LAS COLINAS LANDSLIDE CAUSED BY THE JANUARY 13, 2001 EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED OFF THE COAST OF EL SALVADOR

Abstract

El Salvador, one of the smallest and most crowded nations in Central America, extends about 240 kilometers westward from the Gulf of Fonseca to the border with Guatemala. This country was struck by two devastating earthquakes within a month. The first quake of Jan. 13, 2001, which was centered off El Salvador's southern coast, damaged and/or destroyed nearly 108, 000 houses, and killed at least 944 people, including hundreds of residents buried in a huge amount of soil slipped down Las Colinas mountainside in the city of Neuva San Salvador (Santa Tecla). This report outlines the findings obtained through the reconnaissance by the JSCE team and laboratory tests that followed it.