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El Salvador · Chalatenango

M4.0 Earthquake near Chalatenango Sur, Chalatenango (El Salvador)

UTC time: 2026-01-16 06:45:20 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M4.0
Depth
24.0 km
Source
EMSC

Chalatenango · Chalatenango Sur

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.0 earthquake was recorded near Chalatenango Sur, Chalatenango (El Salvador) on January 16, 2026 at 06:45 UTC. With a focal depth of about 24 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
d1926e4fc1ef37fb5b8379001eff6c48cf150d5b
Magnitude
M4.0
Depth
24.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-16 06:45:20 UTC
Local time
—
Country
El Salvador
State
Chalatenango
City
Chalatenango Sur
County
Las Vueltas
Source
emsc
Coordinates
14.06920, -88.87510
Temperature
17.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 24 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 24 km
Shallow
24 km
24 km — shallower than the regional average (54.2 km)
Regional average: 54.2 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

1felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Jan 16, 2026, 6:47 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Volcanoes nearby

  • Cinotepeque, Cerro
    Distance: 41 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 665 m ·El Salvador
  • Ilopango
    Distance: 48 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 450 m ·Last eruption: 1880 ·El Salvador
  • San Vicente
    Distance: 53 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'149 m ·El Salvador
  • San Salvador
    Distance: 59 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'893 m ·Last eruption: 1917 ·El Salvador
  • Tecapa
    Distance: 76 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'593 m ·El Salvador
  • Coatepeque Caldera
    Distance: 76 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 746 m ·El Salvador

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Ilopango International AirportEl Salvador · ILS · MSSS
    48.9 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

El Salvador

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 49 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · El Salvador

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Country statistics · El Salvador

Country overview
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Stats (last 24h)

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559
Country (24h)
El Salvador
0
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