Strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Pacific coast of Guatemala

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck 24 kilometers south of Champerico, Guatemala this morning (November 7, 2012). The quake took place in the ocean off Guatemala’s Pacific coast. Places as far away as Mexico City and El Salvador were reported to have felt the quake. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center first said that a local tsunami was possible within 200 miles of the quake’s epicenter, but no current watch, warning or advisory is in effect at this time.

Here are the details of the event, from USGS:

Event Time
2012-11-07 16:35:50 UTC
2012-11-07 10:35:50 UTC-06:00 at epicenter
2012-11-07 10:35:50 UTC-06:00 system time

Location
14.083°N 91.916°W depth=41.6km (25.9mi)

Nearby Cities
24km (15mi) S of Champerico, Guatemala
55km (34mi) SSW of Retalhuleu, Guatemala
60km (37mi) SSW of San Sebastian, Guatemala
61km (38mi) SSW of Nuevo San Carlos, Guatemala
163km (101mi) WSW of Guatemala City, Guatemala

Bottom line: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Guatemala on November 7, 2012.