Reviewed by USGSGuatemala13y ago
M4.3 earthquake 20 km SW of Champerico, Guatemala
Saturday, September 21, 2013, 17:32:36 UTC · 14.178°N, 92.058°W
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 20 km SW of Champerico, Guatemala on Saturday, September 21, 2013, 17:32:36 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.3
- Light · md
- Depth
- 20 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
43 tons of TNT
That is about 1/354 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 11 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
95 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
20 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 50 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on September 30, 2013. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.821 km WSW of Champerico, Guatemala13y ago · 10 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.132 km S of Champerico, Guatemala13y ago · 28 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.140 km SSE of Champerico, Guatemala13y ago · 39 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.514 km SE of Ocós, Guatemala13y ago · 27 km N of this epicenter
- 4.03 km SE of Ocós, Guatemala13y ago · 36 km N of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 647 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 103 km E of this epicenter
- 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 27 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 70 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 68 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 212 km W of this epicenter
- 7.224 km W of Puerto Madero, MexicoSeptember 10, 1993 · 87 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 41 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,984 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 164 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 116 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 154 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 151 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1902M7.0
El Salvador-Guatemala
26 Feb 1902 · 286 km away
185 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1773M7.5
Antigua
29 Jul 1773 · 154 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.