Reviewed by USGSMexico57y ago
M5.8 earthquake 98 km SSW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico
Friday, May 1, 1970, 20:03:28 UTC · 14.673°N, 93.608°W
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 98 km SSW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico on Friday, May 1, 1970, 20:03:28 UTC, at a depth of 23.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on May 1, 1970.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 24 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
6 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 13 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
67 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
24 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on May 2, 1970. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 117 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 279 km E of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 294 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 126 km E of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 109 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 40 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,073 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 291 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 300 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1816M7.5
Soloma
22 Jul 1816 · 244 km away · intensity IX
23 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 153 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1965M7.8
Mexico City, Oaxaca
23 Aug 1965 · 296 km away
6 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1902M7.8
Venustiano Carranza,Chiapas,Chis,Tabasco
23 Sep 1902 · 240 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.