1982 El Salvador earthquake
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  Guatemala City Tegucigalpa Managua San José  | |
| UTC time | 1982-06-19 06:21:58 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 597450 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 19 June 1982 |
| Local time | 00:21:58 |
| Duration | 25 s (shaking felt)[1] |
| Magnitude | Mw 7.3[2] |
| Depth | 73 km (45 mi) |
| Epicenter | 13°20′N 89°23′W / 13.33°N 89.39°W |
| Type | Normal[3] |
| Areas affected | El Salvador |
| Total damage | $5 million[4] |
| Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong)[4] |
| Landslides | Yes[5] |
| Casualties | 16–43 dead[3] |
The 1982 El Salvador earthquake occurred southeast of San Salvador on 19 June at 00:21 local time (06:21 UTC). This undersea earthquake struck offshore in the Pacific Ocean and had a surface wave magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). Occurring adjacent to a subduction zone at the Middle America Trench, this normal-slip shock left at least 16 and as many as 43 people dead, and many injured, and also inflicted $5 million in damage.
Near the Salvadorian coast, the Cocos plate is subducting beneath the Caribbean plate at the Middle America Trench. This earthquake was an intra-slab, normal-slip subduction earthquake in the subducting plate. The subduction zone and a local system of faults along the volcanic chain are two major sources of the earthquakes in El Salvador.[6]
Earthquake
The mechanism of this earthquake had many similarities with the El Salvador earthquake of 13 January 2001.[7]
Intensity
The intensity in San Salvador reached VII (Very strong).[8] The most affected cities are San Salvador, Ahuachapán, Concepción de Ataco, Comasagua, San Miguel, San Pedro Nonualco, and San Juan Tepezontes.[9] This earthquake could be felt in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, with intensities V (Moderate) in Guatemala City, Guatemala, IV (Light) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, V in Managua, Nicaragua, and III (Weak) in San José, Costa Rica.[10][11]