Reviewed by USGSMexico33y ago
M4.7 earthquake 123 km SW of El Palmarcito, Mexico
Friday, November 19, 1993, 03:02:48 UTC · 14.706°N, 94.020°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 123 km SW of El Palmarcito, Mexico on Friday, November 19, 1993, 03:02:48 UTC, at a depth of 22.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on November 19, 1993.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 22 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
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
49 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
22 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.9 on November 29, 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 320 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.48 km ENE of Santiago Xanica, MexicoMarch 22, 1928 · 273 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 256 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 170 km E of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 154 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 12 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,960 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1982M3.5
Chiapas
28 Mar 1982 · 296 km away
1,879 deaths$3 million damage
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 257 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1816M7.5
Soloma
22 Jul 1816 · 285 km away · intensity IX
23 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 186 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 278 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.8
Mexico City, Oaxaca
23 Aug 1965 · 260 km away
6 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.