Reviewed by USGSNicaragua34y ago
M5.5 earthquake 47 km WSW of Corinto, Nicaragua
Friday, September 25, 1992, 14:15:38 UTC · 12.306°N, 87.576°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 47 km WSW of Corinto, Nicaragua on Friday, September 25, 1992, 14:15:38 UTC, at a depth of 86.1 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on September 16, 1992.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 86 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (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
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
101 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and Cocos plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
86 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
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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on October 20, 1992. 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 316 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 · 255 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.783 km SSW of Corinto, NicaraguaSeptember 2, 1992 · 68 km S of this epicenter
- 7.392 km SW of San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaDecember 30, 1907 · 216 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.318 km SSW of La Libertad, El SalvadorJune 19, 1982 · 227 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.27 km SW of El Viejo, NicaraguaMarch 28, 1921 · 52 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2116 km SW of Corinto, NicaraguaJuly 1, 1907 · 77 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1113 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El SalvadorFebruary 8, 1926 · 133 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 58 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 18,738 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1972M6.2
Managua
23 Dec 1972 · 161 km away
10,000 deaths$3.0 billion damage
- 1931M5.6
Managua
31 Mar 1931 · 226 km away
2,450 deaths$15 million damage
- 1986M5.4
San Salvador
10 Oct 1986 · 238 km away
1,100 deaths$1.5 billion damage
- 1951M6.5
Jucuapa
6 May 1951 · 81 km away
1,100 deaths$23 million damage
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 242 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1930
Managua
31 Mar 1930 · 151 km away
1,000 deaths$15 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.