Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits off the coast of Guatemala and El Salvador
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit off the coast of Guatemala and El Salvador at 09:14 UTC on August 23, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
Epicenter of M6.0 earthquake off the coast of Guatemala and El Salvador on August 23, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located about 81 km (51 miles) SW of Acajutla (population 22 763) and 100 km (62 miles) SW of Sonsonate (population 59 468).
1 594 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking and 15 239 000 weak.
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 a mix of vulnerable and earthquake resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and adobe block with concrete bond beam 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
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake off the coast of El Salvador – USGS – August 23, 2025
2 M6.0 earthquake off the coast of El Salvador – EMSC – August 23, 2025
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
