On Wednesday Afternoon a Strong M6.1 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean near San Salvador (El Salvador).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 28th, 2024. Last updated September 17th, 2024.

In the North Pacific Ocean 87 kilometer from San Salvador, El Salvador, a strong MAG-6.1 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Wednesday August 28th, 2024. Roughly 16 million people may have felt this earthquake. Other nearby countries are Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 57 kilometers (35 mi) off the coast of El Salvador, 87 kilometer south-southwest of San Salvador. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 28, 2024 03:57PM (El Salvador Time) - Aug 28, 2024 21:57 Universal Time.
Location:	87 km SSW of San Salvador, El Salvador. Coordinates 12°59'53"N 89°33'44"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 72 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 .
Depth:	34 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 100% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 16 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 16 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 117,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In El Salvador , around 6.3 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). In Guatemala , around 8 million people. In Honduras , around 1.4 million people. People were exposed to shaking in Nicaragua as well.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras and Nicaragua are all within 300km distance of its epicenter. Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Mexico.

Located 60 kilometer (37 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, La Libertad (La Libertad, El Salvador) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in La Libertad is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: San Salvador is located 87 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Guatemala City is located 210 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Soyapango is located 91 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

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 97 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 97 people have reported shaking in 37 places in 4 countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala: 17 people.
• Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala, Guatemala: 12 people.
• Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El Salvador: 11 people.
• Nueva San Salvador, La Libertad, El Salvador: 7 people.
• San Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador: 6 people.
• Chinautla, Guatemala, Guatemala: 3 people.
• Villa Nueva, Guatemala, Guatemala: 3 people.
• Acajutla, Sonsonate, El Salvador: 2 people.
• Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala: 2 people.
• San José Pinula, Guatemala, Guatemala: 2 people.

18 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 18 smaller aftershocks. Just 10 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.4 was detected 3 km (2.1 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 21st, 2024, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 186 km (116 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on October 14th, 2014.

In total, 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.1 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 year.

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 17/09/24 23:58 (). 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 us6000nncs
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240828_0000212
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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