Reviewed by USGSMexico8d ago
M4.6 earthquake 125 km SSW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico
Friday, September 18, 2026, 13:12:49 UTC · 14.381°N, 93.556°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 125 km SSW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico on Friday, September 18, 2026, 13:12:49 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on September 17, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 10 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
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
41 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
10 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 2 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.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 827 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 · 80 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 264 km E of this epicenter
- 7.433 km S of Champerico, GuatemalaNovember 7, 2012 · 184 km E of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 125 km E of this epicenter
- 7.360 km WSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoJuly 17, 2026 · 67 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 34 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,260 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 279 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2017M8.2
Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco; Guatemala
8 Sep 2017 · 80 km away · intensity IX
98 deaths$4.0 billion damagetsunami
- 2012M7.3
San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu
7 Nov 2012 · 184 km away
48 deaths$210 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.2
Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola
18 Sep 1991 · 278 km away · intensity VI
25 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M7.5
Soloma
22 Jul 1816 · 253 km away · intensity IX
23 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 172 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.