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M7.3 - OFFSHORE HONDURAS

Magnitude

7.3 - Richter scale

Depth

10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program Km

Location

OFFSHORE HONDURAS
LAT 16.733, LON -86.22

Date-Time

May 28, 2009 08:24:45 UTC

Source

USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID(s)

us2009heak

Distances from major cities

125 km (75 miles) NNE of La Ceiba, Honduras
220 km (135 miles) N of Juticalpa, Honduras
310 km (195 miles) NNE of TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras
1185 km (730 miles) SSW of Miami, Florida

Tectonic Summary

The location and focal mechanism of the Honduras earthquake of May 28, 2009, imply that the shock occurred as the result of left-lateral strike-slip faulting on the Swan Islands Transform Fault, a segment of the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates. In this region the plate boundary accommodates about 20 mm/y slip.

Previous strong earthquakes along the North America/Caribbean plate boundary include the destructive Guatemala earthquake of February 4, 1976, M 7.5, which produced more than 23,000 fatalities. The 1976 earthquake occurred on the Motagua fault, a segment of the plate boundary that lies in southern Guatemala, several hundred kilometers southwest of the plate boundary that ruptured in the May 28, 2009 shock.

Earthquake Information for Central America

Earthquake Information for Honduras