Shallow M5.6 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean near Tapachula (Mexico) on Wednesday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 2nd, 2026. Last updated September 3rd, 2026.

In the North Pacific Ocean 97 kilometer from Tapachula, Mexico, a shallow and significant MAG-5.6 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Wednesday September 2nd, 2026. Around 8 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another country near the epicenter is Guatemala.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 71 kilometers (44 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 97 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:	Sep 2, 2026 06:28 (Mexico City Time) - Sep 2, 2026 12:28 Universal Time.
Location:	97 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°23'27"N 92°59'14"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 8 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 619,400 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 5.9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Guatemala , around 6.7 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In Mexico , around 1.7 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

Mexico and Guatemala are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico. Tapachula is located 97 kilometer (60 mi) southwest of the epicenter. 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 major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Guatemala City is located 268 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tapachula is located 97 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Tuxtla is located 264 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

9 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 9 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 72 km (45 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Before this earthquake struck, 18 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 18 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.4

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.

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.

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 August 18th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 25 km (15 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on September 8th, 2017.

In total, 44 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 3 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 03/09/26 05:28 (). 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 us7000tdmp
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260902_0000221
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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