Reviewed by USGS99y ago
M7.0 earthquake off the coast of Central America
Thursday, January 24, 1929, 20:36:44 UTC · 12.944°N, 90.697°W
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Central America on Thursday, January 24, 1929, 20:36:44 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on February 8, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
529 kilotons of TNT
That is about 35 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,109 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
18 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and North American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 200 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.6 on February 10, 1929. 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 29 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 · 225 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1113 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El SalvadorFebruary 8, 1926 · 218 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0off the coast of Central AmericaAugust 16, 1909 · 291 km S of this epicenter
- 7.031 km SE of Champerico, GuatemalaApril 17, 1919 · 168 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.933 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 9, 1912 · 285 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.78 km S of San Juan Opico, El SalvadorJune 8, 1917 · 173 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 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 · 184 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 122 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 188 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 186 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 184 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 173 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.