Reviewed by USGSGuatemala107y ago
M7.1 earthquake 32 km NE of Chajul, Guatemala
Friday, February 4, 1921, 08:22:40 UTC · 15.662°N, 90.791°W
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 32 km NE of Chajul, Guatemala on Friday, February 4, 1921, 08:22:40 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on September 7, 1915.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
697 kilotons of TNT
That is about 46 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,462 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
148 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 16 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 · 257 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.031 km SE of Champerico, GuatemalaApril 17, 1919 · 203 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.933 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 9, 1912 · 237 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.78 km S of San Juan Opico, El SalvadorJune 8, 1917 · 258 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.711 km S of Los Amates, GuatemalaJune 12, 1912 · 189 km E of this epicenter
- 6.525 km S of Taxisco, GuatemalaSeptember 23, 1907 · 206 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 31 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 · 120 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 186 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 269 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 287 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 118 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 130 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.