U.S. Geological Survey – Artifex.News

7.3-magnitude quake hits Mexico-Guatemala border; no immediate damage reported

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:21:00 +0000

Representational image of a seismograph recording an earthquake.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday (July 17, 2026), right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador.

Authorities have not immediately reported any severe damage or casualties in any country.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 with epicentre 48 kilometres southwest of Aquiles Serdan, near the coast of Chiapas and at a depth of 15 kilometers. It was preceded by a smaller quake with epicentre a bit further out in the ocean.

In the town of Suchiate, located along the river that separates Mexico from Guatemala, coastal areas are being monitored for risk of a tsunami, according to Mayor Elmer Vázquez Gallardo.

In Tapachula, the main city on Mexico’s southern border, the tremor began mildly but gradually intensified.

“We were upstairs on the second floor when it started shaking; we thought it would pass, but then it got stronger, so we all went downstairs and evacuated in an orderly manner to the front courtyard,” Alejandra Mendoza, an administrative employee at a public hospital in the city, explained to The Associated Press.

In Guatemala City, the earthquake frightened residents because of how long it lasted. Many people poured into the streets in the middle of rush hour as the workday was beginning.

In the Mexican capital, where buildings in certain areas creaked and shook, the earthquake alert did not sound because, as the government explained, “the energy radiated by the earthquake during the first few seconds did not exceed the activation thresholds.”

Published – July 17, 2026 10:51 pm IST

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Earthquake of magnitude 7.4 strikes north Chile near Argentine border; no reports of major damage

admin — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 05:14:50 +0000

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit northern Chile near its border with Argentina late on July 18, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damages.

The quake’s epicenter was 45 kilometers (28 miles) east-southeast of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, and it had a depth of 117 kilometers, according to the USGS.

President Gabriel Boric wrote on social platform X that according to preliminary information there were “no reports of injuries or serious damages.” The quake did not activate a tsunami alarm.

Boric later said that some rocks had comes loose and rolled onto the highway connecting the cities of Calama to Tocopilla, east of the epicenter, and there power outages in San Pedro de Atacama. He said authorities were still collecting information.

Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service said the earthquake was felt, with different intensities, in several regions of the country including Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Arica and Parinacota.

Chile is located in the so-called “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific and experiences frequent earthquakes. In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami claimed 526 lives.

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Japan lifts a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake hit near its outlying islands

admin — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 06:23:41 +0000

An aerial view shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. File photo
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Japan issued a tsunami advisory Thursday. October 5, 2023, after a strong earthquake struck near its outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, but lifted it about two hours later. No damage was reported.

The advisory, the second-lowest of a four-stage warning system, asked people on islands in the Izu chain, which stretches south from the Tokyo region, to stay away from the coast and river mouths.

The U.S. Geological Survey said a series of offshore earthquakes hit the area on Thursday morning. The strongest measured magnitude 6.1 and was located at a depth of 10 km, it said.

The quake was not felt on the islands or in the Tokyo region, but the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that a tsunami as high as 1 meter (3.2 feet) could hit the coasts of the islands. A small tsunami measuring about 30 centimeters (1 foot) was observed at Yaene on Hachijo island, the agency said.

No damage was reported and the agency lifted the tsunami advisory about two hours later.

Japan is one of the most earthquake prone places on Earth.

A massive magnitude 9.0 quake in 2011 triggered a tsunami that destroyed swaths of northern Japan and caused three reactors to melt at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

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