Reviewed by USGSMexico116y ago
M7.5 earthquake 25 km S of Tetitlán, Mexico
Saturday, December 16, 1911, 19:14:27 UTC · 16.932°N, 100.665°W
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 25 km S of Tetitlán, Mexico on Saturday, December 16, 1911, 19:14:27 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on June 7, 1911.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 184 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5,821 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
38 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.619 km W of Arteaga, MexicoJune 7, 1911 · 249 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.527 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 30, 1909 · 132 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 184 km E of this epicenter
- 7.215 km SSW of Colonia Luces en el Mar, MexicoMarch 27, 1908 · 67 km E of this epicenter
- 7.166 km SSW of Nuxco, MexicoOctober 31, 1909 · 45 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.944 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 31, 1909 · 141 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SSE of Hacienda de Cabañas, MexicoOctober 13, 1908 · 28 km E of this epicenter
- 6.54 km ESE of Santa María Jicaltepec, MexicoSeptember 24, 1910 · 291 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 31 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 49 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1864M7.0
Puebla,Veracruz,Acultzingo,Acatzingo
3 Oct 1864 · 87 km away
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 236 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1907M8.3
Guerrero
15 Apr 1907 · 71 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 275 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1902M7.0
Guerrero
16 Jan 1902 · 126 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1852
S. Mexico
4 Dec 1852 · 71 km away
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.