Unusually powerful M7.3 Earthquake struck on Friday Morning in the North Pacific Ocean near Tapachula (Mexico).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 17th, 2026. Last updated September 15th, 2026.

In the morning of Friday July 17th, 2026, an unusually powerful Magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 84 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Another country near the epicenter is Guatemala.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 54 kilometers (33 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 84 kilometer southwest of Tapachula in Chiapas. 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:	Jul 17, 2026 08:48 (Mexico City Time) - Jul 17, 2026 14:48 Universal Time.
Location:	84 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°34'16"N 92°57'45"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.3 Detected by 44 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.025 .
Depth:	22 km (14 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. 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. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

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

At least 18 people injured, 23 homes destroyed, 377 homes and 50 public buildings damaged and gas leaks occurred across 17 municipalities in Chiapas. At least one person injured, 3 homes destroyed, 13 homes and 48 public buildings damaged and landslides blocked roads across 8 departments in Guatemala. A tsunami was generated with maximum recorded wave heights of 34 cm at Salina Cruz, 32 cm at Puerto Chiapas and 12 cm at Tangolunda, Mexico and 14 cm at Puerto San Jose, Guatemala.

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 95% 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 35% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 91% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 10,000 million USD.

Roughly 37 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 37 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.

Very strong shaking and likely moderate damage may have been experienced by an estimated 70,260 people. At VII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 23 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected.

People in 5 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 13 million people were exposed to shaking in Mexico , with level VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage) as the highest recorded. In Guatemala , around 19 million people. In El Salvador , around 4.8 million people. Other countries where people were exposed to shaking include Honduras and Belize.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Mexico and Guatemala are both within 300km distance of its epicenter. Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in El Salvador, Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua.

Huixtla in Chiapas, Mexico is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 83 kilometer (52 mi) southwest of Huixtla. The intensity of shaking and damage in Huixtla is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 264 km to the east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Tapachula is located 84 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Tuxtla is located 244 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

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 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 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 281 people in 6 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 281 people have reported shaking in 88 places in 6 countries (Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala, Guatemala: 40 people.
• Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala: 37 people.
• Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala: 15 people.
• Mixco, Guatemala, Guatemala: 12 people.
• Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico: 11 people.
• Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad, El Salvador: 10 people.
• Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico: 9 people.
• San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico: 7 people.
• Melchor de Mencos, Petén, Guatemala: 7 people.
• San José Pinula, Guatemala, Guatemala: 6 people.

219 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 219 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 31 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-6.4 was detected 45 km (28 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. A 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit 1 hr 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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 9 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 8th, 2017, when a 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit 113 km (70 mi) further northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 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 10 years.

Sources

Last updated 15/09/26 07:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000t1bu
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260717_0000253
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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