Reviewed by USGSMexico33y ago
M4.7 earthquake 147 km SSW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico
Sunday, January 9, 1994, 12:29:12 UTC · 14.297°N, 93.856°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 147 km SSW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico on Sunday, January 9, 1994, 12:29:12 UTC, at a depth of 47.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on December 12, 1993.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 47 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 earthquake
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
18 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
47 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 314 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 · 295 km E of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 300 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 159 km E of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 135 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 37 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 68 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.9
Oaxaca,Zanaguia,San Francisco Ozolotepec
11 May 1870 · 290 km away
24 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1816M7.5
Soloma
22 Jul 1816 · 286 km away · intensity IX
23 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 201 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1993M7.2
Southwest; Mexico: Chiapas
10 Sep 1993 · 138 km away · intensity VII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1902M7.8
Venustiano Carranza,Chiapas,Chis,Tabasco
23 Sep 1902 · 289 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1765M7.5
Chiquimula, Quetzaltepeque
24 Oct 1765 · 164 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.