M5.0 Earthquake 12 km W of El Coyul, Mexico — December 6, 2021
2021-12-06 00:20:03 UTC (2021-12-06) · approx. 6:20 PM UTC-6 local
Felt by 29 people across nearby locations.
On December 6, 2021 at 00:20 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 12 km W of El Coyul, Mexico, at a depth of 13.4 km and coordinates 15.9284°, -95.9230°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 29 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-95.9230°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near El Coyul, Mexico?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 12 km W of El Coyul, Mexico on December 6, 2021 at 00:20 UTC had a depth of 13.4 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 15.9284°, -95.9230°, which is 12 km W of El Coyul, Mexico. View all earthquakes in Mexico.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000g9d3). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 6, 2021). M5.0 Earthquake 12 km W of El Coyul, Mexico — December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000g9d3/