2022 Guatemala earthquake

2022 Guatemala earthquake
2022 Guatemala earthquake is located in Escuintla Department
2022 Guatemala earthquake
2022 Guatemala earthquake is located in Guatemala
2022 Guatemala earthquake
UTC time2022-02-16 07:12:25
ISC event622036563
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateFebruary 16, 2022
Local time01:12:25 UTC-6
Magnitude6.2 Mw
Depth83.6 km (52 mi)
Epicenter14°11′35″N 91°17′49″W / 14.193°N 91.297°W / 14.193; -91.297
Areas affectedGuatemala
Max. intensityMMI VI (Strong)
LandslidesYes
Casualties3 dead, 2 injured[1]

The 2022 Guatemala earthquake occurred on the early morning of February 16, 2022 in the southern regions of Guatemala. The quake measured a moment magnitude of 6.2 and reached a peak intensity of VI (Strong) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale.[2] Damage was widespread but light in and around the capital, Guatemala City, resulting mostly in cracked walls and rockslides.[3][4]

Tectonic setting

The coastline of Guatemala lies above the convergent boundary where the Cocos Plate is being subducted beneath the North American Plate or Caribbean Plate along the line of the Middle America Trench. Earthquakes associated with this plate boundary include the 7.4 Mw  2012 Guatemala earthquake that ruptured the plate interface, and the 6.9 Mw  2014 Mexico–Guatemala earthquake caused by faulting within the subducting Cocos Plate. The northern part of the country hosts the Motagua Fault and Chixoy-Polochic Fault, accommodating left-lateral strike-slip movement on the transform boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates. The Motagua Fault was the source of many destructive earthquakes in Northern Guatemala, most notably the 1976 Guatemala earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 Mw .[5][6]

Earthquake

USGS ShakeMap of the event

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 according to local seismological agencies but was later revised to 6.2 in the moment magnitude scale by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).[2] The quake, at a depth of 83.6 km (52 mi), reached a peak intensity of VI (Strong) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Modified Mercalli intensities in selected locations[7]
MMI Locations Population exposure
MMI VI (Strong) Nueva Concepción 441,000
MMI V (Moderate) Quetzaltenango, Guatemala City, Escuintla 4.62 million
MMI IV (Light) Chimaltenango, Santa Ana 13.4 million

Damage and casualties

The earthquake caused damage in seven departments of the country. It damaged or destroyed 39 houses and buildings in and around the capital, Guatemala City, and caused multiple landslides blocking roads near the mountains. Three people suffered fatal heart attacks, one each in Mixco, Quetzaltenango, and Baja Verapaz, while two people, including a minor, suffered injuries.[1][8][9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Risklayer Explorer". risklayer.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "M 6.2 - 0 km SSE of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala". earthquake.usgs.gov. February 16, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  3. ^ "Reportan temblor de 6.8 grados este 16 de febrero de 2022 en Guatemala – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  4. ^ República.gt. "En imágenes: daños producidos por el terremoto en Guatemala de este 16 de febrero". República.gt (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  5. ^ Aubouin, Jean; Stephan, Jean Francois; Renard, Vincent; Roump, Jacqueline; Lonsdale, Peter (1981-11-12). "Subduction of the Cocos plate in the Mid America Trench". Nature. 294 (5837): 146–150. Bibcode:1981Natur.294..146A. doi:10.1038/294146a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 29451269. S2CID 204999690. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  6. ^ "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program » Historic Earthquakes". 2006-04-21. Archived from the original on 21 April 2006. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  7. ^ "PAGER" (PDF). USGS. 2022-02-16. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  8. ^ Menchu, Sofia (2022-02-16). "Guatemala earthquake kills two, triggers landslides". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  9. ^ "Sismo de 6.2 grados deja a tres muertos en Guatemala". primerahora.com (in Spanish). 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-17. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  10. ^ "Temblor en Guatemala: qué originó el temblor de 6.8 grados que sacudió gran parte del territorio nacional este 16 de febrero" (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved February 18, 2022.