Reviewed by USGSGuatemala99y ago
M6.0 earthquake 116 km SSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala
Thursday, January 31, 1929, 18:05:42 UTC · 13.223°N, 91.705°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 116 km SSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala on Thursday, January 31, 1929, 18:05:42 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on January 24, 1929.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
16 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 33 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
15 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 289 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.132 km NE of Chajul, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1921 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0off the coast of Central AmericaJanuary 24, 1929 · 113 km E of this epicenter
- 7.031 km SE of Champerico, GuatemalaApril 17, 1919 · 95 km N of this epicenter
- 6.933 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 9, 1912 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.78 km S of San Juan Opico, El SalvadorJune 8, 1917 · 261 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 28 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,008 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 194 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 115 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 278 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 282 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 188 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 179 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.