Reviewed by USGSMexico54y ago
M4.7 earthquake 50 km S of Aguililla, Mexico
Wednesday, January 31, 1973, 15:15:58 UTC · 18.286°N, 102.882°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 50 km S of Aguililla, Mexico on Wednesday, January 31, 1973, 15:15:58 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on January 30, 1973.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 33 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
81 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
33 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 74 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11932 Jalisco, Mexico EarthquakeJune 3, 1932 · 201 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, MexicoJune 18, 1932 · 114 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 190 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.621 km ESE of Coalcomán de Vázquez Pallares, MexicoApril 15, 1941 · 45 km N of this epicenter
- 7.619 km W of Arteaga, MexicoJune 7, 1911 · 44 km E of this epicenter
- 7.525 km S of Tetitlán, MexicoDecember 16, 1911 · 279 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.535 km SW of Aguililla, MexicoJanuary 30, 1973 · 25 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.418 km SSW of Palos Blancos, MexicoFebruary 22, 1943 · 188 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 37 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,781 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 118 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 144 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 184 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1941M7.6
Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco
15 Apr 1941 · 45 km away · intensity VII
84 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1964M7.3
Guerrero
6 Jul 1964 · 241 km away
78 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 190 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.