Reviewed by USGSMexico17d ago
M4.3 earthquake 78 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico
Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 21:08:31 UTC · 14.307°N, 93.015°W
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 78 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 21:08:31 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.3
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 35 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
43 tons of TNT
That is about 1/354 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 11 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
62 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
35 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 50 km
USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M4.5 on September 24, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.2120 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico10h ago · 44 km W of this epicenter
- 4.5106 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico2d ago · 28 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.284 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico12d ago · 21 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.064 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico15d ago · 14 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.2102 km SW of Brisas Barra de Suchiate, Mexico15d ago · 43 km S of this epicenter
- 4.586 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico16d ago · 16 km S of this epicenter
- 4.4107 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico16d ago · 30 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 890 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.22017 Tehuantepec, Mexico EarthquakeSeptember 8, 2017 · 124 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 206 km E of this epicenter
- 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 126 km E of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 75 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.360 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoJuly 17, 2026 · 30 km N of this epicenter
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 · 124 km away · intensity IX
98 deaths$4.0 billion damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.