Reviewed by USGSMexico95y ago
M6.8 earthquake 51 km SSW of Cuyutlán, Mexico
Wednesday, December 7, 1932, 16:22:12 UTC · 18.491°N, 104.250°W
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 51 km SSW of Cuyutlán, Mexico on Wednesday, December 7, 1932, 16:22:12 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on July 25, 1932.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
35 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 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 26 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 · 149 km N of this epicenter
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, MexicoJune 18, 1932 · 99 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 85 km N of this epicenter
- 7.619 km W of Arteaga, MexicoJune 7, 1911 · 188 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9211 km SW of José María Morelos, MexicoNovember 16, 1925 · 261 km W of this epicenter
- 6.82 km SW of Tecomán, MexicoJuly 25, 1932 · 58 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.633 km SSW of Cuyutlán, MexicoMay 1, 1921 · 18 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 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 · 66 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 75 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 131 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 85 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1847
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
2 Oct 1847 · 255 km away · intensity IX
58 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1875M7.5
San Cristobal De La Barranca
11 Feb 1875 · 261 km away
25 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.