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Country profile · USGS ComCat

Earthquakes in Honduras

Honduras has catalogued 270 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 53rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.5.

Honduras ranks 53rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 13 M4+ events a year alongside 15 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1910 to 2020, peaking in 1934.

270
M4+ events (since 2005)
15
Major M6+ (since 1900)
M7.5
Strongest
~13
M4+ per year

The verdict

Honduras is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 270 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 15 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.5.

1934
busiest year (2 major events)
19 km
average recorded event depth
100%
of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)

Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Albania sits immediately above at 275 events and Djibouti sits immediately below at 261.

Follow Honduras events (RSS)

USGS event tape strip

Event tape HONDURAS · Honduras M4+ · 53rd/187

Honduras · 270 M4+ · max M7.5 · 15 M6+

  • COMCAT 270
  • TAPE 53rd/187
  • EPIC M7.5
  • YOY 15
  • BAND near Albania
  • STRIP 100% shallow

Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →

Observed impact record

What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Honduras

USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 8 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 6.2. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.

MMI observations
8
Average observed MMI
6.2
PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
2 / 2

Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.

1. Mayotte2322. Algeria2453. Djibouti2614. Honduras2705. Albania2756. Australia286
M4+ catalog count for Honduras and nearest-count peers. Source: USGS ComCat, 2005–present.

Where Honduras sits in the catalog

Rank 53rd of 187 tracked countries (72th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Albania sits immediately above at 275 events and Djibouti sits immediately below at 261.

  • Albania - next more active (275 M4+)
  • Djibouti - next less active (261 M4+)

Honduras's M4+ count vs. every tracked country

Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat

270 Top 28% higher than 72% of 187 countries

0–500: 143 countries (76%). This entry sits in this band. 500–1,000: 11 countries (6%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,500: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 1,500–2,000: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 2,000–2,500: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 2,500–3,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,000–3,500: 2 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,500–4,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 4,000–4,500: 2 countries (1%). Above this entry. 4,500–5,000: 4 countries (2%). Above this entry. 5,000–5,500: 12 countries (6%). Above this entry. Honduras 0 5,000+ every tracked country, bucketed by value

Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present

Major (M6+) earthquakes in Honduras by year

Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year

Value

What this shows Honduras's most active year for major earthquakes was 1934 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2005–present
0%100%1.1%
Share of Honduras's M4+ catalog that reached significant M6+ severity

3 of 270 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.

Magnitude distribution of major events

Breakdown of the 15 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Honduras.

How the 15 total breaks down by magnitude M6.0-6.9 is the largest share -- 86.7%

M7.0-7.9

2

13.3%

M6.0-6.9

13

86.7%

Depth of major earthquakes

Hypocentral depth of the 15 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 19 km.

Honduras100%Shallow (<70 km)Intermediate (70-300 km)Deep (>300 km)
Depth distribution of Honduras's M6+ events, USGS ComCat

Shallow (<70 km)

15

100.0% of events

Intermediate (70–300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Deep (>300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Strongest earthquakes in Honduras

The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).

Mag Location Depth
7.5 203 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras 19.0 km
7.3 46 km NW of Guanaja, Honduras 19.0 km
6.8 140 km N of Barra Patuca, Honduras 15.0 km
6.7 16 km N of Potrerillos, Honduras 10.0 km
6.3 5 km W of San Agustín, Honduras 15.0 km
6.2 15 km SW of Amapala, Honduras 15.0 km
6.1 59 km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras 12.0 km
6.1 30 km NNW of Baja Mar, Honduras 33.0 km
6.1 4 km WSW of La Alianza, Honduras 15.0 km
6.1 18 km SSW of Monjarás, Honduras 15.0 km

Significant earthquake record (15 events)

Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Honduras since 1900, most recent first.

Mag Location Depth
6.1 59 km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras 12.0 km
7.5 203 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras 19.0 km
7.3 46 km NW of Guanaja, Honduras 19.0 km
6.0 63 km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras 33.0 km
6.7 16 km N of Potrerillos, Honduras 10.0 km
6.0 13 km S of Amapala, Honduras 38.4 km
6.1 30 km NNW of Baja Mar, Honduras 33.0 km
6.0 16 km SSE of Amapala, Honduras 6.4 km
6.1 18 km SSW of Monjarás, Honduras 15.0 km
6.0 5 km W of Joconal, Honduras 25.0 km
6.0 217 km NNE of Barra Patuca, Honduras 15.0 km
6.3 5 km W of San Agustín, Honduras 15.0 km
6.2 15 km SW of Amapala, Honduras 15.0 km
6.1 4 km WSW of La Alianza, Honduras 15.0 km
6.8 140 km N of Barra Patuca, Honduras 15.0 km

Other countries in this catalog sample

A Honduras-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.

Haiti

217 M4+ events · strongest M7.2

M7.2

Saint Kitts and Nevis

23 M4+ events · strongest M4.8

M4.8

Kosovo

11 M4+ events · strongest M4.6

M4.6

India

4,099 M4+ events · strongest M7.5

M7.5

Serbia

18 M4+ events · strongest M5.5

M5.5

Chile

13,888 M4+ events · strongest M8.8

M8.8

Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster

A second Honduras-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.

Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.

Venezuela

538 M4+ events

M7.5

Iran

3,577 M4+ events

M7.7

Colombia

1,738 M4+ events

M7.4

Tonga

10,884 M4+ events

M7.6

Iraq

190 M4+ events

M7.3

Canada

1,033 M4+ events

M7.8

According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.