Moderate magnitude 4.8 earthquake at unknown depth9 Mar 02:55 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 3 minutes.9 Mar 03:00: Now using data updates from GFZUpdate Mon, 9 Mar 2026, 02:59Seismic-like event, possible earthquake, reported few minutes ago near Guatemala City, GuatemalaUnconfirmed quake or seismic-like event reported: Departamento de Guatemala, 25 km southwest of Escuintla, Guatemala, 6 minutes agoWe are receiving unverified early reports of ground shaking possibly caused by seismic activity in or near Guatemala City, Guatemala on 9 Mar 2026 (GMT) at approximately 02:53 GMT.There are no details yet on the magnitude or depth of this possible quake. If confirmed, we can expect more accurate data to emerge in the next few minutes. The location, magnitude and time mentioned are indicative, based on our best-fit seismic model. They are temporary until our AllQuakes monitoring service receives more exact scientific data from a national or international seismological agency. Check back here shortly and stay safe.If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOSI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeMar 9, 2026 02:52:32 UTC - Local time at epicenterSunday, Mar 8, 2026, at 08:52 pm (America/Guatemala GMT -6)Statuspreliminary (automatic detection)Magnitude4.8Depth10 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude14.55°N / 91.51°WDepartamento de Suchitepequez, GuatemalaAlso near: Mexico 71 km (44 mi) awaySeismic antipode14.55°S / 88.49°EShaking intensityV Moderate shaking near epicenterFelt8 reportsPrimary data sourceGFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)Nearest volcanoSanto Tomas (18 km / 11 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeScattered Clouds 27.2°C (81 F), humidity: 80%, wind: 1 m/s (3 kts) from NNEEstimated seismic energy released1 x 1012 joules (278 megawatt hours, equivalent to 239 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.8 | about seismic energy8 minutes ago reported feltMar 9, 2026 02:52 GMT / Mar 8, 2026 08:52 pm (Guatemala time)Lat / Lng: 14.55 / -91.51: GuatemalaSource: GFZDetail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-22787976',14.55000,-91.51000,'8 minutes ago: Mag. 4.8, Guatemala',html,'quakes-6-24.png',25,25,12,12,125]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in GuatemalaNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Villa Nueva, a city with more than 620,000 inhabitants in Guatemala, in 100 km (62 mi) distance east of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Many smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking. In the capital of Guatemala, Guatemala City, 108 km (67 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake was probably felt as weak shaking.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry2 km (1 mi)SE of epicenterMazatenango(pop: 77,400)V: ModerateDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala4 km (3 mi)N of epicenterSan Francisco Zapotitlan(pop: 22,500)V: ModerateDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala7 km (4 mi)W of epicenterCuyotenango(pop: 10,800)V: ModerateDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala8 km (5 mi)NE of epicenterSan Pablo Jocopilas(pop: 20,400)V: ModerateDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala10 km (6 mi)E of epicenterSan Antonio Suchitepequez(pop: 13,700)V: ModerateMunicipio de San Antonio Suchitepequez, Departamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala12 km (8 mi)NW of epicenterSan Felipe(pop: 24,400)V: ModerateDepartamento de RetalhuleuGuatemala13 km (8 mi)NW of epicenterEl Palmar(pop: 15,200)V: ModerateDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala15 km (9 mi)W of epicenterSan Sebastian(pop: 29,200)IV: LightDepartamento de RetalhuleuGuatemala18 km (11 mi)W of epicenterRetalhuleu(pop: 90,500)IV: LightDepartamento de RetalhuleuGuatemala20 km (12 mi)E of epicenterChicacao(pop: 60,700)IV: LightDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala20 km (13 mi)W of epicenterNuevo San Carlos(pop: 39,600)IV: LightDepartamento de RetalhuleuGuatemala24 km (15 mi)W of epicenterEl Asintal(pop: 17,400)IV: LightDepartamento de RetalhuleuGuatemala30 km (18 mi)NW of epicenterColomba(pop: 47,500)IV: LightDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala30 km (18 mi)N of epicenterCantel(pop: 42,100)IV: LightDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala32 km (20 mi)E of epicenterSantiago Atitlan(pop: 33,300)IV: LightDepartamento de SololaGuatemala33 km (21 mi)E of epicenterSanta Barbara(pop: 17,200)IV: LightDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala34 km (21 mi)SE of epicenterTiquisate(pop: 18,200)IV: LightDepartamento de EscuintlaGuatemala36 km (23 mi)N of epicenterLa Esperanza(pop: 16,500)IV: LightDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala37 km (23 mi)N of epicenterSalcaja(pop: 19,400)IV: LightDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala37 km (23 mi)N of epicenterOstuncalco(pop: 51,800)IV: LightDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala39 km (24 mi)NE of epicenterNahuala(pop: 27,700)IV: LightDepartamento de SololaGuatemala40 km (25 mi)N of epicenterSan Andres Xecul(pop: 15,100)IV: LightMunicipio de San Andres Xecul, Departamento de TotonicapanGuatemala40 km (25 mi)E of epicenterPatulul(pop: 40,700)IV: LightDepartamento de SuchitepequezGuatemala42 km (26 mi)NW of epicenterCoatepeque(pop: 105,400)IV: LightDepartamento de QuetzaltenangoGuatemala45 km (28 mi)N of epicenterSan Francisco El Alto(pop: 57,900)IV: LightDepartamento de TotonicapanGuatemala54 km (33 mi)NW of epicenterSan Pedro Sacatepequez(pop: 40,000)III: WeakDepartamento de San MarcosGuatemala55 km (34 mi)E of epicenterPatzun(pop: 58,200)III: WeakMunicipio de