Magnitude 7.3 - OFFSHORE HONDURAS
2009 May 28 08:24:45 UTC
Earthquake Details
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 7.3 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
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| Location | 16.733°N, 86.220°W |
| Depth | 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program |
| Region | OFFSHORE HONDURAS |
| Distances | 125 km (75 miles) NNE of La Ceiba, Honduras 220 km (135 miles) N of Juticalpa, Honduras 310 km (195 miles) NNE of TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras 1185 km (730 miles) SSW of Miami, Florida |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 3.6 km (2.2 miles); depth fixed by location program |
| Parameters | NST=377, Nph=377, Dmin=317 km, Rmss=1.1 sec, Gp= 29°, M-type=centroid moment magnitude (Mw), Version=R |
| Source |
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| Event ID | us2009heak |
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Earthquake Summary
Felt Reports
At least 7 people killed, 40 injured and more than 130 buildings damaged or destroyed in northern Honduras. The central span of a major bridge at El Progreso was destroyed. At least 5 buildings destroyed and 25 damaged in Belize. Felt in much of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Also felt in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Virgin Islands and in parts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Seiches were reported in swimming pools at La Ceiba and Roatan and ground cracks and possible liquefaction was observed at Monkey River, Belize.
Tectonic Summary
The location and focal mechanism of the Honduras earthquake of May 28, 2009, imply that the shock occurred as the result of left-lateral strike-slip faulting on the Swan Islands Transform Fault, a segment of the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates. In this region the plate boundary accommodates about 20 mm/y slip.
Previous strong earthquakes along the North America/Caribbean plate boundary include the destructive Guatemala earthquake of February 4, 1976, M 7.5, which produced more than 23,000 fatalities. The 1976 earthquake occurred on the Motagua fault, a segment of the plate boundary that lies in southern Guatemala, several hundred kilometers southwest of the plate boundary that ruptured in the May 28, 2009 shock.
Earthquake Maps
Scientific & Technical Information
Tsunami Information
The earthquake locations and magnitudes cited in NOAA tsunami statements and bulletins are preliminary and are superseded by USGS locations and magnitudes computed using more extensive data sets.
General Tsunami Information
- Preliminary Earthquake Report
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
