Reviewed by USGSGuatemala12y ago
M4.4 earthquake 11 km S of Ocós, Guatemala
Friday, January 10, 2014, 02:14:24 UTC · 14.403°N, 92.182°W
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 11 km S of Ocós, Guatemala on Friday, January 10, 2014, 02:14:24 UTC, at a depth of 66.7 km (shallow). USGS received 7 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light).
- Magnitude
- 4.4
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 67 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 7
- 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
60 tons of TNT
That is about 1/251 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 8 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
109 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
67 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almolonga, Quezaltenango, Guatemala | IV · Light | 1 | 109 km |
| Sololá, Sololá, Guatemala | IV · Light | 1 | 132 km |
| Coatepeque, Quezaltenango, Guatemala | III · Weak | 1 | 81 km |
| San Andrés Semetabaj, Sololá, Guatemala | III · Weak | 1 | 136 km |
| Santa Cruz la Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala | III · Weak | 1 | 129 km |
| El Palmar, Quezaltenango, Guatemala | II · Weak | 1 | 96 km |
| San Pedro la Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala | II · Weak | 1 | 122 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.5 on January 11, 2014. 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 667 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 · 125 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 56 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 42 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 47 km W of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 194 km W of this epicenter
- 7.224 km W of Puerto Madero, MexicoSeptember 10, 1993 · 61 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 39 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,803 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 172 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 135 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 161 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 160 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1773M7.5
Antigua
29 Jul 1773 · 161 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2012M7.3
San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu
7 Nov 2012 · 56 km away
48 deaths$210 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.