M5.4 earthquake 43 km SSW of Ocós, Guatemala

Monday, December 3, 2012, 23:58:35 UTC · 14.160°N, 92.372°W

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 43 km SSW of Ocós, Guatemala on Monday, December 3, 2012, 23:58:35 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). USGS received 4 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on November 29, 2012.

Magnitude: 5.4; Moderate · mwc
Depth: 35 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 4; Max intensity III
Est. shaking: —; No ShakeMap
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

2 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

75 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

35 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

4 people reported feeling this earthquake to USGS; a per-place breakdown is not available 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 26 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on December 30, 2012. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 634 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 37 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,798 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 197 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 149 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 187 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 184 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1773M7.5
Antigua
29 Jul 1773 · 187 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
2012M7.3
San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu
7 Nov 2012 · 55 km away
48 deaths$210 million damagetsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers