M6.1 Earthquake near near the coast of Nicaragua — January 6, 2022
2022-01-06 16:25:05 UTC (2022-01-06) · approx. 10:25 AM UTC-6 local
Felt by 56 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.6 (moderate).
On January 6, 2022 at 16:25 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck near near the coast of Nicaragua, at a depth of 17.0 km and coordinates 11.9367°, -87.1371°. The earthquake was reported felt by 56 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.6 (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 Leon (population 144,538).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 21 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 9.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
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 56 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 | 4,428,628 |
| MMI 4 | light | 3,155,835 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 1,638 |
Earthquake Details
-87.1371°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake near near the coast of Nicaragua?
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck near near the coast of Nicaragua on January 6, 2022 at 16:25 UTC had a depth of 17.0 km. It was felt by 56 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.6 (moderate). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 11.9367°, -87.1371°, which is near near the coast of Nicaragua. The nearest populated place is Leon (population 144,538).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.1 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000g9nb). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, January 6, 2022). M6.1 Earthquake near near the coast of Nicaragua — January 6, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000g9nb/