Reviewed by USGSMexico97y ago
M6.7 earthquake 68 km SW of Paredón Colorado, Mexico
Saturday, January 17, 1931, 02:50:21 UTC · 26.683°N, 110.469°W
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 68 km SW of Paredón Colorado, Mexico on Saturday, January 17, 1931, 02:50:21 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on August 28, 1923.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 10 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
194 kilotons of TNT
That is about 13 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 407 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
41 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.361 km NNW of La Paz, MexicoApril 10, 1906 · 222 km S of this epicenter
- 7.041 km SSW of Heroica Guaymas, MexicoMay 23, 1918 · 117 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.880 km SSW of El Huitusi, MexicoAugust 28, 1923 · 246 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.340 km SW of Etchoropo, MexicoMarch 6, 1921 · 55 km E of this epicenter
- 6.374 km E of Mulegé, MexicoAugust 29, 1925 · 79 km W of this epicenter
- 6.163 km SSW of El Huitusi, MexicoSeptember 27, 1929 · 235 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1810M7.4
Baja California: Loreto
27 Aug 1810 · 116 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1907M7.7
Gulf Of California
16 Oct 1907 · 248 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.