Reviewed by USGSGuatemala77y ago
M6.2 earthquake 26 km ESE of Champerico, Guatemala
Monday, October 23, 1950, 17:48:00 UTC · 14.188°N, 91.688°W
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 26 km ESE of Champerico, Guatemala on Monday, October 23, 1950, 17:48:00 UTC, at a depth of 65.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on October 23, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 65 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
109 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
65 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on October 24, 1950. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 79 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.712 km NW of Chalatenango, El SalvadorSeptember 7, 1915 · 289 km E of this epicenter
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 67 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 98 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 251 km W of this epicenter
- 7.21 km NNW of Champerico, GuatemalaOctober 23, 1950 · 28 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.132 km NE of Chajul, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1921 · 190 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 35 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,015 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 126 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 77 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 272 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 283 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 116 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 112 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.