DAMAGING M6.8 Earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean near Guayaquil (Ecuador) on Saturday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 18th, 2023. Last updated May 17th, 2023.

A DAMAGING and strong M6.8 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 72 kilometer from Guayaquil, Ecuador around noon of Saturday March 18th, 2023. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Peru is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Ecuador, 72 kilometer south of Guayaquil in Guayas. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 64 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 18, 2023 12:12 (Guayaquil Time) - Mar 18, 2023 17:12 Universal Time.
Location:	72 km south of Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador. Coordinates 2°50'20"S 79°50'53"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.8 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 .
Depth:	64 km (39 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Two people killed, 21 people injured, at least 8 homes destroyed and 165 buildings damaged at Azuay. Twelve people killed, 433 injured, 90 buildings destroyed, 168 damaged at El Oro. Thirty-six persons injured, 7 buildings destroyed and 155 buildings damaged at Guayas. At least one person killed, one person injured, 13 buildings destroyed, 51 buildings damaged and landslides were reported at Tumbes, Peru.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level ORANGE (orange). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 100 and 1,000 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 10,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 33% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 97% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 15 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 15 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 520,400 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by a large group of people (around 6.8 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Ecuador , around 13 million people, with impact levels up to VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). In Peru , around 2.2 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Ecuador and Peru . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Colombia.

Naranjal in Guayas, Ecuador is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 31 kilometer (19 mi) southwest of Naranjal. The intensity of shaking and damage in Naranjal is estimated to be around level VII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Guayaquil is located 72 km to the north and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Quito is located 325 km to the north-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Machala is located 48 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 191 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 191 people have reported shaking in 59 places in 3 countries (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador: 49 people.
• Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador: 21 people.
• Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador: 16 people.
• Eloy Alfaro, Guayas, Ecuador: 8 people.
• Loja, Loja, Ecuador: 7 people.
• Playas, Guayas, Ecuador: 6 people.
• Santa Lucía, Guayas, Ecuador: 5 people.
• Manta, Manabí, Ecuador: 5 people.
• Sangolquí, Pichincha, Ecuador: 4 people.
• Azogues, Cañar, Ecuador: 4 people.

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 10 mins later 16 km (10 mi) west of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 6.8 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 17/05/23 11:17 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000jl3s
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230318_0000268
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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