Reviewed by USGSNicaragua95y ago
M6.8 earthquake 47 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua
Sunday, October 2, 1932, 02:59:16 UTC · 11.364°N, 86.580°W
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 47 km S of Masachapa, Nicaragua on Sunday, October 2, 1932, 02:59:16 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on May 21, 1932.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 30 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
247 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 519 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
91 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and Cocos plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 32 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.392 km SW of San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaDecember 30, 1907 · 77 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3204 km WSW of Sámara, Costa RicaFebruary 27, 1916 · 228 km S of this epicenter
- 7.27 km SW of El Viejo, NicaraguaMarch 28, 1921 · 155 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2116 km SW of Corinto, NicaraguaJuly 1, 1907 · 142 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1113 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El SalvadorFebruary 8, 1926 · 263 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.112 km S of Conchagua, El SalvadorMay 21, 1932 · 247 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,455 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1931M5.6
Managua
31 Mar 1931 · 225 km away
2,450 deaths$15 million damage
- 1930
Managua
31 Mar 1930 · 92 km away
1,000 deaths$15 million damage
- 1932M7.1
El Salvador; Honduras; Nicaragua
21 May 1932 · 247 km away · intensity VIII
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1925M6.7
Managua
5 Oct 1925 · 177 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1922M6.4
Nicaragua
16 Feb 1922 · 56 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1885
Leon,Chinandega,Managua
12 Oct 1885 · 107 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.