Reviewed by USGSMexico103y ago
M6.4 earthquake 4 km NNW of San Lucas, Mexico
Monday, April 21, 1924, 20:00:59 UTC · 18.632°N, 100.802°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 4 km NNW of San Lucas, Mexico on Monday, April 21, 1924, 20:00:59 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on June 7, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
52 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 110 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
201 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 11 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.619 km W of Arteaga, MexicoJune 7, 1911 · 179 km W of this epicenter
- 7.525 km S of Tetitlán, MexicoDecember 16, 1911 · 190 km S of this epicenter
- 7.527 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 30, 1909 · 276 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.215 km SSW of Colonia Luces en el Mar, MexicoMarch 27, 1908 · 220 km S of this epicenter
- 7.166 km SSW of Nuxco, MexicoOctober 31, 1909 · 222 km S of this epicenter
- 6.944 km SSE of San Andrés Playa Encantada (El Podrido), MexicoJuly 31, 1909 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.72 km S of San Pedro el Alto, MexicoNovember 19, 1912 · 141 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SSE of Hacienda de Cabañas, MexicoOctober 13, 1908 · 185 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 41 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 298 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1912M6.7
Central, Acambay, Tixmadeje
19 Nov 1912 · 141 km away
202 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1847
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
2 Oct 1847 · 287 km away · intensity IX
58 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1864M7.0
Puebla,Veracruz,Acultzingo,Acatzingo
3 Oct 1864 · 146 km away
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1907M8.3
Guerrero
15 Apr 1907 · 200 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 294 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1902M7.0
Guerrero
16 Jan 1902 · 161 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.