M5.8 Earthquake 12 km E of La Gomera, Guatemala — November 12, 2022
2022-11-12 04:39:46 UTC (2022-11-12) · approx. 10:39 PM UTC-6 local
Felt by 163 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.4 (moderate).
On November 12, 2022 at 04:39 UTC, a magnitude 5.8 intermediate depth earthquake struck 12 km E of La Gomera, Guatemala, at a depth of 93.5 km and coordinates 14.1024°, -90.9400°. The earthquake was reported felt by 163 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.4 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 117 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 625, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Nueva Concepcion (population 11,121).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 8 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 6.1 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 4.4 (moderate), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Mild shaking, similar to a passing truck. Hanging objects swing. Glasses and dishes may rattle. Not commonly felt outdoors.
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 163 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 | 6,048,377 |
| MMI 4 | light | 15,923,758 |
Earthquake Details
-90.9400°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.8 earthquake near La Gomera, Guatemala?
The magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck 12 km E of La Gomera, Guatemala on November 12, 2022 at 04:39 UTC had a depth of 93.5 km. It was felt by 163 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.4 (moderate). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 14.1024°, -90.9400°, which is 12 km E of La Gomera, 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 5.8 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ip7p). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, November 12, 2022). M5.8 Earthquake 12 km E of La Gomera, Guatemala — November 12, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ip7p/