Reviewed by USGSMexico37y ago
M5.6 earthquake 161 km SSW of Barra de Navidad, Mexico
Friday, April 28, 1989, 02:34:25 UTC · 17.830°N, 105.174°W
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 161 km SSW of Barra de Navidad, Mexico on Friday, April 28, 1989, 02:34:25 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on April 19, 1989.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mw
- 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 earthquake
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
25 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Pacific 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 136 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 · 255 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.01985 Michoacan, Mexico EarthquakeSeptember 19, 1985 · 282 km E of this epicenter
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, MexicoJune 18, 1932 · 221 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 178 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.621 km ESE of Coalcomán de Vázquez Pallares, MexicoApril 15, 1941 · 249 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.619 km W of Arteaga, MexicoJune 7, 1911 · 292 km E of this epicenter
- 7.535 km SW of Aguililla, MexicoJanuary 30, 1973 · 241 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 14,115 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1985M8.1
Michoacan: Mexico City
19 Sep 1985 · 282 km away · intensity IX
9,500 deaths$4.0 billion damagetsunami
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 188 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 192 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 239 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1941M7.6
Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco
15 Apr 1941 · 249 km away · intensity VII
84 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 178 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.