June 17, 1928 Earthquake: Oaxaca, Mexico
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Oaxaca, Mexico on June 17, 1928 at 03:19:33 UTC, 35 km below the surface. It killed 4 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- June 17, 1928
- Time
- 03:19:33 UTC
- Place
- Oaxaca, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 35 km (22 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 16.028° N, 97.036° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1928, June 17 03:19:27 UTC. 16.25 N, 98 W, M=7.8. There was a very strong earthquake in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Pueblo, Tlaxcala, Mexico, Michoacan, Veracruz, Hidalgo and partly in the state of Tabasco. The destruction covered a vast area, including Oaxaca, which had just been rebuilt after the last earthquake. Four persons died. Many recurrent shocks were felt during June. A tsunami arose. (reference #415)
1928, June 17 03:19:27 UTC. 16.3 N, 98 W, shallow depth, magnitude 7.9. (reference #88)
1928, June 17. 16 deg 13 min N, 97 deg 11 min W, depth 32 km, magnitude 7.5. (reference #1234)
1928, June 16, 3:20 [local time]. 16.3 N, 96.7 W, magnitude 7.8. (reference #369)
1928, June 17 03:19:33.05 UTC. 16.028 N, 97.036 W, depth 35 km, 7.7 Mw P&S. (reference #9910)
1928, June 17 03:19:34.43 UTC. 16.182 N, 96.585 W, depth 20 km, magnitude, 7.9 Mw. (reference #10476)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 30, 1999, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 11, 1870, Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
- August 2, 1968, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 16, 2018, Oaxaca, Mexico
- March 28, 1787, San Marcos, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- November 29, 1978, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1982, Guererro, Orziba, Oaxaca, Guadalupe, Mexico
- October 5, 1801, Oaxaca, Mexico
- August 23, 1965, Mexico City, Oaxaca
- May 5, 1854, Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
- December 23, 1937, Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
- September 14, 1995, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City
- March 20, 2012, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 9, 1951, Miahiatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1928The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1928Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3371.