Reviewed by USGSMexico61y ago
M5.5 earthquake 1 km NNE of Puerto Ángel, Mexico
Tuesday, August 24, 1965, 00:56:24 UTC · 15.680°N, 96.484°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 1 km NNE of Puerto Ángel, Mexico on Tuesday, August 24, 1965, 00:56:24 UTC, at a depth of 27.6 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on August 23, 1965.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 28 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/5 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
35 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
28 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 M5.8 on August 24, 1965. 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 84 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 · 65 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 131 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, MexicoJanuary 15, 1931 · 41 km N of this epicenter
- 7.56 km WSW of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca, MexicoOctober 9, 1928 · 119 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 284 km W of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 53 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.43 km W of Huixtepec, MexicoDecember 23, 1937 · 226 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 40 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 133 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1957M7.9
Acapulco,Mexico City
28 Jul 1957 · 294 km away · intensity VII
65 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 37 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 234 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1882M7.5
Puebla,Huahuapan,Huamuxtitlan,Xalpatlahuac
19 Jul 1882 · 290 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 71 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.8
Mexico City, Oaxaca
23 Aug 1965 · 100 km away
6 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.