Reviewed by USGSMexico95y ago
M5.8 earthquake 27 km SW of José María Morelos, Mexico
Saturday, June 4, 1932, 21:39:31 UTC · 19.474°N, 105.338°W
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 27 km SW of José María Morelos, Mexico on Saturday, June 4, 1932, 21:39:31 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on June 3, 1932.
- 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
7 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 14 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
54 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on June 9, 1932. 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 18 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 · 152 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km WSW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), MexicoMay 9, 1905 · 212 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9211 km SW of José María Morelos, MexicoNovember 16, 1925 · 185 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.8256 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJanuary 2, 1931 · 241 km W of this epicenter
- 6.633 km SSW of Cuyutlán, MexicoMay 1, 1921 · 153 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.4262 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoApril 18, 1919 · 239 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.4179 km WSW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJuly 7, 1925 · 171 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 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 · 174 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 153 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 150 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 103 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1847
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
2 Oct 1847 · 279 km away · intensity IX
58 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1875M7.5
San Cristobal De La Barranca
11 Feb 1875 · 244 km away
25 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.