January 10, 2018 Earthquake: Honduras

Reference #13456:

Several homes damaged in Atlantida, Islas de la Bahia and Olancho. A small tsunami was recorded in the Cayman Islands.

The January 10, 2018, M 7.6 Great Swan Island, Honduras earthquake occurred as the result of strike slip faulting in the shallow crust near the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates. Early focal mechanism solutions indicate that rupture occurred on a steeply dipping structure striking either west-northwest (right-lateral), or west-southwest (left-lateral). At the location of this earthquake, the North America plate moves to the west-southwest with respect to the Caribbean plate at a rate of approximately 19 mm/yr. Local to the January 10, 2018 earthquake, this motion is predominantly accommodated along the Swan Islands transform fault, a left-lateral structure. The location, depth and focal mechanism solution of today's earthquake are consistent with rupture occurring along this plate boundary structure, or on a nearby and closely related fault.

While commonly plotted as points on maps, earthquakes of this size are more appropriately described as slip over a larger fault area. Strike-slip-faulting events of the size of the January 10, 2018, earthquake are typically about 140x20 km (length x width).

Nine other earthquakes of M 6 or larger have occurred within 400 km of the January 10, 2018 event over the preceding century. Previous strong earthquakes along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary in this region include the destructive M 7.5 Guatemala earthquake of February 4, 1976, which resulted in more than 23,000 fatalities. The 1976 earthquake occurred on the Motagua fault, a segment of the plate boundary that lies in southern Guatemala, about 650 km west-southwest of the hypocenter of the January 10, 2018, event. In May 2009, a M 7.3 earthquake occurred along the Swan Island transform fault approximately 300 km west of the January 10, 2018 event. The 2009 earthquake (which was much closer to land than the 2018 event) resulted in 7 fatalities, 40 injuries and 130 buildings being damaged or destroyed.

Cusuna, Colon, Honduras - CDI: 8; Quebrada de Arena, Colon, Honduras - CDI: 6; Savannah Bight, Islas de la Bahia, Honduras - CDI: 5; Punta de Piedra, Colon, Honduras - CDI: 5; Telchac, Yucatan, Mexico - CDI: 4

Reference #11986:

Seven dwellings reported fissures in their walls, earthquake was more noticeable in the Atlantic coast.

"We have to thank God because this circumstance could have been worse, there were cracks in the walls, minor damages, but thank God we had no lives lost," commented the National Commissioner.

According to the reports received through the 911 National Emergency System, seven homes, six in Olancho and one in El Paraíso, reported cracks or cracks after the earthquake occurred.