Reviewed by USGSHonduras51y ago
M5.6 earthquake 17 km N of Correderos, Honduras
Sunday, February 8, 1976, 08:13:46 UTC · 15.571°N, 88.466°W
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 17 km N of Correderos, Honduras on Sunday, February 8, 1976, 08:13:46 UTC, at a depth of 5.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on February 6, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · ms
- Depth
- 5 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
29 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
5 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 M5.2 on February 9, 1976. 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 62 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 · 171 km S of this epicenter
- 7.57 km N of Los Amates, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1976 · 73 km W of this epicenter
- 7.132 km NE of Chajul, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1921 · 249 km W of this epicenter
- 7.112 km S of Conchagua, El SalvadorMay 21, 1932 · 272 km S of this epicenter
- 6.88 km NNW of Moyuta, GuatemalaJuly 14, 1930 · 239 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.820 km SE of Iztapa, GuatemalaNovember 19, 1936 · 300 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.78 km S of San Juan Opico, El SalvadorJune 8, 1917 · 219 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.711 km S of Los Amates, GuatemalaJune 12, 1912 · 83 km SW 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 30,626 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M7.5
Chimaltenango, Guatemala City
4 Feb 1976 · 73 km away · intensity IX
23,000 deaths$2.1 billion damagetsunami
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 253 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1951M6.5
Jucuapa
6 May 1951 · 295 km away
1,100 deaths$23 million damage
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 212 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 226 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 263 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.