2007 Guatemala earthquake
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| Date | June 13, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 6.7 Mw |
| Depth | 23 kilometres (14 mi) |
| Epicenter | 13°37′23″N 90°47′49″W / 13.623°N 90.797°W |
| Areas affected | Guatemala |
| Tsunami | none |
| Casualties | 0 |
The 2007 Guatemala earthquake occurred on June 13 at 13:29:46 local time. The epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean, south of Puerto Quetzal, about 115 kilometres (71 mi) south-southwest of Guatemala City.[1]
The quake was reportedly felt in Guatemala, El Salvador and parts of Mexico. The quake caused a minor landslide on the Inter-American Highway, and small number of houses were reported to have been damaged or destroyed along Guatemala's south coast,[2] but there were no reports of major damages or casualties.[1]
While the USGS assigned a magnitude of 6.7 for this event,[1] many local seismological agencies in Guatemala,[3] El Salvador and Nicaragua only registered the quake in the 5.5 – 6.0 range. These calculations are more accurate due to the seismographs' locations closer to the epicenter, and are in agreement with the minor shaking reported by residents.
In addition, the USGS coins all movements as earthquakes, while in Latin America, small movements such as this one are called tremors ("temblores" in Spanish).[4] This misnomer confused the international community into thinking this event was much larger and more severe than it really was.
See also
- Earthquakes in Guatemala
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 USGS. "Historic Earthquakes – Magnitude 6.7 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA". Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
- ↑ Prensa Libre (June 14, 2007). "Sismo suscita alarma". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
- ↑ INSIVUMEH. "Sismicidad registrada del 01 al 30 de junio 2007" (PDF). insivumeh.gob.gt. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
- ↑ "Diccionario de la Lengua Española". Real Academia Española. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
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