M7.6 earthquake 16 km SSW of Cuyutlán, Mexico

Wednesday, January 22, 2003, 02:06:34 UTC · 18.770°N, 104.104°W

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 16 km SSW of Cuyutlán, Mexico on Wednesday, January 22, 2003, 02:06:34 UTC, at a depth of 24.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.0 on October 9, 1995.

Magnitude: 7.6; Major · mwb
Depth: 24 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: VII; Very 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

3.8 megatons of TNT

That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

69 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

24 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 200 km

USGS lists 50 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on January 22, 2003. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 180 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 36 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 14,281 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1985M8.1
Michoacan: Mexico City
19 Sep 1985 · 178 km away · intensity IX
9,500 deaths$4.0 billion damagetsunami
1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 35 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 41 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 97 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1941M7.6
Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco
15 Apr 1941 · 118 km away · intensity VII
84 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 60 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers