How frequent are earthquakes in Nicaragua?

Nicaragua has a high level of seismic activity. Based on data from the past 25 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 2,000 quakes on average per year in Nicaragua. Nicaragua has had at least 11 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 10 to 15 years.

How many earthquakes occur every year in Nicaragua?

On average, Nicaragua has about 752 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher per year (Mag 4+: 123 quakes per year, Mag 5+: 8.1 quakes per year).

Volcanoes of Nicaragua (23)

Go to: Eruptions FAQ Quakes News

Nicaragua has 19 active volcanoes which form a NW-SE running chain mostly inside the Nicaraguan Depression graben. The volcanoes and graben structure are related to the northeastward subduction of the Cocos Plate beneath the Caribbean Plate along the Middle American Trench.

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Nicaragua

In historic times, at least 8 volcanoes have been active in Nicaragua, including San Cristobal, Concepción, and Telica volcanoes. A total of 191 eruptions have been witnessed and documented since around 1524 AD.
The table below lists the most recent volcanic eruptions, significant eruptive episodes or related events in Nicaragua since around 2010.

Date	Volcano	VEI	Region
2015 Oct 3 - ongoing	Masaya Santiago crater	1	Nicaragua
2024 Jul 5 - Jul 7	San Cristobal	?	Nicaragua
2024 May 16	Concepción	?	Nicaragua
2023 Jul 5	San Cristobal	1	Nicaragua
2020 Dec 27 ? - 2022 Jun 26	San Cristobal	2	Nicaragua
2021 Apr 21 - 2022 Mar 29	Telica	1	Nicaragua
2020 Jul 20 - Dec 9	Telica	1	Nicaragua
2019 Mar 4	San Cristobal	1	Nicaragua
2018 Jun 21 - Aug 15	Telica	1	Nicaragua
2018 Apr 22	San Cristobal	1	Nicaragua
2017 Aug 18 - Nov 11	San Cristobal Summit crater	3	Nicaragua
2017 Feb 18 - Apr 19	San Cristobal Summit crater	1	Nicaragua
2015 Sep 23 - 2016 May 11	Telica Telica crater	2	Nicaragua
2016 Apr 22	San Cristobal Summit crater	2	Nicaragua
2015 Dec 1 - 2016 Apr 7	Momotombo Summit crater and NW flank	2	Nicaragua
2015 Mar 5 - Jun 12	San Cristobal Summit crater	2	Nicaragua
2015 May 7 - May 28	Telica Telica crater	2	Nicaragua
2014 Jul 20 - Oct 1	San Cristobal Summit crater	1	Nicaragua
2014 Feb 4 - Apr 12	San Cristobal Summit crater	1	Nicaragua
2013 Sep 25	Telica Telica crater	1	Nicaragua
2013 Jun 7	San Cristobal Summit crater	1	Nicaragua
2012 Dec 26 - Dec 28	San Cristobal Summit crater	2	Nicaragua
2012 Sep 8 - Sep 15	San Cristobal Summit crater	2	Nicaragua
2012 Apr 30 - Jun 8	Masaya Santiago Crater	1	Nicaragua
2011 Aug 21 ? - Oct 23	San Cristobal Summit crater	1	Nicaragua
2011 Mar 7 - Jun 14	Telica Southern crater	2	Nicaragua
2009 Dec 11 - 2011 Mar 12	Concepción	1	Nicaragua
2010 Jun 9 - 2011 Jan 13	San Cristobal Summit crater	2	Nicaragua

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Nicaragua FAQ

+When was the last volcanic eruption in Nicaragua?

The last volcanic eruption in Nicaragua was from San Cristobal volcano in 2024.

+When was the first documented volcanic eruption in Nicaragua?

The first historically documented eruption occurred around 1524 AD from Masaya volcano.

+How often do volcanoes in Nicaragua erupt?

Since 1524 AD, Nicaragua has seen at least 191 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 2.6 years.

+How active are the volcanoes in Nicaragua?

Nicaragua is volcanically extremely active: Since 1900, at least 7 volcanoes in Nicaragua have been active. Almost every year, at least one volcano has erupted in Nicaragua. The last volcano to erupt in Nicaragua was San Cristobal volcano, which erupted in 2024, 10 months ago.

+When was the largest volcanic eruption in Nicaragua?

The largest eruption in Nicaragua in historic times was from Cosigüina volcano. It occurred in 1835. It ranks as a plinian eruption with a magnitude 5 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale. Eruption of this size are often catastrophic on a regional scale.

Latest earthquakes: Nicaragua

In the past 7 days, Nicaragua was shaken by 2 quakes of magnitude 4.0 or above, 8 quakes between 3.0 and 4.0, and 12 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0. There were also 2 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel.

A Magnitude 2.9 earthquake occurred in North Pacific Ocean, Nicaragua .

Magnitude 2.9 Earthquake North Pacific Ocean, Nicaragua -

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Nearest Volcano / Location
Apr 30, 01:35 am (GMT -6)	4.0 13 km	87 km (54 mi) SW of Orosí	Off Coast of Costa Rica I FELT IT - 2 reports	Info
Monday, April 28, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Apr 28, 12:02 am (GMT -6)	3.1 25 km	100 km (62 mi) SW of Telica	Near Coast of Nicaragua I FELT IT	Info
Apr 27, 11:27 pm (GMT -6)	3.1 25 km	111 km (69 mi) SW of Nejapa-Miraflores	Near Coast of Nicaragua I FELT IT	Info
Saturday, April 26, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Apr 26, 05:17 pm (GMT -6)	3.2 31 km	80 km (50 mi) SW of Cosigüina	Near Coast of Nicaragua I FELT IT	Info
Apr 26, 08:54 am (GMT -6)	4.1 29 km	84 km (52 mi) S of Usulután	Offshore EL Salvador I FELT IT	Info
Thursday, April 24, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Apr 24, 06:07 am (GMT -6)	3.3 11 km	127 km (79 mi) SW of Cerro Negro	Near Coast of Nicaragua I FELT IT	Info
Apr 23, 06:05 pm (GMT -6)	3.3 12 km	162 km (101 mi) SW of Nejapa-Miraflores	Near Coast of Nicaragua I FELT IT	Info
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Apr 23, 02:50 pm (GMT -6)	3.4 30 km	69 km (43 mi) SW of Cosigüina	Near Coast of Nicaragua	Info

See Recent Quakes

Significant Earthquakes in Nicaragua since 1900

The deadliest earthquake in Nicaragua since 1900 was the magnitude 6.2 earthquake in

Nicaragua, Departamento de Managua on Dec, 23, 1972. It resulted in 10,000 fatalities and 20,000 injured people. This was the most disastrous quake in Nicaragua ever recorded. This was also the most damaging earthquake that occurred in this time: total economic losses were estimated to the equivalent of $3 billion US Dollars. An unknown number houses and other buildings were destroyed and an unknown number damaged.

Date	Mag	Region	Deaths	Damage
1992 Sep 2	7.6	Masachapa; Costa Rica	170	heavy	Info
1972 Dec 23	6.2	Managua	10,000	catastrophic	Info
1951 May 6	6.5	El Salvador: Jucuapa	1,100	heavy	Info
1931 Mar 31	5.6	Managua	2,450	heavy	Info
1930 Mar 31	?	Managua	1,000	heavy	Info

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K

All Quakes in History

Map

Oldest quakes (until 1960) are shown in yellow, most recent (from 2000) in red.

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Significant Earthquakes in Nicaragua FAQ

+Which was the deadliest earthquake in Nicaragua since 1900?

The deadliest earthquake in Nicaragua since 1900 was the magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Nicaragua, Departamento de Managua on Dec, 23, 1972. It resulted in 10,000 fatalities and 20,000 injured people. This was the most disastrous quake in Nicaragua ever recorded.

