2026 Guerrero earthquake
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (January 2026) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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.jpg) USGS ShakeMap | |
   Mexico City | |
| UTC time | 2026-01-02 13:58:18 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 644893809 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 2 January 2026 |
| Local time | 07:58:18 Zona Centro (UTC-6) |
| Duration | c.33 seconds[1] |
| Magnitude | Mw 6.5 |
| Depth | 35.0 km (21.7 mi) |
| Epicenter | 16°54′07″N 99°18′11″W / 16.902°N 99.303°W |
| Areas affected | Guerrero, Morelos and Mexico City, Mexico |
| Max. intensity | MMI VI (Strong) |
| Tsunami | None |
| Aftershocks | 2,144+ recorded Strongest: Two mb 4.5 events[2][3] |
| Casualties | 2 deaths, 24 injuries |
On 2 January 2026, at 07:58:18 local time (13:58:18 UTC), a Mw 6.5 earthquake struck near San Marcos in the Mexican state of Guerrero.[4] The earthquake occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 mi).[4][5] Two people were killed, twenty-four others were injured and hundreds of buildings were damaged as a result of the earthquake.[6]
Tectonic setting
[edit]Mexico is one of the most seismically active regions in the world; located at the boundary of at least three tectonic plates. The west coast of Mexico lies at a convergent plate boundary between the Cocos plate and North American plate. The Cocos plate consists of denser oceanic lithosphere, subducts beneath the less dense continental crust of the North American plate. Most of the Mexican landmass is situated on the North American plate moving westward. Because the oceanic crust is relatively dense, when the bottom of the Pacific Ocean meets the lighter continental crust of the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor subducts beneath the North American plate creating the Middle America Trench along the southern coast of Mexico. Occasionally, the contact interface or subduction zone megathrust releases elastic strain during earthquakes. Large and sudden uplift of the seafloor can produce large tsunamis when such earthquakes occur.[7]
Earthquake
[edit]The earthquake was strongly felt in Oaxaca and Veracruz, and was also lightly and moderately felt in Puebla, Jalisco, Tabasco, Colima, Hidalgo and Michoacán.[8] By 4 January, 2,144 aftershocks were recorded.[9]
Impact
[edit]A 56-year old woman was killed when her house collapsed,[10] 12 people were hospitalized[9] and damage occurred at 16 municipalities in Guerrero, where 740 homes were damaged, of which 70 of them collapsed in San Marcos alone.[11][12] In Acapulco, some hotels and Acapulco International Airport suffered damage.[10] At least 29 gas leaks and 24 landslides occurred in the city and in Chilpancingo.[9] Minor damage was also reported at Mexico City International Airport and a hospital. In Mexico City, a 67-year-old man was killed in Benito Juárez after he fell while evacuating his second-floor apartment. Twelve people were injured, five utility poles and four trees were downed and power outages lasting hours occurred in the city.[10] Two structures were assessed for potential collapse, and inspections were underway at 34 buildings and five homes. Additionally, a fault at an electrical substation caused a fire in a building in the city center.[13][14] Hundreds of people were evacuated, including people at President Claudia Sheinbaum's first press briefing of the year.[15] Houses were also damaged in Morelos.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sismo de 6,5 sacude el sur y centro de México. Se reportan dos muertos" [A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck southern and central Mexico. Two deaths were reported.] (in Spanish). Associated Press. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ "M 4.5 - 3 km SSE of San Marcos, Mexico". USGS. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ "M 4.5 - 5 km NNW of Las Vigas, Mexico". USGS. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ a b "Earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 rattles southern and central Mexico". AP News. 2026-01-02. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ Perez, Kate. "Southern Mexico shaken by 6.5 magnitude earthquake". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ "Two people killed in magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Mexico". BBC News. 2026-01-03. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ Harley M. Benz; Richard L. Dart; Antonio Villaseñor; Gavin P. Hayes; Arthur C. Tarr; Kevin P. Furlong; Susan Rhea. "Seismicity of the Earth 1900–2010 Mexico and Vicinity" (Open-File Report 2010-1083-F). United States Geological Survey.
- ^ a b "Sismo de magnitud 6,5 con epicentro en Guerrero sacude varios estados de México; hay 1 muerto y 12 lesionados en la capital" [A magnitude 6.5 earthquake with its epicenter in Guerrero shook several Mexican states; there is 1 dead and 12 injured in the capital.] (in Spanish). CNN en Español. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Guerrero registra 2,144 réplicas luego del sismo de 6.5" (in Spanish). Enfoque Noticias. January 4, 2026. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Suman mil 71 réplicas del sismo de 6.5 ocurrido en San Marcos, Guerrero" [There have been 1,071 aftershocks following the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that struck San Marcos, Guerrero.] (in Spanish). Infobae. January 2, 2026.
- ^ "Alcalde de San Marcos, Guerrero, confirma un deceso y cinco heridos tras sismo de 6.5". El Sol de Acapulco (in Spanish). 2 January 2026. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "Sismo del 2 de enero deja afectaciones en al menos 24 municipios de Guerrero; San Marcos, el más dañado" [The January 2nd earthquake left damage in at least 24 municipalities in Guerrero; San Marcos was the most affected.] (in Spanish). El Universal. January 3, 2026. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ "Un terremoto de magnitud 6,5 sacude el centro y sur de México" [A magnitude 6.5 earthquake shakes central and southern Mexico] (in Spanish). BBC Mundo. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ^ "Un fuerte terremoto de magnitud 6,5 sacudió la Ciudad de México y el centro y sur del país". La Nación (in Spanish). 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ "Earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 rattles southern and central Mexico". CTV News. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
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