Shallow M6.5 Earthquake struck on Friday Morning near Acapulco de Juárez in Mexico.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 2nd, 2026. Last updated March 3rd, 2026.

A shallow and strong Magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck under land 55 kilometer from Acapulco de Juárez in Mexico in the morning of Friday January 2nd, 2026. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Mexico, 55 kilometer (34 mi) east of Acapulco de Juárez in Guerrero. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 2, 2026 07:58 (Mexico City Time) - Jan 2, 2026 13:58 Universal Time.
Location:	55 km east of Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero, Mexico. Coordinates 16°47'53"N 99°23'38"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.5 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.027 .
Depth:	18 km (11 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person died from a heart attack at Mexico City and another killed at San Marcos. At least 24 people injured, 5,380 homes and several buildings damaged or destroyed, landslides blocked roads and power outages occurred across 23 municipalities in Guerrero. Some houses damaged in Morelos. Maximum intensity VII.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 40% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 94% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 1,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 38% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 94% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 10,000 million USD.

Roughly 5.3 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 5.3 million 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 94,250 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.2 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Mexico .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Mexico . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ayutla de los Libres in Guerrero, Mexico. Ayutla de los Libres is located 37 kilometer (23 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ayutla de los Libres is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Mexico City is located 294 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Acapulco de Juárez is located 55 km to the west and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Iztapalapa is located 287 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VII.

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 524 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 524 people have reported shaking in 131 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: 221 people.
• Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico: 18 people.
• Naucalpan, México, Mexico: 17 people.
• Puebla, Puebla, Mexico: 15 people.
• Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico: 13 people.
• Nezahualcóyotl, México, Mexico: 11 people.
• Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico: 11 people.
• Coatepec (San Bartolomé Coatepec), México, Mexico: 8 people.
• Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico: 8 people.
• Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico: 7 people.

77 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 77 smaller aftershocks. Just 2 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 9 km (6 mi) south-east of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.

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

This is the strongest earthquake in 4 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 8th, 2021, when a 7 magnitude earthquake hit 42 km (26 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on February 16th, 2018.

In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 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 3 years.

Sources

Last updated 03/03/26 06:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rm3k
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260102_0000176
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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