Location:

40 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador

Period:

14 Jan 2001 22:41:28 - 17 Jan 2001 01:40:15 (2 days 2 hours 58 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Taburete(54km), Usulutan(57km), Tecapa(62km), Tigre, El(64km), San Vicente(64km), Chinameca(72km), San Miguel(73km), Ilopango(78km), Apastepeque Field(78km), Aramuaca, Laguna(87km), San Salvador(96km)

Earthquakes:

M 7.0+:

M 7.3; 74 km S of Intipucá, El Salvador; (14 Oct 2014) (91km from the swarm center)
M 7.3; 126 km S of Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador; (27 Aug 2012) (99km from the swarm center)
M 7.7; 28 km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador; (13 Jan 2001) (15km from the swarm center)

4 swarms found nearby.

2012

PS20120827.1(97.3km)

27 Aug

1 day 4 hours

7 earthquakes

2018

S20180506.1(84.4km)

6 May

2 days 0 hours

35 earthquakes

2023

S20230719.1(71.4km)

18 Jul

12 days 21 hours

265 earthquakes

2024

S20241209.2(100.5km)

9 Dec

5 days 3 hours

195 earthquakes

AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm PS20010115.1 Near Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador

El Salvador occupies a tectonically active segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Cocos Plate subducts beneath the Caribbean Plate along the Middle America Trench. This convergence drives frequent seismicity, including shallow crustal events and deeper intraslab earthquakes. The region around Puerto El Triunfo, located on the southeastern coast, experiences elevated activity due to its proximity to the trench and local fault systems within the overriding plate.

The seismic swarm designated PS20010115.1 began at 22:41 on 14 January 2001 and concluded at 01:40 on 17 January 2001. Centered 40 km south-southwest of Puerto El Triunfo, the sequence lasted 50 hours and 58 minutes and comprised nine earthquakes. Event parameters are as follows: a magnitude 5.7 shock at 48 km depth on 14 January at 22:41, followed by a magnitude 5.2 event at 42 km depth six minutes later; a magnitude 5.3 earthquake at 68 km depth at 00:22 on 15 January; a magnitude 5.6 shock at 67 km depth at 05:09; a magnitude 4.4 event at 69 km depth at 10:07; a magnitude 5.8 earthquake at 74 km depth at 12:20; magnitude 5.7 events at 44 km and 62 km depths on 16 January at 08:22 and 10:58 respectively; and a final magnitude 5.4 shock at 44 km depth on 17 January at 01:40.

This swarm occurred one day after the destructive magnitude 7.7 earthquake of 13 January 2001, whose epicenter lay only 15 km from the swarm centroid. The larger event initiated extensive aftershock sequences across the subduction interface and upper plate. Subsequent notable events in the broader area include a magnitude 7.3 earthquake on 27 August 2012 located 99 km from the swarm center and another magnitude 7.3 shock on 14 October 2014 situated 91 km away, underscoring the persistent seismic hazard along the margin.

Such swarms typically reflect stress redistribution following major ruptures, with events clustered both spatially and temporally. Depths ranging from 42 km to 74 km indicate activity within the subducting slab and lower crust, consistent with the regional tectonic regime.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog (earthquake.usgs.gov)
Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET), El Salvador geological reports