5.7

M5.7 Earthquake 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras — August 10, 2020

2020-08-10 14:13:27 UTC (2020-08-10) · approx. 8:13 AM UTC-6 local

Felt by 84 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.0 (moderate).

MagnitudeM5.7(mww)
Time14:13 UTC≈ 8:13 AM UTC-6
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates16.864°, -85.854°
Felt by84DYFI responses· max MMI 5.0
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On August 10, 2020 at 14:13 UTC, a magnitude 5.7 shallow crustal earthquake struck 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 16.8638°, -85.8536°. The earthquake was reported felt by 84 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.0 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Savannah Bight (population 1,031).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 5 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 5.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Nearest Populated Places

Savannah Bightpop. 1,031
MMI 4.2 (moderate)
Coxen Holepop. 7,514
MMI 4.2 (moderate)
Sandy Baypop. 1,072
MMI 4.2 (moderate)
Guanajapop. 1,942
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Puerto Castillapop. 1,220
MMI 4.0 (light)
Santa Rosa de Aguanpop. 1,304
MMI 4.0 (light)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 16.86°, -85.85°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.7 earthquake near 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 84 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.7 earthquake near 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Population exposure (USGS PAGER)

Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.

Shaking intensity (MMI)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak999,900
MMI 4light391,604
MMI 5moderate685

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.7 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
16.8638°N
-85.8536°E
Felt Reports
84
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
5.0
moderate
Community Intensity
5.4
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000bbu3
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
545
Azimuthal Gap
28.0°
Min Station Distance
3.108°
RMS Residual
0.78 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 18:40:13 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Savannah Bight, Honduras?

The magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras on August 10, 2020 at 14:13 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 84 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.0 (moderate). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 16.8638°, -85.8536°, which is 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras. The nearest populated place is Savannah Bight (population 1,031).

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.7 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000bbu3). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, August 10, 2020). M5.7 Earthquake 45 km N of Savannah Bight, Honduras — August 10, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000bbu3/