A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Gulf Of California 63 kilometer from Heroica Guaymas, Mexico in the early morning of Sunday August 2nd, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of California, 55 kilometers (34 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 63 kilometer south of Heroica Guaymas in Sonora. 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: | Aug 2, 2026 06:10 (Hermosillo Time) - Aug 2, 2026 13:10 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 63 km south of Heroica Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. Coordinates 27°22'25"N 111°3'39"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 . |
| 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Mexico . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Heroica Guaymas in Sonora, Mexico. Heroica Guaymas is located 63 kilometer (39 mi) south of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Hermosillo is located 192 km to the north. Ciudad Obregón is located 111 km to the east. Heroica Guaymas is located 63 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 63 km (39 mi) N from epicenter |
Heroica Guaymas Sonora, Mexico. |
| 70 km (43 mi) N from epicenter |
Empalme Sonora, Mexico. |
| 111 km (69 mi) E from epicenter |
Ciudad Obregón Sonora, Mexico. |
| 114 km (71 mi) E from epicenter |
Esperanza Sonora, Mexico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) SE from epicenter |
Huatabampo Sonora, Mexico. |
| 163 km (101 mi) E from epicenter |
Navojoa Sonora, Mexico. |
| 168 km (104 mi) N from epicenter |
Miguel Alemán (La Doce) Sonora, Mexico. |
| 192 km (119 mi) N from epicenter |
Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico. |
| 267 km (166 mi) S from epicenter |
Ciudad Constitución Baja California Sur, Mexico. |
| 270 km (168 mi) SE from epicenter |
Los Mochis Sinaloa, Mexico. |
| 286 km (178 mi) SE from epicenter |
Juan José Ríos Sinaloa, Mexico. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 7th, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 102 km (63 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on January 19th, 2018.
In total, 14 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 9 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
| 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 03/08/26 00:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000thm1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260802_0000226
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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