Strong and shallow M6.1 earthquake hits off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico at 08:46 UTC (01:46 LT) on May 22, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 30 km (18.6 miles).
The epicenter was located 171 km (106 miles) ESE of La Playa (population 1 417) and 173 km (107 miles) ESE of San Jose del Cabo (69 788), Mexico.
There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles).
404 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking and 434 000 weak.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and adobe block with concrete bond beam construction.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
