On Monday Morning a Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck near Pinotepa Nacional in Mexico.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 4th, 2026. Last updated May 5th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.7 earthquake struck under land 32 kilometer from Pinotepa Nacional in Mexico in the morning of Monday May 4th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 6.1 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Mexico, 32 kilometer (20 mi) north of Pinotepa Nacional in Oaxaca. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 22 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 4, 2026 09:19 (Mexico City Time) - May 4, 2026 15:19 Universal Time.
Location:	32 km north of Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico. Coordinates 16°37'20"N 97°59'5"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 47 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 .
Depth:	22 km (14 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 6.1 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 6.1 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 67,160 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 4.8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably 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 . Pinotepa Nacional in Oaxaca, Mexico is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 32 kilometer (20 mi) north of Pinotepa Nacional. The intensity of shaking and damage in Pinotepa Nacional is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Puebla is located 270 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Acapulco de Juárez is located 206 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Oaxaca is located 143 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 V.

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 47 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 47 people have reported shaking in 20 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: 24 people.
• Puebla, Puebla, Mexico: 2 people.
• Santa Lucía del Camino, Oaxaca, Mexico: 2 people.
• Naucalpan, México, Mexico: 2 people.
• Huayapam, Oaxaca, Mexico: 2 people.
• Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico: 1 person.
• Nezahualcóyotl, México, Mexico: 1 person.
• San Roque, Guanajuato, Mexico: 1 person.
• Comaltitlán, Chiapas, Mexico: 1 person.
• Tlalnepantla, México, Mexico: 1 person.

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. Just 11 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.1 was detected 50 km (31 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 7 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 January 2nd, 2026, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit 151 km (94 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on June 23rd, 2020.

In total, 13 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 9 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 05/05/26 12:48 (). 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 us7000si51
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260504_0000203
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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