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1991 Guatemala earthquake

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February 1976 earthquake in Guatemala
1991 Guatemala earthquake
1991 Guatemala earthquake is located in Guatemala1991 Guatemala earthquake
UTC time1991-09-18 09:48:13
ISC event320287
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateSeptember 18, 1991 (1991-09-18)
Local time03:48
MagnitudeMw 6.2
Depth10 kilometres (6 mi)
Epicenter14°38′46″N 90°59′10″W / 14.646°N 90.986°W / 14.646; -90.986
TypeStrike-slip
Areas affectedGuatemala
Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)
Casualties25 fatalities, >200 injured

The 1991 Guatemala earthquake occurred on September 18 at 3:48 a.m. local time. The epicenter was 60 miles southwest of Guatemala City. The shock was assigned a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale, later assigned with a magnitude of 6.2. It caused 25 deaths, over 200 injuries and left 1,000 people without homes.

The coastline of Guatemala lies above the convergent boundary where the Cocos plate is being subducted beneath the North American plate or Caribbean plate along the line of the Middle America Trench. The northern part of the country hosts the Motagua Fault and Chixoy-Polochic Fault, The Motagua Fault was the source of many destructive earthquakes in Northern Guatemala, most notably the 1976 Guatemala earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5.


See also

References

  1. "Quake kills 11 in Guatemala". The Washington Post. Reuters. 1991-09-19. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  2. ANSS. "M 6.2 – 4 km SE of Patzún, Guatemala 1991". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  3. "Significant Earthquake Information". National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  4. Aubouin, Jean; Stephan, Jean Francois; Renard, Vincent; Roump, Jacqueline; Lonsdale, Peter (November 1981). "Subduction of the Cocos plate in the Mid America Trench". Nature. 294 (5837): 146–150. Bibcode:1981Natur.294..146A. doi:10.1038/294146a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 29451269.
  5. "USGS Earthquake Hazards Program: Historic Earthquakes". 2006-04-21. Archived from the original on 2006-04-21. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
← Earthquakes in 1991 →
† indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths
‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year
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