M7.2 earthquake 1 km NNW of Champerico, Guatemala
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 1 km NNW of Champerico, Guatemala on Mon, Oct 23, 1950, 10:13 AM GMT-6 (16:13 UTC), 65 km (41 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (mw), major
- Local time
- UTC
- 1950-10-23 16:13:28 UTC
- Depth
- 65.3 km (40.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.310° N, 91.917° W
- Region
- Guatemala
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Deaths and damage
From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 6362), matched to this event by time and place.
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 31.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.32
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 4.2 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.226 km ESE of Champerico, Guatemala · 27732 days ago · 65 km deep · 28 km away
- 6.025 km SSE of Champerico, Guatemala · 27732 days ago · 65 km deep · 27 km away
- 6.022 km SSW of Champerico, Guatemala · 27732 days ago · 45 km deep · 24 km away
- 5.935 km SW of Champerico, Guatemala · 27719 days ago · 35 km deep · 36 km away
Earthquakes todayGuatemala earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem895966. Read Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 3:33 PM UTC.