Reviewed by USGSMexico99y ago
M5.9 earthquake 6 km WNW of Santa María Tonameca, Mexico
Sunday, June 17, 1928, 22:21:09 UTC · 15.769°N, 96.605°W
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 6 km WNW of Santa María Tonameca, Mexico on Sunday, June 17, 1928, 22:21:09 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.0 on June 17, 1928.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- 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
12 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
45 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on July 10, 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 19 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.015 km ESE of San Gabriel Mixtepec, MexicoJune 17, 1928 · 49 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 116 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 269 km W of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 57 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.231 km S of San Francisco Cozoaltepec, MexicoDecember 29, 1917 · 31 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.07 km N of Jesús Carranza, MexicoJune 2, 1916 · 257 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.699 km SE of Crucecita, MexicoNovember 21, 1916 · 135 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 35 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 · 52 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 218 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 274 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 72 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1854M7.7
Veracruz,Oaxaca
5 May 1854 · 134 km away · intensity IX
4 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.7
Oaxaca
17 Jun 1928 · 54 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.