude 7.7. Across the full M4+ catalog the average magnitude is 4.5 - most earthquakes are moderate.
How seismically active is Nicaragua? ▼
By catalogued M4+ activity, Nicaragua ranks 30th of 215 countries worldwide - a highly seismically active country. Its busiest year for major (M6+) events was 1996, with 4.
How deep are earthquakes in Nicaragua? ▼
Across the 62 major (M6+) events on record, the average depth is 41 km. 87% were shallow (under 70 km), where surface shaking is strongest at a given magnitude.
Where does this data come from? ▼
Every figure is derived from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). M4+ counts cover 2005 onward (the period of consistent global completeness); the significant-event series covers M6+ back to 1900. Nothing is modelled or estimated.

About this data

Every figure on this page is computed directly from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), the public-domain record maintained by the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Two series are combined: a worldwide catalog of magnitude-4.0-and-above events from 2005 onward, the period over which the global seismograph network reliably detects and locates earthquakes everywhere, and a historical series of significant magnitude-6.0-and-above events stretching back to 1900. Magnitudes use the moment-magnitude scale (Mw), the modern standard that supersedes the older Richter scale; because the scale is logarithmic, each whole step represents roughly thirty-two times more energy released. Depth is measured in kilometres from the surface, and shallow earthquakes generally produce stronger shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. Counts reflect what instruments recorded, not every tremor that occurred, and recent events can be revised as seismologists refine the catalog.

Source: USGS ComCat, verify with USGS → · See our methodology for the full pipeline.

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