M4.3 Earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala — 21 June 2026
A light earthquake of magnitude 4.3 was recorded near Puerto San José, Guatemala on , with an epicentre 60 km south-southwest of Puerto San José, at a focal depth of 35.0 km. It ranked as the 3rd strongest of 5 earthquakes recorded in Guatemala in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-06-21 06:30:46
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 4.3 (light)
Focal depth: 35.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 13.4340, -91.0721
Location: 60 km SSW of Puerto San José, Guatemala
Country: Guatemala
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake radiates roughly 43 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 284, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 00:26 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.
This event was shallower than 56% of the 106 earthquakes recorded in Guatemala in our catalogue and stronger than 28% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 13.4340, -91.0721 — 60 km south-southwest of Puerto San José. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.6 earthquake 2 km northwest of here on 22 February 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are La Gomera (28 km northwest), Iztapa (54 km east), Nueva Concepción (69 km northwest) and La Democracia (90 km north).
Why the 35 km depth matters
At 35 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.3 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
3 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.7.
228 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.4 event near Puerto Madero on 17 July 2026. This M4.3 event released about 44,668 times less energy than that event.
30 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 2 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the June 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Guatemala during June 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M4.6 earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala — (2 km NW)
- M4.4 earthquake near La Gomera, Guatemala — (28 km NW)
- M4.4 earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala — (29 km SSE)
- M4.1 earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala — (30 km NNE)
- M4.7 earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala — (34 km E)
- M4.3 earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala — (35 km E)
- M4.3 earthquake near Iztapa, Guatemala — (54 km E)
- M4.6 earthquake near Iztapa, Guatemala — (58 km NE)
- M4.2 earthquake near Nueva Concepción, Guatemala — (83 km N)
- M4.1 earthquake near Champerico, Guatemala — (83 km WNW)
Other recent earthquakes in Guatemala
- M5.0 earthquake near Ocós, Guatemala —
- M4.2 earthquake near Ocós, Guatemala —
- M4.3 earthquake near Almolonga, Guatemala —
- M4.0 earthquake near Champerico, Guatemala —
- M4.4 earthquake near Puerto San José, Guatemala —
- M4.6 earthquake near Champerico, Guatemala —
- M5.0 earthquake near La Democracia, Guatemala —
- M4.2 earthquake near Ocós, Guatemala —
- M4.9 earthquake near Champerico, Guatemala —
- M4.5 earthquake near Champerico, Guatemala —
Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide
- M4.1 earthquake near Gerlach, United States —
- M4.6 earthquake near Sipí, Colombia —
- M4.5 earthquake near Duaca, Venezuela —
- M4.5 earthquake near Palora, Ecuador —
- M4.3 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia —
- M4.5 earthquake near Cachí, Argentina —
- M4.3 earthquake near Ishigaki, Japan —
- M4.5 earthquake near Bengkulu, Indonesia —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Puerto San José?
It measured magnitude 4.3 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.3 earthquake radiates roughly 43 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Puerto San José?
The focus was 35 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Puerto San José earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 4.3 and a focal depth of 35 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Puerto San José happen?
21 June 2026 at 06:30 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
3 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.7.
How often do earthquakes happen near Puerto San José?
228 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.4 event near Puerto Madero on 17 July 2026. This M4.3 event released about 44,668 times less energy than that event.