Lake deposits reveal directional shaking during devastating 1976 Guatemala earthquake

Lake deposits reveal directional shaking during devastating 1976 Guatemala earthquake

Sediment cores drawn from four lakes in Guatemala record the distinct direction that ground shaking traveled during a 1976 magnitude 7.5 earthquake that devastated the country, according to researchers at the Seismological Society of America's Annual Meeting.

Lake Deposits Reveal Directional Shaking During Devastating 1976 Guatemala Earthquake | Seismological Society of America

17 April 2025— Sediment cores drawn from four lakes in Guatemala record the distinct direction that ground shaking traveled during a 1976 magnitude 7.5 earthquake that devastated the country, according to researchers at the Seismological Society of America’s Annual Meeting. UWITEC coring platform in Lake Atitlan. | Courtesy of Jonathan Obrist-Farner The earthquake, which killed more than 23,000 people and left about 1.5 million people homeless, …