Mag. 4.9 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 113 km west of Chinandega, Nicaragua, El Salvador, on Tuesday, 24 Nov 2020 12:40 pm (GMT -6) -
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Light magnitude 4.9 earthquake at 60 km depth
24 Nov 18:46 UTC: First to report: EMSC after 6 minutes.
24 Nov 18:54: Magnitude recalculated from 5.2 to 5.0. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 24.0 to 80.0 km (from 14.9 to 50 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 45 km (28 mi) towards ENE.
24 Nov 22:20: Magnitude recalculated from 5.0 to 4.9. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 80.0 to 60.0 km (from 50 to 37 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 28 km (17 mi) towards WSW.
24 Nov 18:54: Magnitude recalculated from 5.2 to 5.0. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 24.0 to 80.0 km (from 14.9 to 50 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 45 km (28 mi) towards ENE.
24 Nov 22:20: Magnitude recalculated from 5.0 to 4.9. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 80.0 to 60.0 km (from 50 to 37 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 28 km (17 mi) towards WSW.
Update Tue, 24 Nov 2020, 18:51
Magnitude 5.2 earthquake strikes near San Salvador, El Salvador
5.2 quake OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR 24 Nov 12.40 pm (GMT -6)
Just 11 minutes ago, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck near Chirilagua, El Salvador. The tremor was recorded around noon on Tuesday 24 November 2020 at 12.40 pm local time, at a shallow depth of 24 km below the surface.
The event was filed by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the first seismological agency to report it.
Our monitoring service at VolcanoDiscovery identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.9. A third agency, the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.2.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. Weak shaking might have been felt in Chirilagua (pop. 6,400) located 69 km from the epicenter, Intipucá (pop. 3,500) 69 km away, Jucuarán (pop. 1,600) 71 km away, El Tránsito (pop. 9,500) 81 km away, Usulután (pop. 51,900) 83 km away, San Miguel (pop. 161,900) 97 km away, Soyapango (pop. 329,700) 152 km away, and San Salvador (pop. 526,000) 153 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
The event was filed by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the first seismological agency to report it.
Our monitoring service at VolcanoDiscovery identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.9. A third agency, the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.2.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. Weak shaking might have been felt in Chirilagua (pop. 6,400) located 69 km from the epicenter, Intipucá (pop. 3,500) 69 km away, Jucuarán (pop. 1,600) 71 km away, El Tránsito (pop. 9,500) 81 km away, Usulután (pop. 51,900) 83 km away, San Miguel (pop. 161,900) 97 km away, Soyapango (pop. 329,700) 152 km away, and San Salvador (pop. 526,000) 153 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
Earthquake data:
Local time at epicenter: Tuesday, 24 Nov 2020 12:40 pm (GMT -6)
Magnitude: 4.9
Depth: 60.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 12.71°N / 88.17°W

Nearest volcano: Cosigüina (89 km / 55 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
57 km (35 mi) S of Chirilagua (pop: 6,390) --> See nearby quakes!
76 km (47 mi) SSE of Puerto El Triunfo (pop: 19,100) --> See nearby quakes!
77 km (48 mi) SSE of Usulutan (pop: 51,900) --> See nearby quakes!
77 km (48 mi) SSE of San Rafael Oriente (pop: 19,100) --> See nearby quakes!
78 km (49 mi) SSW of La Union (La Unión) (pop: 26,800) --> See nearby quakes!
86 km (53 mi) S of San Miguel (pop: 161,900) --> See nearby quakes!
92 km (57 mi) SSE of Santiago de Maria (Santiago de María) (pop: 15,000) --> See nearby quakes!
93 km (58 mi) SSE of Jucuapa (pop: 10,600) --> See nearby quakes!
153 km (95 mi) SE of Soyapango (pop: 329,700) --> See nearby quakes!
155 km (96 mi) SE of San Salvador (pop: 526,000) --> See nearby quakes!
258 km (160 mi) WNW of Isla La Calabaza Island --> See nearby quakes!
264 km (164 mi) WNW of Virginia Island --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Few Clouds
27.1°C (81 F), humidity: 74%, wind: 1 m/s (2 kts) from E
Primary data source: EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
Few Clouds

Estimated released energy: 1.4 x 1012 joules (392 megawatt hours, equivalent to 338 tons of TNT) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
M 4.9 | 60 km | OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR | EMSC |
M 5.3 | 29 km | 69 Km Al Sur De Playa El Cuco, El Salvador | INETER |
M 4.8 | 84 km | Near Coast of Nicaragua | GFZ |
M 4.9 | 35 km | 66 Km SSW of Chirilagua, El Salvador | USGS |
User reports for this quake (4)
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
175.7 km NW of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)
337.4 km NW of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)
86.1 km N of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)
San Salvador / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s
Earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900
Mag. 4.9 earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, 113 km west of Chinandega, Nicaragua, El Salvador, on Tuesday, 24 Nov 2020 12:40 pm (GMT -6)- Date / time UTC| Mag |Depth|Age|Distance| Details
- 13 Jan 2001 17:33| 7.7 |60km / 37mi|20 years ago|65km / 40mi| Offshore El Salvador
- 02 Sep 1992 00:16| 7.7 |45km / 28mi|28 years ago|140km / 87mi| Near the Coast of Nicaragua
- 27 Aug 2012 04:37| 7.3 |20km / 13mi|8 years ago|62km / 38mi| 111km S of Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador
- 27 Aug 2012 04:37| 7.3 |28km / 17mi|8 years ago|78km / 49mi| Off the Coast of El Salvador
- 19 Jun 1982 06:21| 7.3 |73km / 45mi|39 years ago|149km / 93mi| Offshore El Salvador
- 28 Mar 1921 07:49| 7.3 |15km / 9.3mi|100 years ago|156km / 97mi| Honduras
- 14 Oct 2014 03:51| 7.2 |43km / 27mi|6 years ago|16km / 10mi| Off Coast of Central America
- 08 Feb 1926 15:18| 7.2 |20km / 12.4mi|95 years ago|71km / 44mi| Offshore El Salvador
- 27 Feb 1916 20:21| 7.2 |15km / 9.3mi|105 years ago|131km / 82mi| Near the Coast of Nicaragua
- 15 Oct 1967 08:00| 7.1 |160km / 100mi|53 years ago|265km / 164mi| Nicaragua
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