QuakeScout
Magnitude7.3

Reviewed by USGSMexico2mo ago

M7.3 earthquake 60 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico

Friday, July 17, 2026, 14:48:39 UTC · 14.571°N, 92.962°W

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 60 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico on Friday, July 17, 2026, 14:48:39 UTC, at a depth of 22.0 km (shallow). USGS received 288 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VII (very strong). The USGS PAGER alert is yellow: some casualties and damage are possible. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on September 8, 2017.

Magnitude
7.3
Major · mww
Depth
22 km
Shallow
Felt reports
288
Max intensity VII
Est. shaking
VII
Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert
Yellow
Impact estimate
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

1.3 megatons of TNT

That is about 89 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,818 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

92 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

22 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

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

PlaceIntensityReportsDistance
Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala, GuatemalaIV · Light40259 km
Guatemala, Guatemala, GuatemalaIV · Light37253 km
Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, GuatemalaIV · Light15233 km
Mixco, Guatemala, GuatemalaIV · Light12248 km
Villahermosa, Tabasco, MexicoIV · Light11370 km
Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El SalvadorIII · Weak10410 km
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, MexicoII · Weak9850 km
Melchor de Mencos, Petén, GuatemalaV · Moderate7483 km
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, MexicoIV · Light7236 km
Olintepeque, Quezaltenango, GuatemalaV · Moderate6151 km
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, MexicoIV · Light6236 km
San José Pinula, Guatemala, GuatemalaIV · Light6269 km
I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level yellow: some casualties and damage are possible.

VII · Very strong shaking
70,000 people
VI · Strong shaking
623,000 people
V · Moderate shaking
3.3 million people
IV · Light shaking
23 million people
III · Weak shaking
10 million people

Estimated shaking in nearby towns

  • MazatanPopulation 7,800VII · Very strong
  • HuehuetanPopulation 36,000VI · Strong
  • AcapetahuaPopulation 27,000VI · Strong
  • Villa ComaltitlanPopulation 30,000VI · Strong
  • HuixtlaPopulation 54,000VI · Strong
  • La BlancaPopulation 34,000VI · Strong
  • OcosPopulation 20,000VI · Strong
  • Ciudad HidalgoPopulation 17,000VI · Strong

After the main event

Aftershocks within 200 km

USGS lists 219 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.4 on July 17, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M6M71h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M7.3
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.2105 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico1mo ago · 67 km S of this epicenter
  2. 4.2115 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico1mo ago · 73 km S of this epicenter
  3. 4.378 km SSW of Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro), Mexico1mo ago · 118 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 4.3101 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico1mo ago · 52 km S of this epicenter
  5. 4.1113 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico1mo ago · 63 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 4.649 km SW of Champerico, Guatemala1mo ago · 97 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 4.1108 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico1mo ago · 58 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 4.2102 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico1mo ago · 56 km S of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 873 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.22017 Tehuantepec, Mexico EarthquakeSeptember 8, 2017 · 113 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 209 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 132 km SE of this epicenter
  4. 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 58 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 39 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 49 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,797 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1917M6.0

    Guatemala City

    26 Dec 1917 · 254 km away · intensity IX

    2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)

  2. 1902M7.5

    Quezaltenango, San Marcos

    19 Apr 1902 · 221 km away

    2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1982M3.5

    Chiapas

    28 Mar 1982 · 299 km away

    1,879 deaths$3 million damage

  4. 1773

    St. Jago

    3 Jun 1773 · 243 km away

    600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  5. 1874M7.1

    Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan

    3 Sep 1874 · 244 km away · intensity VIII

    300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  6. 1773M7.5

    Antigua

    29 Jul 1773 · 243 km away · intensity VIII

    100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

Closest city pages