Reviewed by USGSMexico94y ago
M6.7 earthquake 53 km SSW of El Colomo, Mexico
Wednesday, December 13, 1933, 21:23:45 UTC · 18.623°N, 104.468°W
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 53 km SSW of El Colomo, Mexico on Wednesday, December 13, 1933, 21:23:45 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on December 7, 1932.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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
147 kilotons of TNT
That is about 10 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 309 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
37 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
20 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 32 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11932 Jalisco, Mexico EarthquakeJune 3, 1932 · 142 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, MexicoJune 18, 1932 · 109 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 69 km N of this epicenter
- 7.619 km W of Arteaga, MexicoJune 7, 1911 · 213 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9211 km SW of José María Morelos, MexicoNovember 16, 1925 · 239 km W of this epicenter
- 6.82 km SW of Tecomán, MexicoJuly 25, 1932 · 67 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.851 km SSW of Cuyutlán, MexicoDecember 7, 1932 · 27 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,558 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 77 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 77 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 125 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 69 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1847
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
2 Oct 1847 · 258 km away · intensity IX
58 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1875M7.5
San Cristobal De La Barranca
11 Feb 1875 · 257 km away
25 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.