Reviewed by USGSMexico90y ago
M5.8 earthquake 54 km SSW of Corralero, Mexico
Saturday, January 1, 1938, 11:25:21 UTC · 15.766°N, 98.347°W
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 54 km SSW of Corralero, Mexico on Saturday, January 1, 1938, 11:25:21 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on December 31, 1937.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
8 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 17 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
8 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
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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on January 2, 1938. 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 43 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 · 154 km E of this epicenter
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 150 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, MexicoJanuary 15, 1931 · 201 km E of this epicenter
- 7.56 km WSW of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca, MexicoOctober 9, 1928 · 111 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.525 km S of Tetitlán, MexicoDecember 16, 1911 · 279 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.527 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 30, 1909 · 148 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 110 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 236 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 60 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 92 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 223 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1864M7.0
Puebla,Veracruz,Acultzingo,Acatzingo
3 Oct 1864 · 268 km away
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 83 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1907M8.3
Guerrero
15 Apr 1907 · 223 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 216 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 245 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.