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Moderate mag. 5.7 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 45 km south of Usulutan, El Salvador, on Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 at 8:32 am (GMT -6) -

Moderate mag. 5.7 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 45 km south of Usulutan, El Salvador, on Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 at 8:32 am (GMT -6) Moderate mag. 5.7 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 45 km south of Usulutan, El Salvador, on Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 at 8:32 am (GMT -6)

Moderate magnitude 5.7 earthquake at 74 km depth

15 Dec 14:36 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 4 minutes.
15 Dec 14:39: Now using data updates from GFZ
... [show all] ...
15 Dec 14:55: Now using data updates from USGS
Update Thu, 15 Dec 2022, 14:45

Significant 5.7 quake hits near San Miguel, Departamento de San Miguel, El Salvador

5.7 quake 15 Dec 8:32 am (GMT -6)
5.7 quake 15 Dec 8:32 am (GMT -6)
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake near San Miguel, Departamento de San Miguel, El Salvador, was reported only 13 minutes ago by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), considered one of the key international agencies that monitor seismic activity worldwide. The earthquake occurred at an intermediate depth of 70 km beneath the epicenter in the morning on Thursday, December 15th, 2022, at 8:32 am local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake as well. Other agencies reporting the same quake include France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) at magnitude 5.2, and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 5.6.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Puerto El Triunfo (pop. 19,100) located 53 km from the epicenter, and San Rafael Oriente (pop. 19,100) 71 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Santiago de Maria (pop. 15,000) located 77 km from the epicenter, Zacatecoluca (pop. 39,600) 81 km away, San Miguel (pop. 161,900) 89 km away, San Vicente (pop. 41,500) 93 km away, Soyapango (pop. 329,700) 114 km away, San Salvador (pop. 526,000) 115 km away, and Sensuntepeque (pop. 20,400) 118 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

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Earthquake details

Date & timeDec 15, 2022 14:32:23 UTC -
Local time at epicenterThursday, Dec 15, 2022 at 8:32 am (GMT -6)
StatusConfirmed
Magnitude5.7
Depth74.2 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude12.9416°N / 88.4516°W (North Pacific Ocean, El Salvador)
Antipode12.942°S / 91.548°E
Shaking intensityLight shaking
Felt41 reports
Primary data sourceUSGS (United States Geological Survey)
Nearest volcanoUsulután (53 km / 33 mi)
Nearby towns and cities39 km (25 mi) SSE of Puerto El Triunfo (pop: 19,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
45 km (28 mi) S of Usulutan (pop: 51,900) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
50 km (31 mi) SSW of San Rafael Oriente (pop: 19,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
86 km (53 mi) SSE of San Vicente (pop: 41,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
105 km (65 mi) S of Sensuntepeque (pop: 20,400) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
113 km (70 mi) SE of Soyapango (pop: 329,700) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
115 km (72 mi) SE of San Salvador (pop: 526,000) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
185 km (115 mi) SW of Tegucigalpa (Honduras) (pop: 850,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
354 km (220 mi) WNW of Isla de Ometepe Island (pop: 30,000) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
Weather at epicenter at time of quakeClear Sky 25.7°C (78 F), humidity: 70%, wind: 2 m/s (3 kts) from NE
Estimated seismic energy released2.2 x 1013 joules (6.22 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 5351 tons of TNT or 0.3 atomic bombs!) | about seismic energy
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Mag.DepthLocationSource
5.774 kmEl Salvador: Off the Coast of Central AmericaUSGS
5.762 kmOFFSHORE EL SALVADOREMSC
5.940 km63 Km Al Sur De Delta Del Rio Lempa, El SalvadorINETER
5.484 kmEl Salvador: Near San MiguelRENASS
5.774 kmEl Salvador: Off Coast of Central AmericaRaspberryShake
5.691 kmEl Salvador [Sea]INGV
5.768 kmEl Salvador: Off Coast of Central AmericaGFZ
5.710 kmEl Salvador: Off Coast Of Central AmericaIRIS
5.787 kmEl Salvador: Off Coast of Central AmericaGeoAu

Seismograms

Seismic station: Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGUH/CU network) | Distance from quake: 178 km / 110 mi | Show on map | Station Info
Seismic station Tegucigalpa, Honduras: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)
Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.1-10.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool
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User reports for this quake (44)

