Earthquake 5.7 magnitude, 3 km NW of San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala

Earthquake 5.7 magnitude, 3 km NW of San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala

A light earthquake of magnitude 2.9 struck 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles) away from Palin, Departamento de Escuintla, Guatemala, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 5:28 pm local time (GMT -6). The quake had a very shallow depth of 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) and was not felt (or at least not reported so). This event was likely an aftershock of a 5.6 magnitude quake that occurred 1 hour and 47 minutes earlier, 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) north-northeast of Amatitlán, Guatemala [1].

The earthquake's epicenter was located at 14.39°N / 90.66°W, near the volcano Pacaya. The seismic energy released was equivalent to approximately 0.338 tons of TNT. The nearest larger town where the quake might have been felt was Villa Nueva, a city with more than 620,000 inhabitants, located 17.1 kilometers (11 miles) northeast of the epicenter [1].

The Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) estimates that people in the region experienced very weak shaking, with the shaking intensity ranging from II to IV in various towns and cities. The earthquake was not reported to have caused any significant damage or injuries [1].

This quake occurred in an area with a high level of seismic activity. The region has experienced at least two quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, suggesting that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, approximately every 60 to 65 years [1].

The earthquake occurred 9 minutes after a magnitude 3.3 earthquake had hit on the same day, further indicating the region's seismic activity [1].

References:
[1] https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/quake-info/21940124/mag2quake-Jul-8-2025-17-km-Al-Noreste-De-Escuintla-Guatemala.html