Shallow M5.1 AFTERSHOCK struck on Friday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean 121km from Tapachula (Mexico).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 18th, 2026. Last updated August 8th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.1 aftershock struck in the North Pacific Ocean 121 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico in the evening of Friday July 17th, 2026. Another country near the epicenter is Guatemala.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 92 kilometers (57 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 121 kilometer southwest of Tapachula in Chiapas. 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:	Jul 17, 2026 19:49 (Mexico City Time) - Jul 18, 2026 01:49 Universal Time.
Location:	121 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°21'3"N 93°13'19"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very 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 .

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Huixtla in Chiapas, Mexico. Huixtla is located 120 kilometer (75 mi) southwest of the epicenter.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 293 km to the east. Tuxtla is located 268 km to the north. Tapachula is located 121 km to the north-east.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 11 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck 47 km (29 mi) north-east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.1 earthquake as an aftershock.

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.

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

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 123 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 30 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

Sources

Last updated 08/08/26 01:38 (). 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 us7000t1im
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260718_0000030
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: