M6.2 Earthquake 12 km WSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala — February 16, 2022
2022-02-16 07:12:22 UTC (2022-02-16) · approx. 1:12 AM UTC-6 local
Felt by 432 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.0 (strong).
On February 16, 2022 at 07:12 UTC, a magnitude 6.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 12 km WSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala, at a depth of 60.0 km and coordinates 14.1476°, -91.3982°. The earthquake was reported felt by 432 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.0 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. The nearest populated place is Nueva Concepcion (population 11,121).
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 6.0 (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 432 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 | 1,013,319 |
| MMI 4 | light | 13,214,020 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 3,909,889 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 448,487 |
Earthquake Details
-91.3982°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.2 earthquake near Nueva Concepción, Guatemala?
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck 12 km WSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala on February 16, 2022 at 07:12 UTC had a depth of 60.0 km. It was felt by 432 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.0 (strong). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 14.1476°, -91.3982°, which is 12 km WSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala. The nearest populated place is Nueva Concepcion (population 11,121).
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: us7000gl8w). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, February 16, 2022). M6.2 Earthquake 12 km WSW of Nueva Concepción, Guatemala — February 16, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000gl8w/