The 1719 El Salvador Earthquake: An M>7.0 Event in the Central American Volcanic Arc?

Abstract

In the regions where few field neotectonics and paleoseismic studies have been performed (e.g., Central America), the interpretation of the seismic sources responsible for the historical (preinstrumental) catastrophic earthquakes lies almost entirely in the spatial distribution of damage interpreted from historical sources, mainly fragmentary written documents. The occurrence of catastrophic earthquakes affecting this region justifies the necessity of a deeper analysis of the geologic implications of the more significant historical earthquakes in light of the new insights. Recent advances in the identification and dating of surface‐rupture evidences along the central El Salvador volcanic arc led us to revisit some historical evidence of damage along this region and to combine geologic (paleoseismic) evidence with damage distribution.