In the night of Tuesday August 8th, 2023, a shallow Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit in the Caribbean Sea 134 kilometer from La Ceiba, Honduras. Other nearby countries are Belize and Guatemala.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Caribbean Sea, 42 kilometers (26 mi) off the coast of Honduras, 134 kilometer north-east of La Ceiba in Atlántida. 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: | Aug 8, 2023 02:12AM (Tegucigalpa Time) - Aug 8, 2023 08:12 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 134 km NE of La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras. Coordinates 16°43'17"N 86°1'38"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.8 Detected by 308 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Honduras , Belize and Guatemala .
Tocoa in Colón, Honduras is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 115 kilometer (71 mi) north of Tocoa.
Major cities near this earthquake: San Pedro Sula is located 253 km to the west-southwest. La Ceiba is located 134 km to the southwest. Choloma is located 240 km to the west-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 115 km (71 mi) S from epicenter |
Tocoa Colón, Honduras. |
| 134 km (83 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Ceiba Atlántida, Honduras. |
| 150 km (93 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Olanchito Yoro, Honduras. |
| 186 km (116 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tela Atlántida, Honduras. |
| 212 km (132 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yoro Yoro, Honduras. |
| 226 km (140 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Puerto Cortez Cortés, Honduras. |
| 229 km (142 mi) S from epicenter |
Juticalpa Olancho, Honduras. |
| 240 km (149 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Choloma Cortés, Honduras. |
| 240 km (149 mi) SW from epicenter |
El Progreso Yoro, Honduras. |
| 245 km (152 mi) WNW from epicenter |
San Pedro Corozal, Belize. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Belize City Corozal, Belize. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Lima Cortés, Honduras. |
| 253 km (157 mi) WSW from epicenter |
San Pedro Sula Cortés, Honduras. |
| 262 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter |
Villanueva Cortés, Honduras. |
| 265 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter |
Potrerillos Cortés, Honduras. |
| 270 km (168 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Cofradía Cortés, Honduras. |
| 296 km (184 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Puerto Barrios Izabal, Guatemala. |
| 297 km (185 mi) W from epicenter |
Belmopan Cayo, Belize. |
Shaking reported by 6 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 5 places in 2 countries (Belize, Honduras).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- José Santos Guardiola, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras: 2 people.
- Dangriga, Stann Creek, Belize: 1 person.
- Monte Placentero, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras: 1 person.
- Roatán, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras: 1 person.
- Sandy Bay, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 February 8th, 2023, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 km (2.2 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on January 10th, 2018.
In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 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 7 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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/10/23 02:17 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000kyl1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230808_0000058
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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