Shallow M5.3 Earthquake struck on Saturday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean 135km from Tapachula (Mexico).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 6th, 2026.

In the evening of Saturday September 5th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 135 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, 109 kilometers (68 mi) off the coast of Mexico, 135 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 5, 2026 20:56 (Mexico City Time) - Sep 6, 2026 02:56 Universal Time.
Location:	135 km SW of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Coordinates 14°9'18"N 93°14'55"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 49 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
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 Tapachula in Chiapas, Mexico. Tapachula is located 135 kilometer (84 mi) southwest of the epicenter.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Guatemala City is located 300 km to the east. Tuxtla is located 290 km to the north. Mixco is located 289 km to the east.

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

Overview of nearby places

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 13 km (8 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 52 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.4

In the days before this main shock, 18 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.

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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 2nd, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 38 km (24 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on September 8th, 2017.

In total, 114 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 06/09/26 10:18 (). 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 us7000tem2
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260906_0000032
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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