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M6.2 Earthquake near La Libertad, El Salvador — 05 January 2025

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.2 was recorded near La Libertad, El Salvador on , with an epicentre 50 km south-southeast of La Libertad, at a focal depth of 49.5 km. It was the strongest of the 8 earthquakes recorded in El Salvador in the preceding 30 days.

6.2 Strong

Time (UTC): 2025-01-05 17:18:47

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 6.2 (strong)

Focal depth: 49.5 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 13.0530, -89.1723

Location: 50 km SSE of La Libertad, El Salvador

Country: El Salvador

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Strong earthquakes can cause significant damage in populated areas within roughly 100 km of the epicentre, particularly to older masonry buildings. Landslides and liquefaction become a real risk in susceptible ground.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake radiates roughly 30,089 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 700, which meets 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 11:22 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.

This event was shallower than 62% of the 81 earthquakes recorded in El Salvador in our catalogue and stronger than 100% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 13.0530, -89.1723 — 50 km south-southeast of La Libertad. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.3 earthquake 7 km west-northwest of here on 05 February 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are El Rosario (21 km southeast), Jiquilisco (34 km east), Olocuilta (56 km north) and Soyapango (71 km north).

Why the 49 km depth matters

At 49 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 can produce strong, widely felt shaking. 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 M6.2 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

2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 5.8.

149 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near Acajutla on 23 August 2025. This M6.2 event released about 2.0 times more energy than that event.

6 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 4 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 January 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in El Salvador during January 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in El Salvador

All recorded earthquakes in El Salvador →

Other magnitude 6 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 6 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near La Libertad?

It measured magnitude 6.2 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake radiates roughly 30,089 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near La Libertad?

The focus was 49 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the La Libertad earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 6.2 and a focal depth of 49 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near La Libertad happen?

05 January 2025 at 17:18 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 5.8.

How often do earthquakes happen near La Libertad?

149 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near Acajutla on 23 August 2025. This M6.2 event released about 2.0 times more energy than that event.