A magnitude 5.8 earthquake shakes Oaxaca, Mexico

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.

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.

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.

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.