Significant M5.5 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean near San Miguel (El Salvador).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 13th, 2026.

A significant MAG-5.5 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 98 kilometer from San Miguel, El Salvador in the evening of Wednesday August 12th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 12 million people. Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 62 kilometers (38 mi) off the coast of El Salvador, 98 kilometer south of San Miguel. 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:	Aug 12, 2026 06:30PM (El Salvador Time) - Aug 13, 2026 00:30 Universal Time.
Location:	98 km south of San Miguel, El Salvador. Coordinates 12°36'30"N 88°17'11"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 43 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 .
Depth:	57 km (35 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 12 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 12 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,816,000 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 9 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 IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Roughly 3.4 million people were exposed to shaking in Honduras . Roughly 1.2 million people were exposed to shaking in Nicaragua . Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Guatemala too.

Nearby towns and cities

4 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: El Salvador , Nicaragua , Honduras and Guatemala .

Located 80 kilometer (50 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Puerto El Triunfo (Usulután, El Salvador) is the nearest significant population center. Puerto El Triunfo experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Managua is located 227 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tegucigalpa is located 201 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). San Salvador is located 155 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

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 IV.

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 15 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 15 people have reported shaking in 11 places in 3 countries (El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica).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: 3 people.
• Intipucá, La Unión, El Salvador: 2 people.
• Managua, Managua, Nicaragua: 2 people.
• Mejicanos, San Salvador, El Salvador: 1 person.
• Santo Tomás, San Salvador, El Salvador: 1 person.
• Diriamba, Carazo, Nicaragua: 1 person.
• Ciudad Sandino, Managua, Nicaragua: 1 person.
• Usulután, Usulután, El Salvador: 1 person.
• Bocana de Paiwas, Atlántico Sur, Nicaragua: 1 person.
• Nueva San Salvador, La Libertad, El Salvador: 1 person.

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. Just 13 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.1 was detected 85 km (53 mi) east of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 March 26th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 215 km (133 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 24th, 2016.

In total, 44 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 3 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 13/08/26 17:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tkcb
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260813_0000007
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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