M 7.3 - 46 km NW of Guanaja, Honduras
- 2009-05-28 08:24:46 (UTC)
- 16.731°N 86.217°W
- 19.0 km depth
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VIImmi 
Community Internet Intensity Map - ShakeMap
VIIImmi 
Estimated Intensity Map Ground Failure - Landslide Estimate
Limited area affected
Limited population exposed
- Liquefaction Estimate
Significant area affected
Extensive population exposed
Origin - Review Status
- REVIEWED
- Magnitude
- 7.3 mwc
- Depth
- 19.0 km
- Time
- 2009-05-28 08:24:46 UTC
Moment Tensor Fault Plane Solution View Nearby Seismicity - Time Range
± Three Weeks - Search Radius
250.0 km - Magnitude Range
≥ 4.0
Contributors US
USGS National Earthquake Information Center, PDE
Tectonic Summary
The May 28, 2009, M 7.3 Honduras earthquake 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/yr of left-lateral slip.
Previous strong earthquakes along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary include the destructive Guatemala earthquake of February 4, 1976, M 7.5, which resulted in 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, event.
Hayes et al. (2016) Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes from 2000 to 2015, USGS Open-File Report 2016-1192. (5.2 MB PDF)
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