A shallow magnitude 4.8 earthquake was reported in the evening near Mazatenango, Departamento de Suchitepequez, Guatemala.According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the quake hit on Sunday, March 8th, 2026, at 8:52 pm local time at a shallow depth of 10. km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. In Mazatenango (pop. 77,400) located 2 km from the epicenter, San Francisco Zapotitlan (pop. 22,500) 4 km away, San Pablo Jocopilas (pop. 20,400) 8 km away, San Felipe (pop. 24,400) 12 km away, San Sebastian (pop. 29,200) 15 km away, Retalhuleu (pop. 90,500) 18 km away, Chicacao (pop. 60,700) 20 km away, and Nuevo San Carlos (pop. 39,600) 20 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Villa Nueva (pop. 618,400) located 100 km from the epicenter, and Guatemala City (pop. 994,900) 108 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.Earthquake data: Date & time: Mar 8, 2026 08:52 pm (Guatemala time) local time (9 Mar 2026 02:52 GMT)Magnitude: 4.8Depth: 10.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 14.55°N / 91.51°W (Departamento de Suchitepequez, Guatemala)Primary data source: GFZ