Reviewed by USGSMexico111y ago
M6.3 earthquake 127 km SSE of El Coyul, Mexico
Tuesday, March 6, 1917, 03:05:58 UTC · 14.873°N, 95.309°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 127 km SSE of El Coyul, Mexico on Tuesday, March 6, 1917, 03:05:58 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on November 21, 1916.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
40 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 83 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
12 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 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 8 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 · 283 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 146 km E of this epicenter
- 7.07 km N of Jesús Carranza, MexicoJune 2, 1916 · 295 km N of this epicenter
- 6.933 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 9, 1912 · 281 km E of this epicenter
- 6.699 km SE of Crucecita, MexicoNovember 21, 1916 · 36 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.329 km SSE of El Carrizal, MexicoJune 14, 1913 · 104 km N of this epicenter
- 5.76 km NW of San Miguel Chimalapa, MexicoJune 22, 1906 · 216 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 31 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 121 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 170 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1845M7.5
Oaxaca
9 Mar 1845 · 264 km away · intensity V
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1872M7.4
Oaxaca,Mexico City
27 Mar 1872 · 217 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1897M7.0
Oaxaca: Tehuantepec
5 Jun 1897 · 259 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1701
Oaxaca
21 Dec 1701 · 256 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.