Reviewed by USGSMexico61y ago
M5.2 earthquake 6 km SW of El Carrizal, Mexico
Monday, August 23, 1965, 23:13:46 UTC · 16.020°N, 95.433°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 6 km SW of El Carrizal, Mexico on Monday, August 23, 1965, 23:13:46 UTC, at a depth of 22.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on August 23, 1965.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 23 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
919 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
91 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
23 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 74 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.015 km ESE of San Gabriel Mixtepec, MexicoJune 17, 1928 · 162 km W of this epicenter
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 204 km W of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, MexicoJanuary 15, 1931 · 113 km W of this epicenter
- 7.56 km WSW of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca, MexicoOctober 9, 1928 · 215 km W of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 77 km W of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 50 km W of this epicenter
- 7.440 km S of Corralero, MexicoAugust 4, 1928 · 299 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 37 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 105 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1937M7.2
Central, Puebla: Esperanza, Veracruz
26 Jul 1937 · 282 km away
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1959M6.9
Gulf Of Campeche
26 Aug 1959 · 276 km away
25 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 116 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 74 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.8
Mexico City, Oaxaca
23 Aug 1965 · 50 km away
6 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1854M7.7
Veracruz,Oaxaca
5 May 1854 · 245 km away · intensity IX
4 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.