Reviewed by USGSMexico48y ago
M5.4 earthquake 5 km S of San Miguel Suchixtepec, Mexico
Thursday, December 28, 1978, 19:48:04 UTC · 16.047°N, 96.476°W
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 5 km S of San Miguel Suchixtepec, Mexico on Thursday, December 28, 1978, 19:48:04 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on November 29, 1978.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- Moderate · 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
76 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on January 10, 1979. 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 142 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.015 km ESE of San Gabriel Mixtepec, MexicoJune 17, 1928 · 50 km W of this epicenter
- 7.82 km NW of Teojomulco, MexicoApril 15, 1907 · 103 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.72 km ESE of San Agustín Loxicha, MexicoNovember 29, 1978 · 13 km W of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SSW of San Miguel Suchixtepec, MexicoJanuary 15, 1931 · 1 km W of this epicenter
- 7.56 km WSW of San Miguel Panixtlahuaca, MexicoOctober 9, 1928 · 104 km W of this epicenter
- 7.56 km S of Copala, MexicoMarch 26, 1908 · 274 km W of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 34 km E 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 721 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1973M6.2
Veracruz, Mexico City
28 Aug 1973 · 248 km away · intensity VII
527 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1957M7.9
Acapulco,Mexico City
28 Jul 1957 · 285 km away · intensity VII
65 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1937M7.2
Central, Puebla: Esperanza, Veracruz
26 Jul 1937 · 283 km away
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 74 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
Oaxaca, Guerrero
2 Aug 1968 · 145 km away · intensity VII
18 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1787M8.6
San Marcos, Oaxaca
28 Mar 1787 · 222 km away · intensity IX
11 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.