Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in MX
MX has catalogued 202 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 58th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.8.
MX ranks 58th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 10 M4+ events a year alongside 9 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 44% of those M6+ events fall in 1956 alone.
- 202
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 9
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.8
- Strongest
- ~10
- M4+ per year
The verdict
MX is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 202 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 9 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.8.
- 1956
- busiest year (4 major events)
- 6 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.4 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Haiti sits immediately above at 217 events and Mongolia sits immediately below at 196.
Where MX sits in the catalog
Rank 58th of 187 tracked countries (69th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Haiti sits immediately above at 217 events and Mongolia sits immediately below at 196.
MX's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
202 Top 31% higher than 69% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
How MX compares to its nearest peers
MX ranks in the 69th percentile for M4+ frequency among all 187 tracked countries. Plotted here against its 20 nearest-ranked peers by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude).
Read the chart (all 21 values)
| Country | M4+ events | Strongest magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | 368 | M6.0 |
| Yemen | 338 | M6.6 |
| Somalia | 332 | M5.8 |
| Australia | 285 | M6.6 |
| Albania | 273 | M6.4 |
| Honduras | 269 | M7.5 |
| Djibouti | 260 | M5.5 |
| Algeria | 245 | M6.0 |
| Mayotte | 232 | M5.9 |
| Haiti | 217 | M7.2 |
| MX (this page) | 202 | M5.8 |
| Mongolia | 196 | M6.7 |
| South Africa | 191 | M5.4 |
| Morocco | 187 | M6.8 |
| Iraq | 185 | M7.3 |
| Saint Helena | 184 | M6.0 |
| Romania | 183 | M5.6 |
| Kazakhstan | 174 | M6.1 |
| Azerbaijan | 169 | M5.6 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 161 | M6.8 |
| Guadeloupe | 152 | M6.5 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in MX by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1934
1934: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1940 1
1940: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1954 1
1954: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1956
1956: 4 major (M6+) events
4
- 1980 1
1980: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows MX's most active year for major earthquakes was 1956 (4 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 202 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 9 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for MX.
M6.0-6.9
9
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 9 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 6 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
9
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in MX
The 9 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 34km ENE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 9, 1956 |
| 6.5 | 120km ESE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 15, 1956 |
| 6.4 | 129km SE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 14, 1956 |
| 6.4 | 5km S of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Dec 31, 1934 |
| 6.3 | 24km SSE of Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Dec 30, 1934 |
| 6.3 | 5km SE of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Jun 9, 1980 |
| 6.2 | 66km ESE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 9, 1956 |
| 6.1 | 30km ENE of Ensenada, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Nov 12, 1954 |
| 6.0 | 126km S of Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Dec 7, 1940 |
Significant earthquake record (9 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in MX since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | 5km SE of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Jun 9, 1980 |
| 6.5 | 120km ESE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 15, 1956 |
| 6.4 | 129km SE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 14, 1956 |
| 6.2 | 66km ESE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 9, 1956 |
| 6.8 | 34km ENE of Maneadero, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Feb 9, 1956 |
| 6.1 | 30km ENE of Ensenada, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Nov 12, 1954 |
| 6.0 | 126km S of Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Dec 7, 1940 |
| 6.4 | 5km S of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Dec 31, 1934 |
| 6.3 | 24km SSE of Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX | 6.0 km | Dec 30, 1934 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A MX-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second MX-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in MX? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in MX? ▼
How seismically active is MX? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in MX? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About MX's figures
202 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.8 · average M4.4 · 9 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Feb 11, 2026. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What MX's numbers mean
MX ranks 58th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 10 M4+ earthquakes strike MX per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1956 was the busiest year on record with 4 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of MX's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M6.8. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-19.