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
Contribute:
Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.
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La libertad (112.1 km WNW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Felt the house shake. We're staying next to the ocean...at first I thought it was a big gust of wind because I could feel the place swaying | 4 users found this interesting.  
San Miguel (67.6 km NNE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Was at the second floor of my house when suddenly everything started to move from right to left, my ceiling started to do some strong sounds. | 4 users found this interesting.  
San Salvador (123.3 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Standing up when it started, felt like I was on a boat. | 5 users found this interesting.  
San salvador (118.7 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Moderate shaking | 4 users found this interesting.  
San Miguel, San miguel (65 km NNE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : quickly. Move the doors and my desk | 4 users found this interesting.  
Santa Tecla, La Libertad (122.2 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
El Salvador (121.6 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 2-5 s : Estaba en el baño cuando de repente sentí un sacudón bien fuerte. | 2 users found this interesting.  
Nuevo Cuscatlan, La Libertad (119.5 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s : Move hard | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
San Salvador / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : Strong shaking | 2 users found this interesting.  
Villa de San Francisco, Francisco Morazán (212 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : like a shake replica | One user found this interesting.  
San Salvador El Salvador (115.4 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Acostada con mis hijas en cama | One user found this interesting.  
San Salvador (115.6 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s : I had just woken up when it began. | One user found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
Peñitas (167.5 km ESE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Just a little shake | One user found this interesting.  
Aposentillo (122.5 km ESE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Reading on the couch, felt a little shake by could see the open door shaking a little bit as well. | One user found this interesting.  
Zaragoa / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Strong like 6.5 | One user found this interesting.  
San Salvador / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Se sintio muy fuerte, se movieron mucho las paredes y los objetos | One user found this interesting.  
San Salvador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Se sintió fuerte, el balanceo comenzó débil y luego fue aumentando | One user found this interesting.  
San Salvador (120.4 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s
Sonsonate (161.9 km WNW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling (reported through our app)
San Salvador (116.9 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s
San Salvador (117.8 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s
Cojutepeque, Cuscatlán (100.4 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s
Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, El Salvador (118.5 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s
San Vicente, el salvador (85.3 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s
La virtud lempira honduras (127.2 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)
San Salvador (120.4 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s
Ilopango, San Salvador (110.9 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) (reported through our app)
Chinameca El Salvador / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s
República Mexicana / not felt : como lo voy a sentir si vivo en la República Mexicana (reported through our app)  
Cuco Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s
Guatemala city / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
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Aftershocks

[More info]

Recorded aftershocks, latest first (54 quakes)

Date and timeMag
Depth
LocationDetails
Feb 13, 2023 12:36
6 weeks ago
3.3

43 km
North Pacific Ocean, 65 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Feb 12, 2023 12:51
7 weeks ago
3.2

13 km
North Pacific Ocean, 95 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Feb 10, 2023 19:58
7 weeks ago
3.2

27 km
North Pacific Ocean, 66 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Feb 10, 2023 11:22
7 weeks ago
3.3

27 km
North Pacific Ocean, 64 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Feb 4, 2023 12:10
8 weeks ago
3.0

26 km
North Pacific Ocean, 77 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Feb 4, 2023 03:58
8 weeks ago
2.9

24 km
North Pacific Ocean, 80 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Feb 3, 2023 05:01
8 weeks ago
3.0

27 km
North Pacific Ocean, 65 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Feb 1, 2023 20:07
8 weeks ago
3.2

5 km
North Pacific Ocean, 72 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Feb 1, 2023 18:12
8 weeks ago
3.0

31 km
North Pacific Ocean, 83 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Feb 1, 2023 11:05
8 weeks ago
2.7

17 km
North Pacific Ocean, 90 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Feb 1, 2023 04:30
8 weeks ago
2.6

23 km
North Pacific Ocean, 98 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Feb 1, 2023 01:24
8 weeks ago
2.9

23 km
North Pacific Ocean, 70 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 27, 2023 10:26
9 weeks ago
3.1

32 km
North Pacific Ocean, 78 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 25, 2023 05:15
9 weeks ago - felt
4.6

67 km
North Pacific Ocean, 97 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Jan 24, 2023 01:21
9 weeks ago
2.9

