Ecuador earthquakes

M6.2 earthquake 21 km W of Muisne, Ecuador

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 21 km W of Muisne, Ecuador on Wed, Apr 20, 2016, 3:33 AM GMT-5 (08:33 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.7 32 km SE of Muisne, Ecuador. This one was a foreshock.

Esmeraldas forecast More in Ecuador

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.2 (mww), strong
Local time: Wed, Apr 20, 2016, 3:33 AM GMT-5
UTC: 2016-04-20 08:33:47 UTC
Depth: 14.0 km (8.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 0.639° N, 80.210° W
Region: Ecuador
Felt reports: 12
Strongest shaking: VI, strong shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 22.3% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.5 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

12 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 6.2 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 181°, dip 79°, rake 82°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 38°, dip 13°, rake 127°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.1 km horizontally, 1.3 km in depth
Depth from: From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
Station coverage gap: 48°
Stations used: 134

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 32 in the 60 days after this one and 20 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Ecuador earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20005k37 (also filed as gcmt20160420083348, iscgem611829637, atlas20160420083347). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:05 AM UTC.