Mexico experiences seismic swarm with magnitude 5.0 quake off Chiapas coast

On Friday, July 31, the National Seismological Service (Servicio Sismológico Nacional) recorded dozens of tremors along Mexico’s Pacific coast. The strongest event was a magnitude 5.0 quake at 10:15 a.m., epicentered 165 km southwest of Mapastepec in Chiapas at a depth of 10 km. Minutes earlier, quakes of magnitude 4.7, 4.5 and 4.3 were reported, confirming an active seismic swarm in the region.

Additional moderate shocks of magnitude 4.2, 4.1 and 4.0 occurred near Ciudad Hidalgo, Pijijiapan and Mapastepec, all in the subduction zone where the Cocos and North American plates interact. Smaller tremors were felt in Jalisco (3.5 M, 60 km southwest of Cihuatlán), Guerrero (4.4 M near Coyuca de Benítez), Oaxaca (up to 3.8 M near Juchitán, Salina Cruz, Unión Hidalgo and Pinotepa Nacional) and Baja California (3.5 M near Santa Isabel). No material damage, injuries, or tsunami alerts have been reported, and authorities continue to monitor the activity.