The 2017 Chiapas earthquake was the strongest to hit Mexico in a century and the largest earthquake recorded globally that year.
Key Facts
- Moment Magnitude
- 8.2 Mw
- Mercalli Intensity
- IX (Violent)
- Epicenter Distance from Pijijiapan
- ~87 km southwest
- Tsunami Wave Height
- 1.75 metres above tide level m
- Largest earthquake since
- 2015 Illapel earthquake
- Second strongest in Mexico's history
- Behind Mw 8.6 earthquake of 1787
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake originated in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, a seismically active subduction zone off Mexico's southern coast where the Cocos Plate descends beneath the North American Plate. This tectonic setting has historically generated large-magnitude earthquakes in the region.
At 23:49 CDT on 7 September 2017, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck approximately 87 kilometres southwest of Pijijiapan, Chiapas. Tremors were felt across much of Mexico, including Mexico City, where early warning systems triggered mass evacuations. The event was the largest earthquake recorded worldwide in 2017.
The earthquake generated a tsunami with waves reaching 1.75 metres above tide level, prompting alerts across surrounding coastal areas. It was described by Mexico's president as the strongest quake in the country in a century, and caused widespread damage across southern Mexico, particularly in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca.