Reviewed by USGSMexico90y ago
M6.4 earthquake 236 km SSW of Emiliano Zapata, Mexico
Wednesday, December 22, 1937, 03:37:21 UTC · 17.570°N, 106.144°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 236 km SSW of Emiliano Zapata, Mexico on Wednesday, December 22, 1937, 03:37:21 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on June 29, 1935.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
60 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 126 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
38 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Rivera and Pacific 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 37 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 263 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0102 km SW of Barra de Navidad, MexicoNovember 30, 1934 · 136 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0Revilla Gigedo Islands regionDecember 17, 1905 · 269 km W of this epicenter
- 6.9211 km SW of José María Morelos, MexicoNovember 16, 1925 · 117 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.820 km W of La Placita de Morelos, MexicoJune 29, 1935 · 271 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.82 km SW of Tecomán, MexicoJuly 25, 1932 · 279 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8256 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJanuary 2, 1931 · 189 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,075 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 288 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 288 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 263 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1900M7.3
Mexico
20 Jan 1900 · 296 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1934M7.0
Jalisco
30 Nov 1934 · 124 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1739
Colima
14 Jul 1739 · 290 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.