A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was registered on Wednesday night southeast of Union Hidalgo (Oaxaca, Mexico). The earthquake, which occurred at 22:40 hours, was felt in Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Morelos, Mexico City and the State of Mexico.
Reporte especial sobre el sismo de M 5.8 ocurrido el día 1 de marzo de 2023 a las 22:40 horas (tiempo del centro de México), con epicentro a 47 km al sureste de Unión Hidalgo, Oaxaca:https://t.co/MIrbifr8jq
— Sismologico Nacional (@SismologicoMX) March 2, 2023
The earthquake had a depth of 98.4 km (61 miles) and was felt by local residents, who shared images of the tremor on social networks. Initially, the governor of Oaxaca reported that the earthquake had exceeded magnitude 6. For the moment, no casualties or major structural damage have been reported.
Ante el sismo de escala 6.2° con epicentro en Unión Hidalgo he girado indicaciones a la @CEPCO_GobOax y Gestión Integral de Riesgos, para implementar los protocolos de seguridad necesarios para verificar posibles afectaciones. Seguiremos informando.
— Salomón Jara Cruz (@salomonj) March 2, 2023
⚠️ Momento exacto cuando sacude el #sismo de 5.8 a Salinas Cruz, Oaxaca, #México 🇲🇽
pic.twitter.com/Tes0XEkukN— SéUno Noticias (@seunonoticias) March 2, 2023
Shortly after the earthquake, it was confirmed that there were no significant variations in the sea level, so the authorities have estimated that there shouldn´t be any maritime movements that could pose a danger to the population.
🚨⚠️De acuerdo con el boletín del Centro de Alerta de #Tsunamis de @SEMAR_mx tras el #Sismo de 5.8 en #Oaxaca, se confirma la ausencia de variaciones importantes en el nivel del mar, por lo que se estima que NO habrá peligro para la operación portuaria ni la poblacion. pic.twitter.com/xJVQVbUKVE
— Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil (@CNPC_MX) March 2, 2023
Area of high seismic activity
According to the National Seismological Service of Mexico, Oaxaca is one of the states with the highest seismicity in the Mexican Republic, registering approximately 25% of the earthquakes in the country. The origin of this seismicity is due to the convergent contact between two major tectonic plates where the Cocos plate subducts (moves) under the North American plate. The interaction between these two plates takes place along the Pacific coast from Chiapas to Jalisco.
On September 7, 2017, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurred in the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The earthquake caused serious damage in the isthmus region, mainly in towns such as Juchitán, leaving hundreds of people dead.
