On Sunday Morning a Strong M6.2 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean near San Salvador (El Salvador).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 5th, 2025. Last updated January 25th, 2025.

In the North Pacific Ocean 58 kilometer from San Salvador, El Salvador, a strong MAG-6.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday January 5th, 2025. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage and have a significant risk at casualties. Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of El Salvador (8 mi offshore), 58 kilometer south-southeast of San Salvador. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 69 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 5, 2025 11:18AM (El Salvador Time) - Jan 5, 2025 17:18 Universal Time.
Location:	58 km SSE of San Salvador, El Salvador. Coordinates 13°12'27"N 88°58'60"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 88 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.033 .
Depth:	69 km (43 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.

Significant impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 50% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 99% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 100.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 42% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 95% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 100 million USD.

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 VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 147,400 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by a large group 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 6.6 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). In Guatemala , around 7.5 million people. In Honduras , around 2.2 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.

Zacatecoluca in La Paz, El Salvador is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 35 kilometer (22 mi) south-southwest of Zacatecoluca. Zacatecoluca experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. San Salvador is located 58 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Soyapango is located 58 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Guatemala City is located 229 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no 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 graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is 0.

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 127 people in 5 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 127 people have reported shaking in 54 places in 5 countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El Salvador: 18 people.
• San Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador: 12 people.
• Nueva San Salvador, La Libertad, El Salvador: 10 people.
• Mejicanos, San Salvador, El Salvador: 9 people.
• Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala, Guatemala: 6 people.
• La Libertad, La Libertad, El Salvador: 6 people.
• Nuevo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El Salvador: 5 people.
• Ilopango, San Salvador, El Salvador: 4 people.
• Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala: 3 people.
• San Luis la Herradura, La Paz, El Salvador: 3 people.

26 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 26 smaller aftershocks. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs later 24 km (15 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 7 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

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.

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 19th, 2023, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit 108 km (67 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 24th, 2016.

In total, 7 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 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 25/01/25 02:28 (). 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. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250105_0000177
2. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
3. Google Maps: Static API
4. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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