Reviewed by USGSMexico33y ago
M3.9 earthquake 163 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico
Monday, November 29, 1993, 09:26:14 UTC · 14.330°N, 94.163°W
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 163 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico on Monday, November 29, 1993, 09:26:14 UTC, at a depth of 70.1 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 3.9
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 70 km
- Intermediate
- 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
11 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,410 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 45 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
5 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: intermediate
70 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 M4.3 on December 17, 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 296 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 · 286 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 274 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 190 km E of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 168 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 37 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 58 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 259 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 223 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 294 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1965M7.8
Mexico City, Oaxaca
23 Aug 1965 · 281 km away
6 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1993M7.2
Southwest; Mexico: Chiapas
10 Sep 1993 · 169 km away · intensity VII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1765M7.5
Chiquimula, Quetzaltepeque
24 Oct 1765 · 194 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.