Reviewed by USGSMexico99y ago
M8.0 earthquake 15 km ESE of San Gabriel Mixtepec, Mexico
Sunday, June 17, 1928, 03:19:32 UTC · 16.065°N, 96.944°W
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 15 km ESE of San Gabriel Mixtepec, Mexico on Sunday, June 17, 1928, 03:19:32 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 8.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
15 megatons of TNT
That is about 968 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 30,549 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
78 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 200 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on June 17, 1928. 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 20 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 68 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.527 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 30, 1909 · 279 km W of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 224 km W of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 84 km E of this epicenter
- 7.231 km S of San Francisco Cozoaltepec, MexicoDecember 29, 1917 · 63 km S of this epicenter
- 7.07 km N of Jesús Carranza, MexicoJune 2, 1916 · 260 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.944 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 31, 1909 · 277 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 37 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 57 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 101 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 173 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 226 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 91 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1854M7.7
Veracruz,Oaxaca
5 May 1854 · 87 km away · intensity IX
4 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.7
Oaxaca
17 Jun 1928 · 11 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.