Reviewed by USGSGuatemala99y ago
M5.7 earthquake 52 km S of Iztapa, Guatemala
Sunday, February 3, 1929, 18:00:47 UTC · 13.462°N, 90.718°W
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 52 km S of Iztapa, Guatemala on Sunday, February 3, 1929, 18:00:47 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on January 31, 1929.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
6 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 12 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
4 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
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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 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 31 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 · 199 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1113 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El SalvadorFebruary 8, 1926 · 245 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.132 km NE of Chajul, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1921 · 245 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0off the coast of Central AmericaJanuary 24, 1929 · 58 km S of this epicenter
- 7.031 km SE of Champerico, GuatemalaApril 17, 1919 · 128 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.933 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 9, 1912 · 249 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 33 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 · 127 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 67 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 168 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 173 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 127 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 115 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.