24 km
North Pacific Ocean, 66 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 23, 2023 09:03
9 weeks ago
2.7

23 km
North Pacific Ocean, 97 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Jan 22, 2023 06:57
10 weeks ago
3.1

36 km
North Pacific Ocean, 90 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Jan 22, 2023 04:14
10 weeks ago
2.8

28 km
North Pacific Ocean, 57 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 22, 2023 01:24
10 weeks ago
3.1

36 km
North Pacific Ocean, 62 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 21, 2023 20:19
10 weeks ago
3.5

32 km
North Pacific Ocean, 95 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Jan 21, 2023 05:28
10 weeks ago
3.4

39 km
North Pacific Ocean, 55 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 20, 2023 23:10
10 weeks ago
3.1

36 km
North Pacific Ocean, 96 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Jan 20, 2023 08:37
10 weeks ago
3.1

31 km
North Pacific Ocean, 82 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Jan 9, 2023 10:52
11 weeks ago
2.8

2 km
North Pacific Ocean, 58 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Jan 8, 2023 21:44
12 weeks ago
2.9

40 km
North Pacific Ocean, 55 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 8, 2023 05:56
12 weeks ago
3.3

5 km
North Pacific Ocean, 35 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 8, 2023 05:10
12 weeks ago
2.8

81 km
North Pacific Ocean, 22 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 4, 2023 11:15
12 weeks ago
3.0

38 km
North Pacific Ocean, 95 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Jan 4, 2023 07:33
12 weeks ago
2.9

36 km
North Pacific Ocean, 71 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 3, 2023 16:44
12 weeks ago
2.7

30 km
North Pacific Ocean, 65 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 3, 2023 01:10
12 weeks ago
3.0

37 km
North Pacific Ocean, 58 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Jan 1, 2023 22:50
13 weeks ago
2.5

11 km
North Pacific Ocean, 50 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 31, 2022 23:00
13 weeks ago
2.7

30 km
North Pacific Ocean, 73 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 31, 2022 20:42
13 weeks ago
3.0

14 km
13 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 31, 2022 10:48
13 weeks ago
3.0

34 km
North Pacific Ocean, 90 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Dec 31, 2022 06:26
13 weeks ago
2.8

30 km
North Pacific Ocean, 88 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Dec 29, 2022 01:45
13 weeks ago
2.9

29 km
North Pacific Ocean, 90 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Dec 28, 2022 18:29
13 weeks ago
3.0

36 km
North Pacific Ocean, 59 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 27, 2022 04:30
13 weeks ago
3.0

37 km
North Pacific Ocean, 99 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Dec 26, 2022 22:57
13 weeks ago
2.9

97 km
North Pacific Ocean, 73 km S of San Miguel, El SalvadorMore
Dec 26, 2022 21:32
13 weeks ago
3.9

30 km
North Pacific Ocean, 81 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 26, 2022 07:32
13 weeks ago
3.5

29 km
North Pacific Ocean, 81 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 26, 2022 00:45
14 weeks ago
2.9

18 km
North Pacific Ocean, 86 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 25, 2022 11:33
14 weeks ago
3.3

35 km
North Pacific Ocean, 98 km SE of San Salvador, El SalvadorMore
Dec 25, 2022 04:58
14 weeks ago
3.0

33 km
North Pacific Ocean, 65 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 21, 2022 22:47
14 weeks ago
2.9

32 km
North Pacific Ocean, 71 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 21, 2022 04:55
14 weeks ago
3.5

33 km
North Pacific Ocean, 67 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 19, 2022 06:45
14 weeks ago
2.8

34 km
North Pacific Ocean, 55 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 18, 2022 19:13
15 weeks ago
3.0

77 km
North Pacific Ocean, 45 km SE of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 17, 2022 08:28
15 weeks ago
2.6

50 km
North Pacific Ocean, 47 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 16, 2022 16:33
15 weeks ago
2.9

29 km
North Pacific Ocean, 66 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 15, 2022 19:24
15 weeks ago
2.3

5 km
13 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 15, 2022 19:23
15 weeks ago
3.0

31 km
North Pacific Ocean, 64 km SW of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Dec 15, 2022 14:48
15 weeks ago
2.9

31 km
North Pacific Ocean, 79 km S of Usulutan, El SalvadorMore
Show all

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