Reviewed by USGSMexico78y ago
M6.6 earthquake 142 km WNW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), Mexico
Saturday, December 4, 1948, 00:22:48 UTC · 21.182°N, 106.818°W
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 142 km WNW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), Mexico on Saturday, December 4, 1948, 00:22:48 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on January 2, 1931.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
116 kilotons of TNT
That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 243 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
25 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Rivera plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 29 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0166 km WSW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), MexicoMay 9, 1905 · 84 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8256 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJanuary 2, 1931 · 284 km S of this epicenter
- 6.6233 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJuly 22, 1938 · 283 km S of this epicenter
- 6.4103 km E of La Playa, MexicoOctober 5, 1937 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.466 km SSW of Los Pozos, MexicoAugust 8, 1914 · 149 km N of this epicenter
- 6.4179 km WSW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJuly 7, 1925 · 221 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3199 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoNovember 28, 1930 · 271 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1948M6.6
Maria Madre Island
4 Dec 1948 · 0 km away
4 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1900M7.3
Mexico
20 Jan 1900 · 230 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1925M7.0
S. Mexico
16 Nov 1925 · 299 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1900M6.9
Near Coast Of Jalisco
16 May 1900 · 230 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1837M7.5
Guadalajara
22 Nov 1837 · 230 km away
- 1875M6.5
S. Mexico
24 Feb 1875 · 230 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.