M6.1 Earthquake 15 km W of Taxisco, Guatemala — January 27, 2024
2024-01-27 05:52:48 UTC (2024-01-27) · approx. 11:52 PM UTC-6 local
Felt by 360 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.9 (moderate).
On January 27, 2024 at 05:52 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 intermediate depth earthquake struck 15 km W of Taxisco, Guatemala, at a depth of 90.0 km and coordinates 14.0636°, -90.6159°. The earthquake was reported felt by 360 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.9 (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 134 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 842, making it one of the more significant events of the week. The nearest populated place is Puerto San Jose (population 18,655).
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
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 4.9 (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 360 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 | 2,539,189 |
| MMI 4 | light | 20,690,202 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 550,336 |
Earthquake Details
-90.6159°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake near Taxisco, Guatemala?
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck 15 km W of Taxisco, Guatemala on January 27, 2024 at 05:52 UTC had a depth of 90.0 km. It was felt by 360 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.9 (moderate). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 14.0636°, -90.6159°, which is 15 km W of Taxisco, Guatemala. The nearest populated place is Puerto San Jose (population 18,655).
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: us7000luai). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, January 27, 2024). M6.1 Earthquake 15 km W of Taxisco, Guatemala — January 27, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000luai/