Reviewed by USGSMexico109y ago
M6.5 earthquake 12 km NW of Tumbiscatío de Ruiz, Mexico
Friday, June 7, 1918, 21:27:26 UTC · 18.595°N, 102.471°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 12 km NW of Tumbiscatío de Ruiz, Mexico on Friday, June 7, 1918, 21:27:26 UTC, at a depth of 60.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on November 19, 1912.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 60 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
76 kilotons of TNT
That is about 5 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 160 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
130 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
60 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 6 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 · 26 km S of this epicenter
- 7.525 km S of Tetitlán, MexicoDecember 16, 1911 · 266 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.166 km SSW of Nuxco, MexicoOctober 31, 1909 · 269 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.72 km S of San Pedro el Alto, MexicoNovember 19, 1912 · 292 km E of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SSE of Hacienda de Cabañas, MexicoOctober 13, 1908 · 280 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.96 km SSW of Condémbaro, MexicoMay 16, 1918 · 73 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,305 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 144 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 164 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1912M6.7
Central, Acambay, Tixmadeje
19 Nov 1912 · 292 km away
202 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1847
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
2 Oct 1847 · 200 km away · intensity IX
58 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1875M7.5
San Cristobal De La Barranca
11 Feb 1875 · 253 km away
25 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1864M7.0
Puebla,Veracruz,Acultzingo,Acatzingo
3 Oct 1864 · 279 km away
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.