Strong and shallow M6.1 earthquake hits near the coast of Nicaragua
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit near the coast of Nicaragua at 16:25 UTC on January 6, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 27 km (16.7 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.2 at a depth of 30 km (18.6 miles).
The epicenter was located 57 km (35 miles) S of Corinto (population 19 183) and 58 km (36 miles) SSW of Leon (144 538), Nicaragua.
There are about 1.9 million people living within 100 km (62 miles).
3 032 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
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 informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google
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