Reviewed by USGSNicaragua34y ago
M4.7 earthquake 69 km SSW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua
Sunday, November 1, 1992, 00:04:30 UTC · 12.210°N, 87.782°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 69 km SSW of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua on Sunday, November 1, 1992, 00:04:30 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on October 20, 1992.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 33 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
80 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and Cocos plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
33 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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on November 13, 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 320 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 · 251 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.783 km SSW of Corinto, NicaraguaSeptember 2, 1992 · 71 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.392 km SW of San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaDecember 30, 1907 · 221 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.318 km SSW of La Libertad, El SalvadorJune 19, 1982 · 214 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.27 km SW of El Viejo, NicaraguaMarch 28, 1921 · 76 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2116 km SW of Corinto, NicaraguaJuly 1, 1907 · 61 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1113 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El SalvadorFebruary 8, 1926 · 111 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 · 184 km away
10,000 deaths$3.0 billion damage
- 1931M5.6
Managua
31 Mar 1931 · 251 km away
2,450 deaths$15 million damage
- 1986M5.4
San Salvador
10 Oct 1986 · 231 km away
1,100 deaths$1.5 billion damage
- 1951M6.5
Jucuapa
6 May 1951 · 88 km away
1,100 deaths$23 million damage
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 234 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1930
Managua
31 Mar 1930 · 172 km away
1,000 deaths$15 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.