Reviewed by USGSMexico23y ago
M6.1 earthquake 201 km SSW of Barra de Navidad, Mexico
Monday, May 19, 2003, 16:27:10 UTC · 17.546°N, 105.473°W
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 201 km SSW of Barra de Navidad, Mexico on Monday, May 19, 2003, 16:27:10 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on January 22, 2003.
- Magnitude
- 6.1
- Strong · mwb
- Depth
- 10 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: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
21 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 45 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
9 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on May 20, 2003. 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 180 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11932 Jalisco, Mexico EarthquakeJune 3, 1932 · 298 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.01995 Colima-Jalisco, Mexico EarthquakeOctober 9, 1995 · 215 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.87 km E of Los Tepames, MexicoJune 18, 1932 · 266 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.712 km NNE of La Central, MexicoJune 22, 1932 · 221 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.621 km ESE of Coalcomán de Vázquez Pallares, MexicoApril 15, 1941 · 291 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.616 km SSW of Cuyutlán, MexicoJanuary 22, 2003 · 199 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.535 km SW of Aguililla, MexicoJanuary 30, 1973 · 282 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,695 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1806M7.5
Jalisco,Oaxaca,Michoacan
25 Mar 1806 · 232 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1818M8.2
Morelos-Guerrero,Mexico City,Guadalajara
31 May 1818 · 237 km away · intensity X
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M8.1
Near Coast Of Jalisco
3 Jun 1932 · 283 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1941M7.6
Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco
15 Apr 1941 · 291 km away · intensity VII
84 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1932M7.7
Central
22 Jun 1932 · 221 km away
75 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1973M7.5
S, Farias, Tecoman
30 Jan 1973 · 281 km away
56 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.