Reviewed by USGSMexico106y ago
M5.9 earthquake 20 km WSW of Purificación, Mexico
Saturday, May 14, 1921, 22:09:36 UTC · 19.634°N, 104.777°W
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 20 km WSW of Purificación, Mexico on Saturday, May 14, 1921, 22:09:36 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on May 1, 1921.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
10 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 21 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
107 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Rivera plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 9 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 · 281 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km WSW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), MexicoMay 9, 1905 · 257 km W of this epicenter
- 6.633 km SSW of Cuyutlán, MexicoMay 1, 1921 · 127 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.512 km NW of Tumbiscatío de Ruiz, MexicoJune 7, 1918 · 268 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.4262 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoApril 18, 1919 · 299 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.278 km NW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), MexicoSeptember 15, 1919 · 224 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.1202 km SW of La Cruz de Loreto, MexicoJuly 9, 1919 · 244 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,083 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 131 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 106 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1847
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
2 Oct 1847 · 218 km away · intensity IX
58 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1875M7.5
San Cristobal De La Barranca
11 Feb 1875 · 186 km away
25 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1911M7.6
Colima, Jalisco, Mexico City
7 Jun 1911 · 281 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1900M7.3
Mexico
20 Jan 1900 · 47 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.