Mexico earthquakes

M8.0 earthquake 1985 Michoacan, Mexico Earthquake

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 1985 Michoacan, Mexico Earthquake on Thu, Sep 19, 1985, 7:17 AM CST (13:17 UTC), 28 km (17 mi) below the surface.

La Orilla forecast More in Mexico

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 8.0 (mw), great
Local time: Thu, Sep 19, 1985, 7:17 AM CST
UTC: 1985-09-19 13:17:47 UTC
Depth: 27.9 km (17.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 18.190° N, 102.533° W
Region: Mexico
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 33.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 22 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Mexico earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002jwe (also filed as choy19850919131747, gcmtm091985b, gcmt19850919131747, atlas19850919131747, iscgem516095). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC.