
Earthquakes in Guatemala
In Guatemala, there are partly large earthquakes with strengths of more than 7.0, which cause damages within a radius of over 100 kilometers. Due to the special tectonic situation of the country, there are more earthquakes than average.Since 1950, more than 23,100 people died by the direct consequences of earthquakes. There were 3 earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage.
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Most recent events
This list includes the strongest earthquakes recorded in or around Guatemala by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the past 14 days. Whether an event is listed here depends largely on its magnitude, but also on its distance from inhabited areas. All data refer to the local time. This page is updated daily at 11:00 UTC.
- March 16, 7:35 pmMagnitude 4.2: 74 km south-southwest of Acajutla, El Salvador at a depth of 35 km.
- March 13, 8:55 pmMagnitude 4.5: near the coast of Chiapas, Mexico at a depth of 35 km.
- March 11, 10:39 pmMagnitude 4.6: 24 km southeast of Iztapa at a depth of 75.95 km.
- March 11, 4:56 pmMagnitude 4.4: 37 km south of Iztapa at a depth of 62.43 km.
- March 10, 8:34 amMagnitude 4.1: offshore El Salvador at a depth of 60.06 km.
- March 10, 7:11 amMagnitude 4.2: 16 km southwest of Nueva Concepción at a depth of 77.53 km.
- March 8, 10:22 pmMagnitude 4.9: Mexico-Guatemala border at a depth of 127.97 km.
Earthquakes in Guatemala since 1950

Date | Region | Depth | Magnitude | Deaths | Total damage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
02/16/2022 | Baja Verapaz, Guatemala, Quezaltenango | 83 km | 6.2 | 3 | |
06/22/2017 | Escuintla, Suchitepequez, Guatemala | 49 km | 6.8 | 0 | |
06/14/2017 | Quetzaltenango, Suchitepequez; Mexico | 39 km | 6.9 | 5 | |
09/07/2013 | Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango | 57 km | 6.4 | 1 | |
11/07/2012 | San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu | 46 km | 7.3 | 48 | |
09/19/2011 | Cuilapa Santa Rosa | 55 km | 5.6 | 1 | |
04/15/2008 | Guatemala | 4 km | 6.1 | 0 | |
01/05/2008 | Colomba, Flores, Costa Cuca | 45 km | 5.6 | 0 | |
06/13/2007 | Guatemala City | 40 km | 6.7 | 0 | |
07/11/1999 | Izabal-Puerto Barrios; Honduras | 16 km | 6.7 | 2 | |
01/10/1998 | Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Solola | 5 km | 6.6 | 0 | |
09/10/1993 | Southwest; Mexico (Chiapas) | 54 km | 7.2 | 1 | |
09/18/1991 | Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola | 13 km | 6.2 | 25 | |
11/03/1988 | South Palin, San Vicente Pacaya | 10 km | 6.0 | 5 | |
02/03/1986 | Ixchiguan, San Marcos Province | 46 km | 4.7 | 0 | |
10/11/1985 | San Miguel Upsantan | 10 km | 4.5 | 0 | |
05/18/1980 | South Coast | 38 km | 5.3 | 0 | |
10/27/1979 | Guatemala | 57 km | 6.8 | 4 | |
10/09/1979 | Guatemala | 29 km | 4.7 | 0 | |
07/29/1978 | Patzun | 32 km | 4.5 | 17 | |
03/13/1976 | Guatemala | 41 km | 5.1 | 4 | |
02/04/1976 | Chimaltenango, Guatemala City | 43 km | 7.5 | 23000 | |
10/23/1950 | San Marcos | 20 km | 7.5 | 0 |
These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Data have been summarized and translated.