Reviewed by USGSGuatemala51y ago
M5.2 earthquake 7 km NNE of Los Amates, Guatemala
Monday, February 9, 1976, 11:44:46 UTC · 15.319°N, 89.073°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 7 km NNE of Los Amates, Guatemala on Monday, February 9, 1976, 11:44:46 UTC, at a depth of 5.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on February 8, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 5 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
12 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 111 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 · 133 km S of this epicenter
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 277 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.57 km N of Los Amates, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1976 · 3 km W of this epicenter
- 7.132 km NE of Chajul, GuatemalaFebruary 4, 1921 · 188 km W of this epicenter
- 7.112 km S of Conchagua, El SalvadorMay 21, 1932 · 270 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.88 km NNW of Moyuta, GuatemalaJuly 14, 1930 · 173 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 44 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 32,649 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M7.5
Chimaltenango, Guatemala City
4 Feb 1976 · 3 km away · intensity IX
23,000 deaths$2.1 billion damagetsunami
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 182 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 254 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1951M6.5
Jucuapa
6 May 1951 · 292 km away
1,100 deaths$23 million damage
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 169 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1873
Santa Tomas, San Vicente
4 Mar 1873 · 187 km away
800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.