Seismicity induced by tropical storms Eta and Iota in the karstic region of northern Guatemala
Sismicidad inducida por las tormentas tropicales Eta e Iota en la región kárstica del norte de Guatemala
Robin Yani-Quiyuch1,*
, Diego Castro1, Erwin Quiroa1, Fredy Monterroso1
1 Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología (INSIVUMEH), 7th. Av. 14-57 zone 13, Guatemala City, Guatemala 01013.
* Corresponding author: (R. Yani-Quiyuch) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
How to cite this article:
Yani-Quiyuch, R., Castro, D., Quiroa, E., & Monterroso, F. (2026). Seismicity induced by tropical storms Eta and Iota in the karstic region of northern Guatemala. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 78(2), A161225. https://doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2026v78n2A161225
Manuscript received: July 30, 2025. Corrected manuscript received: November 20, 2025. Manuscript accepted: November 30, 2025.
ABSTRACT
We present a case of induced seismicity in the departments of Alta Verapaz and Quiché, in northern Guatemala, and its relationship with severe flooding caused by tropical storms Eta and Iota, in a subsurface already saturated by an unprecedented Atlantic hurricane season in 2020. The epicentral region was located in an area with predominance of carbonate rocks, where a complex karst system has developed. The mechanisms that triggered this seismicity may be mainly associated with the direct hydraulic connection of the flash floods with the seismic sources and diffusion processes in the pores, suggested by the temporal relationship between the rainfall and the seismicity episodes, according to previous studies of induced seismicity in karstic regions. The identification of earthquake families through correlation analysis in the frequency domain of seismic records suggests that several cracks or faults were activated, in a tectonic setting predisposed to nucleate earthquakes, which represents a significant seismic hazard. This is the first time that this type of induced seismicity caused by extreme meteorological phenomena in karstic environments has been instrumentally recorded and analyzed in Guatemala.
Keywords: induced seismicity, Eta and Iota, karst, floods, repeating earthquakes.