Reviewed by USGSMexico33y ago
M4.6 earthquake 73 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico
Saturday, October 16, 1993, 07:21:04 UTC · 14.364°N, 92.996°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 73 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico on Saturday, October 16, 1993, 07:21:04 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on October 14, 1993.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · ms
- 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: 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
69 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 lists 11 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on October 16, 1993. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.987 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico33y ago · 20 km S of this epicenter
- 4.6100 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico33y ago · 27 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.598 km WSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico33y ago · 28 km W of this epicenter
- 4.441 km SSW of Puerto Madero, Mexico33y ago · 41 km E of this epicenter
- 4.270 km SW of Brisas Barra de Suchiate, Mexico33y ago · 36 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4104 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico33y ago · 42 km S of this epicenter
- 4.0Near the coast of Guatemala33y ago · 49 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.3110 km SW of Puerto Madero, Mexico33y ago · 44 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 375 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.726 km SSW of La Gomera, GuatemalaAugust 6, 1942 · 205 km E of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 70 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 43 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 109 km W of this epicenter
- 7.224 km W of Puerto Madero, MexicoSeptember 10, 1993 · 54 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,749 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M6.0
Guatemala City
26 Dec 1917 · 259 km away · intensity IX
2,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1902M7.5
Quezaltenango, San Marcos
19 Apr 1902 · 219 km away
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1773
St. Jago
3 Jun 1773 · 249 km away
600 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1874M7.1
Antigua,Chimaltenango,Amatitlan
3 Sep 1874 · 248 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1773M7.5
Antigua
29 Jul 1773 · 249 km away · intensity VIII
100 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1991M6.2
Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola
18 Sep 1991 · 219 km away · intensity VI
25 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.