M5.6 earthquake 77 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico

Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 12:28:30 UTC · 14.323°N, 93.016°W

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 77 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 12:28:30 UTC, at a depth of 11.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on August 18, 2026.

Magnitude: 5.6; Moderate · mww
Depth: 11 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: IV; Light (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

4 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

64 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

11 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

Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.

IV · Light shaking: 384,000 people
III · Weak shaking: 573,000 people

Estimated shaking in nearby towns

MazatanPopulation 7,800IV · Light
HuehuetanPopulation 36,000IV · Light
La BlancaPopulation 34,000IV · Light
OcosPopulation 20,000IV · Light
Ciudad HidalgoPopulation 17,000IV · Light
HuixtlaPopulation 54,000IV · Light
Ciudad Tecun UmanPopulation 46,000IV · Light
Villa ComaltitlanPopulation 30,000IV · Light

After the main event

Aftershocks within 75 km

USGS lists 14 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km since this event; the largest was M5.3 on September 6, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 889 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 46 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,918 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 262 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 220 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 251 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 250 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1773M7.5
Antigua
29 Jul 1773 · 251 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
2017M8.2
Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco; Guatemala
8 Sep 2017 · 123 km away · intensity IX
98 deaths$4.0 billion damagetsunami

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

Nearby trackers