M5.3 Earthquake 24 km WSW of La Placita de Morelos, Mexico — September 19, 2022
2022-09-19 19:30:39 UTC (2022-09-19) · approx. 12:30 PM UTC-7 local
Felt by 10 people across nearby locations.
On September 19, 2022 at 19:30 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 24 km WSW of La Placita de Morelos, Mexico, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 18.4778°, -103.8147°. This earthquake was detected by 118 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 437, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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 10 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
-103.8147°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near La Placita de Morelos, Mexico?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 24 km WSW of La Placita de Morelos, Mexico on September 19, 2022 at 19:30 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.4778°, -103.8147°, which is 24 km WSW of La Placita de Morelos, Mexico. View all earthquakes in Mexico.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000i9cl). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, September 19, 2022). M5.3 Earthquake 24 km WSW of La Placita de Morelos, Mexico — September 19, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000i9cl/