Shallow M5.7 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 194km from Villa Nueva (Guatemala) on Saturday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 30th, 2023. Last updated September 27th, 2023.

In the evening of Saturday July 29th, 2023, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 194 kilometer from Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Roughly 9 million people may have felt this earthquake. Other countries near the epicenter include El Salvador and Mexico.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 124 kilometers (77 mi) off the coast of Guatemala, 194 kilometer south of Villa Nueva. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 29, 2023 07:10PM (Guatemala Time) - Jul 30, 2023 01:10 Universal Time.
Location:	194 km south of Villa Nueva, Guatemala, Guatemala. Coordinates 12°48'23"N 90°54'37"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 102 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.031 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 9 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 9,259,000 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Guatemala , around 5.3 million people, with impact levels up to III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Roughly 4.1 million people were exposed to shaking in El Salvador . A smaller number of people were exposed in the following countries: Mexico and Honduras.

Nearby towns and cities

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Guatemala , El Salvador and Mexico .

Located 125 kilometer (78 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Puerto San José (Escuintla, Guatemala) is the nearest significant population center. Puerto San José experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Guatemala City is located 208 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). San Salvador is located 211 km to the east-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Mixco is located 205 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. 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

4 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 4 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 5 km (3 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 10 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 17th, 2023, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 256 km (159 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on June 14th, 2017.

In total, 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 4 months.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 27/09/23 11:57 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000kwl6
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230730_0000010
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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