Shallow M5.9 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 295km from Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) on Wednesday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 16th, 2024. Last updated October 18th, 2024.

In the afternoon of Wednesday October 16th, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.9 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 295 kilometer from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 50 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 226 kilometers (140 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 295 kilometer southwest of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco. 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:	Oct 16, 2024 14:40 (Mexico City Time) - Oct 16, 2024 19:40 Universal Time.
Location:	295 km SW of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Coordinates 18°29'23"N 106°54'42"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 36 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 .
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 50 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 50 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 40 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 50 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Mexico .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
54,690	III	Weak	Probably none
40	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Mexico . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Cihuatlán in Jalisco, Mexico. Cihuatlán is located 260 kilometer (162 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter.

Major cities near this earthquake: Tepic is located 396 km to the north-northeast. Puerto Vallarta is located 295 km to the north-east. Manzanillo is located 279 km to the east-northeast.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
260 km (162 mi) ENE from epicenter	Cihuatlán Jalisco, Mexico.
279 km (173 mi) ENE from epicenter	Manzanillo Colima, Mexico.
295 km (183 mi) NE from epicenter	Puerto Vallarta Jalisco, Mexico.
302 km (188 mi) NE from epicenter	Mezcales Nayarit, Mexico.
303 km (188 mi) ENE from epicenter	Autlán de Navarro Jalisco, Mexico.
305 km (190 mi) NE from epicenter	Ixtapa Jalisco, Mexico.
308 km (191 mi) NE from epicenter	San José del Valle Jalisco, Mexico.
314 km (195 mi) E from epicenter	Ciudad de Armería Colima, Mexico.
319 km (198 mi) ENE from epicenter	El Grullo Jalisco, Mexico.
323 km (201 mi) E from epicenter	Tecomán Colima, Mexico.
326 km (203 mi) NE from epicenter	El Salto Jalisco, Mexico.
345 km (214 mi) ENE from epicenter	Ciudad de Villa de Álvarez Colima, Mexico.
346 km (215 mi) ENE from epicenter	Colima Colima, Mexico.
371 km (231 mi) NE from epicenter	Compostela Nayarit, Mexico.
378 km (235 mi) NE from epicenter	Ameca Jalisco, Mexico.
381 km (237 mi) ENE from epicenter	Sayula Jalisco, Mexico.
387 km (240 mi) ENE from epicenter	Ciudad Guzmán Jalisco, Mexico.
388 km (241 mi) ENE from epicenter	Zapotiltic Jalisco, Mexico.
389 km (242 mi) NE from epicenter	Ixtlán del Río Nayarit, Mexico.
390 km (242 mi) ENE from epicenter	Tuxpan Jalisco, Mexico.
391 km (243 mi) NNE from epicenter	Xalisco Nayarit, Mexico.
394 km (245 mi) NE from epicenter	Ahualulco de Mercado Jalisco, Mexico.
396 km (246 mi) NNE from epicenter	Tepic Nayarit, Mexico.

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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 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:

Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico: 1 person.
Tlalnepantla, México, Mexico: 1 person.

3 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. Just 20 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.8 was detected 29 km (18 mi) east-northeast of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 20 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 5.2	20 hrs earlier Oct 15, 2024 18:49 (Mexico City Time)	19 km (11 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Oct 16, 2024 14:40 (Mexico City Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.8	20 mins later Oct 16, 2024 15:01 (Mexico City Time)	29 km (18 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	2 hrs later Oct 16, 2024 16:11 (Mexico City Time)	21 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	2 hrs later Oct 16, 2024 16:20 (Mexico City Time)	18 km (11 mi) NNE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 22nd, 2021, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 42 km (26 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on January 21st, 2016.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 2 years.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.9. 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 18/10/24 01:58 (). 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.