4.8

M4.8 Earthquake 6 km ENE of Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico — July 9, 2021

2021-07-09 21:07:35 UTC (2021-07-09) · approx. 3:07 PM UTC-6 local

Felt by 5 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.8(mb)
Time21:07 UTC≈ 3:07 PM UTC-6
Depth70.5 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates17.117°, -96.001°
Felt by5DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On July 9, 2021 at 21:07 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 intermediate depth earthquake struck 6 km ENE of Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico, at a depth of 70.5 km and coordinates 17.1167°, -96.0012°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Mexico, a region characterized by the Middle America Trench, where the Cocos Plate subducts beneath the North American Plate. The nearest mapped fault system is the Middle America Trench. View all earthquakes in Mexico.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 17.12°, -96.00°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 5 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M4.8 earthquake near 6 km ENE of Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.8 mb
Depth
70.5 km
intermediate depth
Location
17.1167°N
-96.0012°E
Felt Reports
5
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
4.4
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000etw2
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
357
Azimuthal Gap
144.0°
Min Station Distance
1.068°
RMS Residual
0.77 sec
Last Updated
2021-09-17 22:49:07 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico?

The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 6 km ENE of Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico on July 9, 2021 at 21:07 UTC had a depth of 70.5 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 17.1167°, -96.0012°, which is 6 km ENE of Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico. View all earthquakes in Mexico.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.

Has Mexico had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Mexico was the M8.1 Chiapas earthquake of September 8, 2017. Today's magnitude 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000etw2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, July 9, 2021). M4.8 Earthquake 6 km ENE of Tlahuitoltepec, Mexico — July 9, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000etw2/