Reviewed by USGSGuatemala13y ago
M4.2 earthquake 13 km NE of Champerico, Guatemala
Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 22:17:09 UTC · 14.366°N, 91.815°W
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 13 km NE of Champerico, Guatemala on Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 22:17:09 UTC, at a depth of 91.4 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- Light · md
- Depth
- 91 km
- Intermediate
- 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
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
124 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
91 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 50 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on March 28, 2013. 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 649 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 90 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 43 km S of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 76 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 87 km W of this epicenter
- 7.318 km SSW of La Libertad, El SalvadorJune 19, 1982 · 286 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 234 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,305 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 133 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 97 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1986M5.4
San Salvador
10 Oct 1986 · 297 km away
1,100 deaths$1.5 billion damage
- 1854
San Salvador
14 Apr 1854 · 289 km away
1,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 123 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 121 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.