Reviewed by USGSMexico70y ago
M5.9 earthquake 29 km S of Acapulco de Juárez, Mexico
Sunday, August 4, 1957, 14:16:20 UTC · 16.586°N, 99.934°W
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 29 km S of Acapulco de Juárez, Mexico on Sunday, August 4, 1957, 14:16:20 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on July 28, 1957.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
9 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 19 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
27 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
25 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 M6.0 on August 18, 1957. 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 56 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 286 km E of this epicenter
- 7.68 km ENE of Apantla, MexicoJuly 28, 1957 · 104 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.56 km WSW of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca, MexicoOctober 9, 1928 · 270 km E of this epicenter
- 7.525 km S of Tetitlán, MexicoDecember 16, 1911 · 87 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.527 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 30, 1909 · 45 km E of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 101 km E of this epicenter
- 7.43 km W of Huixtepec, MexicoDecember 23, 1937 · 170 km E of this epicenter
- 7.418 km SSW of Palos Blancos, MexicoFebruary 22, 1943 · 177 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 43 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 127 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1957M7.9
Acapulco,Mexico City
28 Jul 1957 · 89 km away · intensity VII
65 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1864M7.0
Puebla,Veracruz,Acultzingo,Acatzingo
3 Oct 1864 · 103 km away
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 153 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1907M8.3
Guerrero
15 Apr 1907 · 47 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 222 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M7.4
Guerrero: Paricutin Volcano Forms
22 Feb 1943 · 177 km away · intensity VII
5 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.