Reviewed by USGSMexico31y ago
M7.2 earthquake 13 km NW of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Mexico
Saturday, October 21, 1995, 02:38:57 UTC · 16.840°N, 93.469°W
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 13 km NW of Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, Mexico on Saturday, October 21, 1995, 02:38:57 UTC, at a depth of 159.3 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on September 10, 1993.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 159 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kilotons of TNT
That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
278 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and North American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
159 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 200 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on November 18, 1995. 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 241 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 · 300 km W of this epicenter
- 7.44 km NW of Santa María Zapotitlán, MexicoAugust 23, 1965 · 268 km W of this epicenter
- 7.34 km SSW of Puerto Madero, MexicoDecember 14, 1935 · 263 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.334 km SW of Puerto Madero, MexicoApril 29, 1970 · 279 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2127 km SW of La Esperanza (El Zapotal), MexicoMarch 30, 1914 · 254 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,967 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1982M3.5
Chiapas
28 Mar 1982 · 53 km away
1,879 deaths$3 million damage
- 1959M6.9
Gulf Of Campeche
26 Aug 1959 · 190 km away
25 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M7.5
Soloma
22 Jul 1816 · 258 km away · intensity IX
23 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.1
S Chiapas
25 Sep 1968 · 173 km away
20 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1801M7.0
Oaxaca
5 Oct 1801 · 289 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1954M6.1
Chiapas
5 Feb 1954 · 126 km away
6 deaths$17 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.