1976 Guatemala earthquake

February 1976 earthquake in Guatemala 1976 Guatemala earthquake 1976-02-04 09:01:46 717474 iscgem717474 1976 02 04 03:01:43 GuateQuake1976Patzicia.jpg Central America#Guatemala Relief map of Central America.jpg yes 15.32 -89.10 Bullseye1.png 40 bottom 290 right 7.5 w y 5 km mi 0 15.32 -89.10 region:GT_type:event inline,title Motagua Fault Strike-slip GuatemalaBelizeHondurasEl Salvador IX 23,000 fatalities, 76,000 injured The 1976 Guatemala earthquake struck on February 4 at 03:01:43 local time 09:01:43 (UTC-6) with a moment magnitude of 7.5. The shock was centered on the Motagua Fault, about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City at a depth of 5 km us near the town of Los Amates in the department of Izabal. The earthquake ruptured a continuous length of 240 km along the Motagua fault and might have extended further to the east and west but was blocked by vegetation and swamps. Cities throughout the country suffered damage, and most adobe type houses in the outlying areas of Guatemala City were destroyed. The earthquake struck during the early morning (at 3:01 am, local time) when most people were asleep. This contributed to the high death toll of 23,000. Approximately 76,000 were injured, and many thousands left homeless. Some of the areas affected went without electricity and communications for days. The main shock was followed by thousands of aftershocks, some of the larger ones causing additional damage and loss of life.Historic Earthquakes https://web.archive.org/web/20070410073512/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/events/1976_02_04.php 2007-04-10 Seismic data thumb|Earthquake shakemap provided by USGS The quake's epicentre was located near the town of Los Amates, in the eastern part of the Motagua Fault, a left-lateral strike-slip fault that forms part of the tectonic boundary between the North American plate and the Caribbean plate. Ground shaking was felt during approximately 39 seconds, and caused visible rupturing over 230 km mi 0 along the Motagua fault, while the inferred length of faulting—based on aftershock registration—was estimated at 300 km mi 0. Average horizontal displacement along the Motagua fault was 100 cm ft 0 with a maximum displacement of 326 cm ft 0.Significant Earthquake Information https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/4711 National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 10.7289/V5TD9V7K 22 March 2024 Maximum seismic intensity (MMI IX) was located in the Mixco area, some sections of Guatemala City, Gualán and San Martín Jilotepeque. A seismic intensity of MM VI covered an area of 33,000 km2. Soil liquefaction and sand boils were observed in several locations with high seismic intensity. The main quake activated secondary fault zones, including the Mixco fault, located in a densely populated area just north-west of Guatemala City. Victims and damage The most heavily affected area covered some 30,000 km2, with a population of 2.5 million. In addition to the 23,000 reported fatalities and injuries to 77,000 people, approximately 258,000 houses were destroyed, leaving about 1.2 million people homeless. 40% of the national hospital infrastructure was destroyed, while other health facilities also suffered substantial damage.Olcese (e.a.), 1977 International reaction Immediately after the earthquake, President Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García invited most of the foreign ambassadors to tour the affected regions by helicopter, which prompted them to quickly ask for help in their home countries. For example, the United States of America rebuilt most of the roads, and Canada and Belgium each rebuilt a village.April 2011 Within days of the initial rupture, the USGS sent a team of geologists to document the fault rupture and its effects. This team, headed by George Plafker, traveled the entire length of the fault by helicopter and was able to clearly trace its location. During this expedition, several thousand photographs were collected including 1:10,000 aerial photographs collected by plane. In 2021, this analog data was digitized and georeferenced in order to build a database to assist in relocating the initial rupture location. During the summer of 2021, a team of geologists successfully relocated the fault rupture at 10 different locations. At these locations, no evidence of post-1976 fault creep was observed.2021, McEnaney T., and Niemi, T.M., Building a georeferenced database for the 1976 Guatemalan Earthquake rupture of the Motagua fault system along the North American- Caribbean Plate Boundary: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 53, no. 6, https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2021AM-370687 Aftershocks Several aftershocks, ranging from 5.2 to 5.8 w y caused additional casualties and hampered relief efforts. DateOrigin TimeCoordinatesLocationDepthMagnitudeFeb. 