On Wednesday Night a Shallow M5.3 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 108km from Tapachula (Mexico).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 25th, 2024. Last updated October 17th, 2024.

In the night of Wednesday September 25th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 108 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 7.5 million people. Another nearby country is Guatemala.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 79 kilometers (49 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 108 kilometer west-southwest of Tapachula in Chiapas. 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:	Sep 25, 2024 01:43 (Mexico City Time) - Sep 25, 2024 06:43 Universal Time.
Location:	108 km WSW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°24'38"N 93°7'39"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 46 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 7.5 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 7.5 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 305,000 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 5.7 million people were exposed to shaking in Guatemala , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. Roughly 1.8 million people were exposed to shaking in Mexico .

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Mexico and Guatemala .

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Huixtla in Chiapas, Mexico. Huixtla is located 108 kilometer (67 mi) southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Huixtla is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Guatemala City is located 283 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tuxtla is located 261 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tapachula is located 108 km to the east-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 8 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Mexico.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico: 4 people.
• Puerto Madero, Chiapas, Mexico: 3 people.
• Naucalpan, México, Mexico: 1 person.

12 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 12 smaller aftershocks. Just 17 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.5 was detected 43 km (26 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 4 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 5 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.5

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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

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 August 5th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 282 km (175 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on September 8th, 2017.

In total, 108 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 month.

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

Sources

Last updated 17/10/24 09:18 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000ng3m
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240925_0000056
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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