M4.3 Earthquake 43 km WSW of Acajutla, El Salvador — August 17, 2020
2020-08-17 21:59:47 UTC (2020-08-17) · approx. 3:59 PM UTC-6 local
On August 17, 2020 at 21:59 UTC, a magnitude 4.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 43 km WSW of Acajutla, El Salvador, at a depth of 64.7 km and coordinates 13.3778°, -90.1685°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 43 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 558 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-90.1685°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.3 earthquake near Acajutla, El Salvador?
The magnitude 4.3 earthquake that struck 43 km WSW of Acajutla, El Salvador on August 17, 2020 at 21:59 UTC had a depth of 64.7 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.3 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
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Understanding This Data
Magnitude 4.3 earthquakes are often felt but rarely cause damage.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000bg96). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, August 17, 2020). M4.3 Earthquake 43 km WSW of Acajutla, El Salvador — August 17, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000bg96/