In the morning of Friday September 6th, 2024, a significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 139 kilometer from Guatemala City, Guatemala. Other nearby countries are El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 59 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Guatemala, 139 kilometer south of Guatemala City. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 57 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 6, 2024 09:52AM (Guatemala Time) - Sep 6, 2024 15:52 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 139 km south of Guatemala City, Guatemala, Guatemala. Coordinates 13°23'58"N 90°41'34"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 57 km (36 mi) A quite 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
Guatemala , El Salvador , Mexico and Honduras are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Puerto San José in Escuintla, Guatemala is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 60 kilometer (37 mi) south-southeast of Puerto San José.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 139 km to the north. Mixco is located 137 km to the north. Villa Nueva is located 126 km to the north.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 60 km (37 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Puerto San José Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 85 km (53 mi) NNW from epicenter |
La Gomera Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 96 km (60 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Acajutla Sonsonate, El Salvador. |
| 101 km (63 mi) N from epicenter |
Escuintla Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 106 km (66 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Cuilapa Santa Rosa, Guatemala. |
| 107 km (66 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Barberena Santa Rosa, Guatemala. |
| 108 km (67 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ahuachapán Ahuachapán, El Salvador. |
| 110 km (68 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 111 km (69 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Sonsonate Sonsonate, El Salvador. |
| 112 km (70 mi) N from epicenter |
Palín Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 117 km (73 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Izalco Sonsonate, El Salvador. |
| 120 km (75 mi) N from epicenter |
Amatitlán Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 122 km (76 mi) N from epicenter |
Villa Canales Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 122 km (76 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Fraijanes Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 123 km (76 mi) N from epicenter |
Petapa Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 125 km (78 mi) N from epicenter |
Ciudad Vieja Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. |
| 126 km (78 mi) N from epicenter |
Villa Nueva Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 127 km (79 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Chalchuapa Santa Ana, El Salvador. |
| 129 km (80 mi) N from epicenter |
Antigua Guatemala Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NE from epicenter |
Jutiapa Jutiapa, Guatemala. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NNE from epicenter |
San José Pinula Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 132 km (82 mi) N from epicenter |
Santa Catarina Pinula Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 137 km (85 mi) N from epicenter |
Santiago Sacatepéquez Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. |
| 137 km (85 mi) N from epicenter |
Mixco Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 139 km (86 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Santa Ana Santa Ana, El Salvador. |
| 139 km (86 mi) N from epicenter |
Guatemala City Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 141 km (88 mi) N from epicenter |
Chimaltenango Chimaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 146 km (91 mi) N from epicenter |
Chinautla Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 147 km (91 mi) N from epicenter |
San Juan Sacatepéquez Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 149 km (93 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Santiago Atitlán Sololá, Guatemala. |
| 154 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mazatenango Suchitepeque, Guatemala. |
| 156 km (97 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Santa Tecla La Libertad, El Salvador. |
| 156 km (97 mi) N from epicenter |
San Pedro Ayampuc Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 157 km (98 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Jalapa Jalapa, Guatemala. |
| 158 km (98 mi) E from epicenter |
Antiguo Cuscatlán La Libertad, El Salvador. |
| 162 km (101 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Sololá Sololá, Guatemala. |
| 163 km (101 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Sanarate El Progreso, Guatemala. |
| 165 km (103 mi) NW from epicenter |
Retalhuleu Retalhuleu, Guatemala. |
| 166 km (103 mi) E from epicenter |
San Marcos San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 166 km (103 mi) ENE from epicenter |
San Salvador San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 167 km (104 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Cuscatancingo San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 167 km (104 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Mejicanos San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 169 km (105 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Delgado San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 170 km (106 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Apopa San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 171 km (106 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Soyapango San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 174 km (108 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ilopango San Salvador, El Salvador. |
| 177 km (110 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Chichicastenango Quiché, Guatemala. |
| 183 km (114 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Totonicapán Totonicapán, Guatemala. |
| 183 km (114 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 190 km (118 mi) NNW from epicenter |
San Francisco El Alto Totonicapán, Guatemala. |
| 193 km (120 mi) E from epicenter |
Cojutepeque Cuscatlán, El Salvador. |
| 194 km (121 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Salamá Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. |
| 198 km (123 mi) E from epicenter |
Zacatecoluca La Paz, El Salvador. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NE from epicenter |
Chiquimula Chiquimula, Guatemala. |
| 203 km (126 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Chalatenango Chalatenango, El Salvador. |
| 206 km (128 mi) E from epicenter |
San Vicente San Vicente, El Salvador. |
| 209 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter |
San Pedro Sacatepéquez San Marcos, Guatemala. |
| 215 km (134 mi) NE from epicenter |
Zacapa Zacapa, Guatemala. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Huehuetenango Huehuetenango, Guatemala. |
| 229 km (142 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Sensuntepeque Cabañas, El Salvador. |
| 233 km (145 mi) N from epicenter |
Cobán Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. |
| 238 km (148 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tapachula Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 243 km (151 mi) E from epicenter |
Usulután Usulután, El Salvador. |
| 256 km (159 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santa Rosa de Copán Copán, Honduras. |
| 272 km (169 mi) E from epicenter |
San Miguel San Miguel, El Salvador. |
| 279 km (173 mi) NNE from epicenter |
El Estor Izabal, Guatemala. |
| 282 km (175 mi) E from epicenter |
San Francisco Morazán, El Salvador. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Guatemala.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: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
2 days earlier Sep 4, 2024 08:11PM (Guatemala Time) | 94 km (58 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 6, 2024 09:52AM (Guatemala Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 August 28th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 130 km (81 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on October 14th, 2014.
In total, 107 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 month.
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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 57 km (36 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/09/24 16:48 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nq33
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240906_0000150
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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