On Sunday Morning a Shallow M5.5 AFTERSHOCK struck in the North Pacific Ocean 104km from Tapachula (Mexico).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 19th, 2026. Last updated August 9th, 2026.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.5 aftershock struck in the North Pacific Ocean 104 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico around noon of Sunday July 19th, 2026. Around 9 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another nearby country is Guatemala.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 78 kilometers (48 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 104 kilometer southwest of Tapachula in Chiapas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 9 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 19, 2026 11:45 (Mexico City Time) - Jul 19, 2026 17:45 Universal Time.
Location:	104 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°10'24"N 92°51'50"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 62 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.039 .
Depth:	9 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 9 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 9 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 818,600 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 6.3 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 7.3 million people were exposed to shaking in Guatemala , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. In Mexico , around 1.4 million people.

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 104 kilometer (65 mi) southwest of Tapachula. The intensity of shaking and damage in Tapachula is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 258 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tapachula is located 104 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Mixco is located 248 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Guatemala.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: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 2 days before this earthquake hit, a larger 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck 52 km (32 mi) north of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.5 earthquake as an aftershock.

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, 67 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 2 months.

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 09/08/26 20:18 (). 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 us7000t1tp
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260719_0000289
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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