| Magnitude | 5.1 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 49.0 km |
| Coordinates | 11.526, -87.470 |
| UTC time | 1978-12-20 02:55:04.400 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, December 20, 1978 Earthquake
The earthquake hit Nicaragua on Wednesday, December 20, 1978 at 02:55 UTC with a magnitude of 5.1. The closest known location in the current dataset is San Rafael del Sur (Nicaragua - NI), about 118.0 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -87.470 and latitude 11.526.
| Location | Managua |
| Country | Nicaragua (NI) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1978-12-20
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| San Rafael del Sur | 118.0 km |
| León | 120.2 km |
| Chichigalpa | 126.6 km |
| Chinandega | 128.2 km |
| El Viejo | 130.9 km |
| Mateare | 138.3 km |
| Diriamba | 139.2 km |
| Ciudad Sandino | 141.5 km |
| Jinotepe | 143.2 km |
| Managua | 149.1 km |
| Masaya | 158.0 km |
| Tipitapa | 167.2 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 5.5
Managua
Nicaragua · 2026-03-26 17:15 UTC
|
138.6 km |
|
M 4.1
Diriamba
Nicaragua · 2026-03-23 02:10 UTC
|
126.4 km |
|
M 4.8
Rivas
Nicaragua · 2026-03-11 16:37 UTC
|
192.3 km |
|
M 4.7
Diriamba
Nicaragua · 2026-02-19 03:00 UTC
|
126.5 km |
|
M 4.1
Managua
Nicaragua · 2026-02-18 11:38 UTC
|
64.7 km |
|
M 4.4
Managua
Nicaragua · 2026-01-26 08:01 UTC
|
126.7 km |
|
M 4.0
Mateare
Nicaragua · 2026-01-22 11:13 UTC
|
99.1 km |
|
M 4.2
Managua
Nicaragua · 2026-01-07 00:43 UTC
|
133.5 km |
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