M6.2 Earthquake 56 km SSE of La Libertad, El Salvador — January 5, 2025
2025-01-05 17:18:45 UTC (2025-01-05) · approx. 11:18 AM UTC-6 local
Felt by 132 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.8 (strong).
On January 5, 2025 at 17:18 UTC, a magnitude 6.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 56 km SSE of La Libertad, El Salvador, at a depth of 46.0 km and coordinates 13.0007°, -89.1775°. The earthquake was reported felt by 132 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.8 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 131 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 663, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Nuevo Cuscatlan (population 6,469).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 30 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 11 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 5.8 (strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Moderate shaking that everyone in the area would feel. Sleeping people are awakened. Dishes and windows may break. Unstable objects may be knocked over.
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 132 citizen responses 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
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) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 8,533,113 |
| MMI 4 | light | 6,001,097 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 1,318,301 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 17,269 |
Earthquake Details
-89.1775°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.2 earthquake near La Libertad, El Salvador?
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck 56 km SSE of La Libertad, El Salvador on January 5, 2025 at 17:18 UTC had a depth of 46.0 km. It was felt by 132 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.8 (strong). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 13.0007°, -89.1775°, which is 56 km SSE of La Libertad, El Salvador. The nearest populated place is Nuevo Cuscatlan (population 6,469).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.2 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pi09). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 5, 2025). M6.2 Earthquake 56 km SSE of La Libertad, El Salvador — January 5, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pi09/