Reviewed by USGSMexico36y ago
M6.3 earthquake 172 km SSW of Emiliano Zapata, Mexico
Tuesday, January 1, 1991, 00:06:31 UTC · 18.068°N, 105.847°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 172 km SSW of Emiliano Zapata, Mexico on Tuesday, January 1, 1991, 00:06:31 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on August 29, 1989.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- 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: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
43 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 89 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
19 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Rivera and Pacific 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 100 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on January 1, 1991. 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 127 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 · 278 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, MexicoJune 18, 1932 · 267 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 202 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0102 km SW of Barra de Navidad, MexicoNovember 30, 1934 · 74 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km WSW of Corral del Risco (Punta de Mita), MexicoMay 9, 1905 · 296 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0Revilla Gigedo Islands regionDecember 17, 1905 · 288 km W of this epicenter
- 6.9211 km SW of José María Morelos, MexicoNovember 16, 1925 · 103 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,475 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 235 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 231 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 267 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 202 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1900M7.3
Mexico
20 Jan 1900 · 233 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1934M7.0
Jalisco
30 Nov 1934 · 60 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.