M4.8 Earthquake 5 km WSW of San Baltazar Guelavila, Mexico — September 16, 2021
2021-09-16 22:45:24 UTC (2021-09-16) · approx. 4:45 PM UTC-6 local
Felt by 12 people across nearby locations.
On September 16, 2021 at 22:45 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 5 km WSW of San Baltazar Guelavila, Mexico, at a depth of 42.9 km and coordinates 16.7685°, -96.3513°.
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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 12 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
-96.3513°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near San Baltazar Guelavila, Mexico?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 5 km WSW of San Baltazar Guelavila, Mexico on September 16, 2021 at 22:45 UTC had a depth of 42.9 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 16.7685°, -96.3513°, which is 5 km WSW of San Baltazar Guelavila, 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: us7000fbyp). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, September 16, 2021). M4.8 Earthquake 5 km WSW of San Baltazar Guelavila, Mexico — September 16, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000fbyp/