04 197609.30.28.314.7 N 90.6 W7 km NNE of Mixco5 km5.8 wFeb. 06 197604.11.03.314.6 N 91.1 W 6 km SSE of San Lucas Tolimán5 km4.8 wFeb. 06 197618.11.59.214.3 N 90.2 W11 km ENE of Cuilapa5 km5.2 wFeb. 06 197618.19.17.714.7 N 90.6 W5 km ENE of San Pedro Sacatepéquez5 km5.8 wFeb. 08 197608.13.51.915.7 N 88.5 W 13 km SE of Puerto Barrios5 km5.7 wFeb. 09 197611.44.46.715.3 N 89.1 W 30 km WSW of Morales5 km5.1 wFeb. 10 197606.17.43.015.0 N 89.7 W 18 km WNW of Zacapa5 km4.7 wMar. 07 197602.54.05.414.9 N 90.9 W 14.5 km SW of Joyabaj5 km4.8 wMar. 07 197603.15.40.314.7 N 90.5 WChinautla (9 km North of Guatemala City)5 km4.9 w Source: Wayerly Person, William Spence, and James W. Dewey. Main event and principal aftershocks from teleseismic data. In: Guatemalan Earthquake of February 4, 1976, A Preliminary Report. In popular culture Scenes of the earthquake's aftermath, filmed on February 6, 1976, were featured in the Italian Mondo film Savana violenta, directed by Antonio Climati and Mario Morra. Image gallery See also List of earthquakes in 1976 List of earthquakes in Guatemala Notes References Bates F.L. Killian, C.D. Daniel G.R. Klein, R.E. amp Emergency Food Programmes following the 1976 Guatemalan Earthquake: An Evaluation: Final Report USAID Washington 1979 http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAQ014.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20110718110925/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAQ014.pdf dead July 18, 2011 Bucknam R.C. George Plafker R.V. Sharp Fault movement (afterslip) following the Guatemala earthquake of February 4, 1976 Geology 6 3 170–173 March 1978 10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<170:FMAFTG>2.0.CO;2 1978Geo.....6..170B Langer C.V. G.A. Bollinger Secondary faulting near the terminus of a seismogenic strike-slip fault: aftershocks of the 1976 Guatemala earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 1979 69 2 427–444 10.1785/BSSA0690020427 1979BuSSA..69..427L 131684154 Matumoto Tosimatu Latham, Gary V. Aftershocks of the Guatemalan earthquake of February 4, 1976 Geophysical Research Letters 3 10 599–602 10.1029/GL003i010p00599 1976GeoRL...3..599M 1976 Olcese Orlando Ramón Moreno Francisco Ibarra amp The Guatemala Earthquake Disaster of 1976: A Review of its Effects and of the contribution of the United Nations family UNDP, Guatemala July 1977 http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre-Octubre2005/CD-1/pdf/eng/doc4146/doc4146.htm 2013-11-03 2013-11-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20131104141350/http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Septiembre-Octubre2005/CD-1/pdf/eng/doc4146/doc4146.htm dead Olson Robert A. Richard Stuart Olson The Guatemala earthquake of 4 February 1976: Social science observations and research suggestions Mass Emergencies 69–81 1977 http://www.massemergencies.org/v2n2/Olson_v2n2.pdf 2010-04-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20110727070618/http://www.massemergencies.org/v2n2/Olson_v2n2.pdf 2011-07-27 dead Plafker G. George Plafker Tectonic aspects of the Guatemala earthquake of 4 February 1976 Science 193 4259 1201–1208 1976 10.1126/science.193.4259.1201 17837005 1976Sci...193.1201P 335381 Plafker G. M.G. Bonilla S.B. Bonis amp Geologic effects in the Guatemala Earthquake of February 4, 1976, a preliminary Report. Professional Paper 1002 38–51 United States Geological Survey Washington 1976 USGS Guatemalan Quake Culprit Fault Identified Earthquake Information Bulletin 8 3 May–June 1976 Young Christopher J. Thorne Lay Christopher S. Lynnes amp Thorne Lay Rupture of the 4 February 1976 Guatemalan earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 79 3 670–689 June 1989 External links USGS Map Guatemala Earthquake 1976 – photos and personal accounts 717474 Guatemala Earthquake, 1976 Earth 1976 Guatemala Category:February 1976 in North America Category:Natural disasters in Belize Category:Strike-slip earthquakes