Patzun, Departamento de ChimaltenangoGuatemala56 km (35 mi)N of epicenterMomostenango(pop: 31,700)III: WeakDepartamento de TotonicapanGuatemala58 km (36 mi)SE of epicenterSanta Lucia Cotzumalguapa(pop: 112,800)III: WeakMunicipio de Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, Departamento de EscuintlaGuatemala60 km (37 mi)E of epicenterYepocapa(pop: 34,900)III: WeakDepartamento de ChimaltenangoGuatemala61 km (38 mi)NE of epicenterTecpan Guatemala(pop: 34,500)III: WeakMunicipio de Tecpan Guatemala, Departamento de ChimaltenangoGuatemala61 km (38 mi)NE of epicenterChichicastenango(pop: 141,600)III: WeakDepartamento del QuicheGuatemala65 km (41 mi)NW of epicenterComitancillo(pop: 59,500)III: WeakDepartamento de San MarcosGuatemala71 km (44 mi)NW of epicenterMalacatan(pop: 92,800)III: WeakDepartamento de San MarcosGuatemala83 km (51 mi)E of epicenterEscuintla(pop: 156,300)III: WeakDepartamento de EscuintlaGuatemala86 km (53 mi)N of epicenterHuehuetenango(pop: 79,400)III: WeakDepartamento de HuehuetenangoGuatemala95 km (59 mi)E of epicenterSan Juan Sacatepequez(pop: 136,900)III: WeakMunicipio de San Juan Sacatepequez, Departamento de GuatemalaGuatemala98 km (61 mi)E of epicenterMixco(pop: 465,800)III: WeakDepartamento de GuatemalaGuatemala100 km (62 mi)E of epicenterVilla Nueva(pop: 618,400)III: WeakDepartamento de GuatemalaGuatemala108 km (67 mi)E of epicenterGuatemala City(pop: 994,900)III: WeakMunicipio de Guatemala, Departamento de GuatemalaGuatemalaNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (8)The first report about ground shaking reached us after only 3 minutes, before other agencies reported it. So far, we have received 8 reports for this quake from Guatemala. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 80–100 km (50–62 mi) distance.Most reports came from Villa Nueva (2 reports), a city with more than 620,000 inhabitants in Departamento de Guatemala in 100 km (62 mi) distance east of the epicenter, Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala (2 reports), a town with 46,000 inhabitants in Departamento de Sacatepequez in 84 km (52 mi) distance east of the epicenter, and Escuintla (1 report) (83 km or 51 mi to the east). Further below is a list of places where most people reported this quake.This section is being updated as new data comes in.User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.Contribute:Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.Flag as inappropriate.Mark as helpful or interesting.Send your own user report!Translate85.2 km SE of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)Escuintla Guatemala (81.1 km ESE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s : en la sala viendo tv (reported through our app) San lucas sacatepequez guatemala (80.1 km E of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 santigua (83.7 km E of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s99.2 km E of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)18.4 km W of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app)99.2 km E of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)40.6 km E of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)List of cities/places with most reportsPlaceDistance from epicenterAverage reported Shaking IntensityNr. of reportsVilla Nueva, Departamento de Guatemala, Guatemala(Pop.: 618,397)100 km (62 mi)E of epicenterIV: Light shaking2Antigua Guatemala, Departamento de Sacatepequez, Guatemala(Pop.: 46,054)84 km (52 mi)E of epicenterIV: Light shaking2Escuintla, Departamento de Escuintla, Guatemala(Pop.: 156,313)83 km (51 mi)E of epicenterIV: Light shaking1Retalhuleu, Departamento de Retalhuleu, Guatemala(Pop.: 90,505)18.2 km (11 mi)W of epicenterIII: Weak shaking1Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (8 in total) could be used for statistics.What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!Number of reports by intensityShaking intensityNumber of reportsMin-Max distance from epicenter (*)Average distance (*)III: Weak shaking218.5–80 km (11.5–50 mi)49 km (31 mi)IV: Light shaking640–99 km (25–62 mi)81 km (51 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (8 in total) could be used for geographic statistics.Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-03-9EpicenterAgency4.810 km6.2 mi(*)02:52:32.37GuatemalaGFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)Notes:(*) A depth given as 10 km often means that the the depth of the quake could be not determined with sufficient accuracy.Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 6 km2 (2 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 4 km (3 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Mar 8, 2026 08:52 pm (Guatemala)8 minutes ago - felt4.810 km0 km - This quake1.9 km NW of Mazatenango, Departamento de Suchitepequez, GuatemalaMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksEarthquake statisticsAverage number of earthquakesBased on data from the past 26 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 309 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 7 or higher: 0.04 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 25 years)Mag. 6 or higher: 0.3 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 3.3 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 4.2 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 69 quakes per year (or 5.7 quakes per month)Mag. 3 or higher: 233 quakes per year (or 19.4 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 308 quakes per year (or 25.7 quakes per month)Mag. 1 or higher: 310 quakes per year (or 25.8 quakes per month)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 5 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 25 to 30 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquake