Strong M6.5 earthquake hits Guerrero, Mexico
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 struck Guerrero, Mexico, at 13:58 UTC (07:58 LT) on January 2, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Green alert for economic losses.
Epicenter of M6.5 earthquake in Guerrero, Mexico on January 2, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 4.3 km (2.7 miles) NNW of Rancho Viejo (population 1 119), 15 km (9.2 miles) NE of San Marcos (population 13 282), 23 km (14 miles) WSW of Ayutla de los Libres (population 15 370), 28 km (17 miles) NW of Cruz Grande (population 11 783), and 75 km (47 miles) SSE of Chilpancingo (population 187 251), Guerrero, Mexico.
240 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 967 000 moderate, 3 598 000 light, and 937 000 weak.
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Green alert for economic losses. Some casualties are possible, and the impact should be relatively localized.
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.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards, such as landslides, that might have contributed to losses.
Liquefaction triggered by this earthquake is estimated to be limited in severity and (or) spatial extent. Little or no landsliding is expected, though some small slides may have occurred in highly susceptible areas.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.5 earthquake Guerrero, Mexico – USGS – January 2, 2026
2 M6.5 earthquake Guerrero, Mexico – EMSC – January 2, 2026
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.
