09/22/2021

IARU Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Carlos Alberto Santamar¡a Gonz lez, CO2JC, has requested that radio amateurs in Central America avoid 7098 and 7198 kHz in the wake of an earthquake at 0957 UTC this morning (September 22) in Nicaragua.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the offshore magnitude 6.5 earthquake has also affected Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The earthquake was followed by another 4.0 temblor and other aftershocks of less intensity, as confirmed by Juan de la Cruz Rodr¡guez P‚rez, YN1J, President and National Emergency Coordinator of the Club de Radio Experimentadores de Nicaragua (CREN). CREN is the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-society for Nicaragua.

The earthquake occurred offshore in the North Pacific some 60 miles from Chinandega and approximately 52 miles southwest of the resort town of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua. The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of approximately 20 miles.

According to the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies, the event was related to the tectonic processes of the collision between the Cocos and Caribe tectonic plates.

Emergency communicator Juan de la Cruz, YN1J, requested the frequency protection.

No tsunami warning has been issued and there have been no immediate reports of damage.

According to the USGS, "Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas." And, "The number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides in this earthquake is low, but landslide damage or fatalities are still possible in highly susceptible areas. This is not a direct estimate of landslide fatalities or losses."

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