In the night of Sunday May 19th, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 173 kilometer from Manzanillo, Mexico.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 146 kilometers (91 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 173 kilometer south of Manzanillo in Colima. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 19, 2024 04:39 (Mexico City Time) - May 19, 2024 09:39 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 173 km south of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Coordinates 17°34'38"N 104°33'26"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 48 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Mexico . Ciudad de Armería in Colima, Mexico is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 164 kilometer (102 mi) south-southwest of Ciudad de Armería.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Manzanillo is located 173 km to the north. Colima is located 206 km to the north-northeast. Ciudad de Villa de Álvarez is located 207 km to the north-northeast.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 164 km (102 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ciudad de Armería Colima, Mexico. |
| 165 km (103 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tecomán Colima, Mexico. |
| 173 km (107 mi) N from epicenter |
Manzanillo Colima, Mexico. |
| 185 km (115 mi) N from epicenter |
Cihuatlán Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 206 km (128 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Colima Colima, Mexico. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ciudad de Villa de Álvarez Colima, Mexico. |
| 244 km (152 mi) N from epicenter |
Autlán de Navarro Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 250 km (155 mi) N from epicenter |
El Grullo Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 251 km (156 mi) E from epicenter |
Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas Michoacán, Mexico. |
| 251 km (156 mi) E from epicenter |
La Orilla Michoacán, Mexico. |
| 253 km (157 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Guacamayas Michoacán, Mexico. |
| 253 km (157 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tuxpan Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 254 km (158 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tepalcatepec Michoacán, Mexico. |
| 258 km (160 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Zapotiltic Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ciudad Guzmán Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 271 km (168 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tamazula de Gordiano Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 275 km (171 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Sayula Jalisco, Mexico. |
| 287 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter |
Apatzingán Michoacán, Mexico. |
6 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 6 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 19 km (12 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 14 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
May 19, 2024 04:39 (Mexico City Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
7 mins later May 19, 2024 04:46 (Mexico City Time) | 27 km (17 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
30 mins later May 19, 2024 05:09 (Mexico City Time) | 22 km (14 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
35 mins later May 19, 2024 05:15 (Mexico City Time) | 46 km (29 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
5 hrs later May 19, 2024 09:45 (Mexico City Time) | 17 km (10 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
14 hrs later May 19, 2024 19:04 (Mexico City Time) | 19 km (12 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
20 hrs later May 20, 2024 00:28 (Mexico City Time) | 14 km (9 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 21st, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 135 km (84 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on September 19th, 2022.
In total, 30 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 4 months.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/06/24 13:18 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000mzmh
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240519_0000138
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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