Reviewed by USGSMexico33y ago
M4.6 earthquake 105 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico
Thursday, October 28, 1993, 09:09:18 UTC · 14.713°N, 93.790°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 105 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico on Thursday, October 28, 1993, 09:09:18 UTC, at a depth of 38.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.9 on October 16, 1993.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 38 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
62 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
38 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on November 19, 1993. 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 329 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 · 299 km E of this epicenter
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 145 km E of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 130 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,981 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1982M3.5
Chiapas
28 Mar 1982 · 289 km away
1,879 deaths$3 million damage
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 280 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1816M7.5
Soloma
22 Jul 1816 · 261 km away · intensity IX
23 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 165 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1978M4.5
Patzun
29 Jul 1978 · 298 km away
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 298 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.