+How many people were killed by earthquakes in Nicaragua since 1900?

Since 1900, at least 9 earthquakes claimed an estimated total of 15,000 fatalities in Nicaragua.

+How much damage did earthquakes cause in Nicaragua since 1900?

There were 27 damaging or deadly quakes during this period that caused economic losses of approx. $3.3 billion US Dollars combined.

Volcano List

Apoyeque

(pyroclastic shield 518 m / 1,699 ft)

Apoyeque volcano forms the broad Chiltepe Peninsula in western Nicaragua and extends into south central Lake Managua
The Apoyeque volcano is part of a larger volcanic complex and consists of a low 500 m high shield cut by a 2.8 km wide and 400 deep lake-filled caldera and a... [more info]

Apoyo

(Caldera 600 m / 1969 ft)

[more info]

Cerro el Ciguatepe

(stratovolcano 603 m / 1,978 ft)

Cerro el Ciguatepe volcano is located in the Nicaraguan interior highlands, east of the Nicaraguan depression and one of several Quarternary volcanoes in this area.
It contains a well-reserved 1.5 km wide summit crater, which contains a blocky lava dome and a young lava fl... [more info]

Cerro Negro

(cinder cones 728 m / 2,388 ft)

Cerro Negro, Central America's youngest volcano was born in April 1850 and is one of the region's most active volcanoes. It has been producing frequent strombolian eruptions, occasional lava fountains and lava flows, and powerful explosive eruptions every few decades.
Cerro... [more info]

Cerro San Jacinto

(Stratovolcano 300 m / 984 ft)

[more info]

Concepción

(stratovolcano 1700 m / 5,577 ft)

The steep stratovolcano Conception in January 2012 (photo: Antony / www.facebook.com/antony.van)

Concepción volcano is a steep symmetrical stratovolcano with a perfect shape and one of the most active volcanoes of Nicaragua. During the past 100 years, it has been in a near-constant state of small to medium ash explosions at irregular intervals.
Together with its neighb... [more info]

Cosigüina

(stratovolcano 872 m / 2,861 ft)

Cosigüina (or Cosegüina) volcano in western Nicaragua forms a large peninsula into the Gulf of Fonseca. The last eruption of the volcano was in 1959, but periods of unrest have occurred in recent years and in 1835, it produced the largest known historic eruption in Nicaragua. more info]

Esteli

(volcanic field 899 m / 2,949 ft)

Esteli volcano is a group of young fissure vents, cones and lava flows located 36 km south of Honduras in the northern interior highlands between the town of Estelí and the border. The volcanic center is not on the main volcanic front of Nicaragua, but 70 km NE of the main volcan... [more info]

Granada

(fissure vents 300+ m / 984 ft)

Granada volcano is a system of N-S trending fissure vents, cinder cones and craters located in western Nicaragua between the city of Granada (the oldest city founded by Europeans on the American continent) on the northwestern shore of Lake Nicaragua and the northern flanks of Mom... [more info]

Las Lajas

(shield volcano 926 m / 3,038 ft)

Las Lajas is a basaltic shield volcano 20 km north of Lake Nicaragua. La Lajas is the youngest of a group of volcanoes east of the Nicaraguan graben. Based on its fresh morphology, it could be still active.
Las Lajas volcano has a 7 km wide and 650 m deep caldera, which co... [more info]

Las Pilas

(volcanic field 1088 m / 3,570 ft)

Las Pilas volcano is a volcanic complex near Cerro Negro volcano 75 km NW of the capital Managua.
The volcano consists of several cones around the central vent, Las Pilas, which contains a 700 m wide and 120 m deep crater and is the site of the recent activity.
El Ho... [more info]

Maderas

(stratovolcano 1394 m / 4,573 ft)

Maderas volcano is a basaltic to dacitic stratovolcano on the SE end of Ometepe island in Lake Nicaragua. It has a a 800 m wide summit crater which contains the small lake Laguna de Maderas at the bottom.
Maderas is still active, but the latest activity dates back more than... [more info]

Malpaisillo

(Pyroclastic shield 181 m / 594 ft)

[more info]

Masaya

(caldera 635 m / 2,083 ft)

Masaya volcano 25 km SE from Managua is one of Nicaragua's most active and usual volcanoes.
In contrast to most other volcanoes in subduction zones, it has been erupting mainly fluid basaltic lava. At the time of the Spanish Conquistadors, it contained an active lava lake ... [more info]

Mombacho

(stratovolcano 1344 m / 4,409 ft)

Mombacho volcano is an active andesitic and basaltic stratovolcano located about 10 km south of the city of Granada, west of Lake Nicaragua and a few kilometers SE of Laguna Apoyo.
A possible historic eruption occurred in 1570, when a debris avalanche destroyed a village on... [more info]

Momotombo

(stratovolcano 1297 m / 4,255 ft)

Momotombo volcano is a symmetrical stratovolcano rising as a peninsula above the NW part of Lake Managua, Nicaragua. It is one of the most known volcanoes of the country.
Momotombo is located at the SE end of the Marrabios Range. It consists of the remnant of an older volca... [more info]

Nejapa-Miraflores

(fissure vents 360 m / 1,181 ft)

Nejapa-Miraflores volcano is an alignment of fissure vents, maars and cinder cones extending from Lake Managua until the western part of Managua city.
About 40 eruptions have occurred from this system during the past 30,000 years, and the most recent one produced Asososca ... [more info]

Rota

(stratovolcano 832 m / 2,730 ft)

Rota (also known as Orota) volcano in Nicaragua is located between the more active Cerro Negro and Telica volcanoes in the central Marrabios Range. It is a symmetrical stratovolcano truncated by a 1 km wide circular crater.
There are no recent eruptions from Rota, and the c... [more info]

San Cristobal

(stratovolcano 1745 m / 5,725 ft)

San Cristobal volcano, also known as El Viejo, is the highest and one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua. It is located near the northwest corner of the country near the city of Chinandega, 110 km WSW of the capital Managua.
San Cristobal has had frequent small to m... [more info]

Tambor Grande

(Caldera 648 m / 2126 ft)

[more info]

Telica

(Stratovolcano(es) 1061 m / 3,481 ft)

Telica volcano (image: GVP)

Telica, one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua, is a group of overlapping cones and craters on a broad NW line. The most prominent vent is a 700 m wide and 120 m deep double crater at the summit. Its southern summit crater has been the source of Telica's recent eruptions. ... [more info]

Volcán Azul

(cinder cones 201 m / 659 ft)

Volcán Azul (also known as Volcán Blue) a group of 3 cinder cones located on the Atlantic coastal plain of Nicaragua. The volcanic cones are in an area covered by dense rainforest and were discovered during an aerial survey in the 1960s.

Note: There is another more info]

Zapatera

(shield volcano 629 m / 2,064 ft)

Zapatera volcano is a low shield volcano forming a 7 x 10 km wide densely forested island on the western part of Lake Nicaragua. The island is located opposite Mombacho volcano and separated by a narrow strait from the mainland.
Zapatera volcano... [more info]

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Telica volcano (Nicaragua) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 26 February-4 March 2025 (New Activity / Unrest)

Based on webcam and satellite images, the Washington VAAC reported that at 0720 on 25 February a narrow plume from Telica, possibly containing ash, extended more than 11 km SW at an altitude of 1.2 km (4,000 ft) a.s.l. ... Read all

Wed, 26 Feb 2025, 15:00

Telica volcano (Nicaragua) - Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 19 February-25 February 2025 (New Activity / Unrest)

Based on webcam and satellite images, the Washington VAAC reported that on 19 and 22 February ash emissions at Telica rose as high as 1.5 km (5,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW and W. ... Read all