A 5.0 earthquake reported 90 km south of Managua, Nicaragua

Managua, March 4 (RHC)-- An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred Thursday morning at 10:06 am local time near Managua, Nicaragua, as reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a moderately shallow depth of 44 km.  The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.

Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibrations in the area of the epicenter.

Weak shaking might have been felt in Tola (pop. 2,600) located 39 km from the epicenter, Nandaime (pop. 20,800) 55 km away, Diriamba (pop. 35,000) 60 km away, San Rafael del Sur (pop. 29,800) 61 km away, San Marcos (pop. 23,300) 66 km away, Masatepe (pop. 21,500) 68 km away, Managua (pop. 973,100) 90 km away, Ciudad Sandino (pop. 50,000) 94 km away, and Tipitapa (pop. 50,000) 100 km away.