Reviewed by USGSGuatemala13y ago
M4.2 earthquake 14 km WSW of Tiquisate, Guatemala
Monday, February 25, 2013, 07:08:45 UTC · 14.233°N, 91.482°W
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 14 km WSW of Tiquisate, Guatemala on Monday, February 25, 2013, 07:08:45 UTC, at a depth of 78.3 km (intermediate). USGS received 4 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 78 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 4
- Max intensity IV
- 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
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
113 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: intermediate
78 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bartolomé Milpas Altas, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala | IV · Light | 1 | 123 km |
| Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala | III · Weak | 1 | 117 km |
| Chinautla, Guatemala, Guatemala | II · Weak | 1 | 141 km |
| Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala | II · Weak | 1 | 134 km |
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on March 19, 2013. 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 648 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 · 267 km E of this epicenter
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 54 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.57 km N of Los Amates, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1976 · 283 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 52 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 115 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 125 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 62 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 32,728 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M7.5
Chimaltenango, Guatemala City
4 Feb 1976 · 283 km away · intensity IX
23,000 deaths$2.1 billion damagetsunami
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 103 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 58 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1986M5.4
San Salvador
10 Oct 1986 · 259 km away
1,100 deaths$1.5 billion damage
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 251 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 262 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.