In the morning of Friday July 17th, 2026, a significant M5.1 aftershock hit in the North Pacific Ocean 60 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico. Guatemala is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 33 kilometers (20 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 60 kilometer southwest of Tapachula in Chiapas. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 65 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 17, 2026 10:01 (Mexico City Time) - Jul 17, 2026 16:01 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 60 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°27'51"N 92°35'1"W. |
| Map: | ![]() Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 283 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.034 . |
| Depth: | 65 km (40 mi) A quite 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
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Mexico and Guatemala .
Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 60 kilometer (37 mi) southwest of Tapachula.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 224 km to the east. Tapachula is located 60 km to the north-east. Mixco is located 214 km to the east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 60 km (37 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tapachula Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 74 km (46 mi) NE from epicenter |
Cacahoatán Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 76 km (47 mi) N from epicenter |
Huixtla Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 82 km (51 mi) E from epicenter |
Coatepeque Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 96 km (60 mi) E from epicenter |
Colomba Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 97 km (60 mi) E from epicenter |
Nuevo San Carlos Retalhuleu, Guatemala. |
| 98 km (61 mi) E from epicenter |
Retalhuleu Retalhuleu, Guatemala. |
| 101 km (63 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Marcos San Marcos, Guatemala. |
| 105 km (65 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Pedro Sacatepéquez San Marcos, Guatemala. |
| 107 km (66 mi) N from epicenter |
Motozintla Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 110 km (68 mi) E from epicenter |
El Palmar Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 113 km (70 mi) N from epicenter |
Mapastepec Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 113 km (70 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ostuncalco Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 113 km (70 mi) NE from epicenter |
Comitancillo San Marcos, Guatemala. |
| 117 km (73 mi) E from epicenter |
Mazatenango Suchitepeque, Guatemala. |
| 119 km (74 mi) NE from epicenter |
La Esperanza Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 122 km (76 mi) E from epicenter |
Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 123 km (76 mi) E from epicenter |
San Pablo Jocopilas Suchitepeque, Guatemala. |
| 127 km (79 mi) E from epicenter |
Cantel Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 133 km (83 mi) E from epicenter |
Tiquisate Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 134 km (83 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Francisco El Alto Totonicapán, Guatemala. |
| 136 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
Chicacao Suchitepeque, Guatemala. |
| 141 km (88 mi) N from epicenter |
Comalapa Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 141 km (88 mi) E from epicenter |
Totonicapán Totonicapán, Guatemala. |
| 142 km (88 mi) NE from epicenter |
Momostenango Totonicapán, Guatemala. |
| 143 km (89 mi) E from epicenter |
Nahualá Sololá, Guatemala. |
| 147 km (91 mi) E from epicenter |
Santiago Atitlán Sololá, Guatemala. |
| 152 km (94 mi) NW from epicenter |
Pijijiapan Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) NE from epicenter |
Huehuetenango Huehuetenango, Guatemala. |
| 155 km (96 mi) E from epicenter |
Sololá Sololá, Guatemala. |
| 163 km (101 mi) NE from epicenter |
Jacaltenango Huehuetenango, Guatemala. |
| 167 km (104 mi) E from epicenter |
Chichicastenango Quiché, Guatemala. |
| 167 km (104 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santa Cruz del Quiché Quiché, Guatemala. |
| 169 km (105 mi) E from epicenter |
Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 170 km (106 mi) E from epicenter |
La Gomera Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 174 km (108 mi) E from epicenter |
Tecpán Guatemala Chimaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 191 km (119 mi) E from epicenter |
Chimaltenango Chimaltenango, Guatemala. |
| 194 km (121 mi) E from epicenter |
Escuintla Escuintla, Guatemala. |
| 196 km (122 mi) E from epicenter |
Ciudad Vieja Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. |
| 199 km (124 mi) E from epicenter |
Antigua Guatemala Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. |
| 204 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Comitán Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 210 km (130 mi) E from epicenter |
Amatitlán Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 211 km (131 mi) E from epicenter |
San Juan Sacatepéquez Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 214 km (133 mi) E from epicenter |
Mixco Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 215 km (134 mi) E from epicenter |
Villa Nueva Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 218 km (135 mi) E from epicenter |
Petapa Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 221 km (137 mi) E from epicenter |
Villa Canales Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 224 km (139 mi) E from epicenter |
Guatemala City Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 226 km (140 mi) E from epicenter |
Chinautla Guatemala, Guatemala. |
| 240 km (149 mi) E from epicenter |
Barberena Santa Rosa, Guatemala. |
| 252 km (157 mi) N from epicenter |
San Cristóbal de las Casas Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 254 km (158 mi) E from epicenter |
Salamá Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. |
| 259 km (161 mi) E from epicenter |
Sanarate El Progreso, Guatemala. |
| 261 km (162 mi) N from epicenter |
Tuxtla Chiapas, Mexico. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter |
Cobán Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. |
| 280 km (174 mi) E from epicenter |
Jalapa Jalapa, Guatemala. |
| 290 km (180 mi) E from epicenter |
Jutiapa Jutiapa, Guatemala. |
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 1 hr before this earthquake hit, a larger 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck 43 km (26 mi) west of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.1 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
3 days earlier Jul 14, 2026 17:45 (Mexico City Time) | 1.6 km (1 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
2 days earlier Jul 15, 2026 01:34 (Mexico City Time) | 72 km (45 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
2 days earlier Jul 15, 2026 10:24 (Mexico City Time) | 62 km (39 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.8 |
1 day earlier Jul 16, 2026 02:05 (Mexico City Time) | 64 km (39 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
20 hrs earlier Jul 16, 2026 13:02 (Mexico City Time) | 75 km (47 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
1 hr earlier Jul 17, 2026 07:20 (Mexico City Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 7.3 |
Jul 17, 2026 08:48 (Mexico City Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.3 |
26 mins later Jul 17, 2026 09:14 (Mexico City Time) | 49 km (30 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
31 mins later Jul 17, 2026 09:19 (Mexico City Time) | 44 km (27 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 6.0 |
31 mins later Jul 17, 2026 09:20 (Mexico City Time) | 44 km (27 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
42 mins later Jul 17, 2026 09:30 (Mexico City Time) | 29 km (18 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
1 hr later Jul 17, 2026 09:57 (Mexico City Time) | 20 km (12 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 hr later Jul 17, 2026 10:00 (Mexico City Time) | 35 km (22 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
1 hr later Jul 17, 2026 10:01 (Mexico City Time) | 43 km (26 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 10:42 (Mexico City Time) | 68 km (43 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
2 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 11:03 (Mexico City Time) | 31 km (19 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.1 |
2 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 11:15 (Mexico City Time) | 29 km (18 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
3 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 11:23 (Mexico City Time) | 46 km (28 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.2 |
4 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 12:26 (Mexico City Time) | 26 km (16 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
4 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 13:17 (Mexico City Time) | 46 km (28 mi) SW 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.
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).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 125 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 29 days.
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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 65 km (40 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/07/26 20:08 (). 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.

