Shallow M5.3 AFTERSHOCK struck on Saturday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean near Tapachula (Mexico).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 19th, 2026.

In the evening of Saturday July 18th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 aftershock hit in the North Pacific Ocean 87 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico. Another nearby country is Guatemala.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 60 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 87 kilometer southwest of Tapachula in Chiapas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 20 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 18, 2026 20:18 (Mexico City Time) - Jul 19, 2026 02:18 Universal Time.
Location:	87 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°17'31"N 92°45'33"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 46 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	20 km (12 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 Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico. Tapachula is located 87 kilometer (54 mi) southwest of the epicenter.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 245 km to the east. Tapachula is located 87 km to the north-east. Mixco is located 235 km to the east.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 7.3 earthquake struck 40 km (25 mi) northwest in advance of this 5.3 earthquake around 1 day earlier.

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

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 107 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 month.

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 19/07/26 17:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000t1q6
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260719_0000023
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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