Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits near the coast of Nicaragua

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit near the coast of Nicaragua at 06:25 UTC on November 9, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.2 at a depth of 80 km (49.7 miles). The quake comes after M5.8 at 02:53 UTC and M5.7 at 06:24 UTC.

The epicenter was located 61.8 km (38.4 miles) S of Masachapa (population 5 000), 69.2 km (43 miles) S of San Rafael del Sur (population 29 836), and 76.1 km (47.3 miles) SSW of Diriamba (population 35 008), Nicaragua.

There are about 1 million people living within 100 km (62 miles) of the epicenter.

15 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 4 034 000 light.

The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and adobe block construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Selected cities exposed

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google