Reviewed by USGSMexico90y ago
M6.5 earthquake 14 km S of Santiago Tepextla, Mexico
Sunday, January 2, 1938, 22:27:23 UTC · 16.207°N, 98.469°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 14 km S of Santiago Tepextla, Mexico on Sunday, January 2, 1938, 22:27:23 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on December 23, 1937.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (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
74 kilotons of TNT
That is about 5 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 155 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
50 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 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 45 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 · 164 km E of this epicenter
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 138 km E of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, MexicoJanuary 15, 1931 · 213 km E of this epicenter
- 7.56 km WSW of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca, MexicoOctober 9, 1928 · 111 km E of this epicenter
- 7.525 km S of Tetitlán, MexicoDecember 16, 1911 · 248 km W of this epicenter
- 7.527 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 30, 1909 · 117 km W of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 67 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 248 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 63 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 · 249 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1864M7.0
Puebla,Veracruz,Acultzingo,Acatzingo
3 Oct 1864 · 225 km away
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 33 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1907M8.3
Guerrero
15 Apr 1907 · 185 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 168 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 253 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.