February 5, 1954 Earthquake: Chiapas, Mexico
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Chiapas, Mexico on February 5, 1954 at 15:18:04 UTC, 85 km below the surface. It killed 6 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
- February 5, 1954
- Time
- 15:18:04 UTC
- Place
- Chiapas, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 85 km (53 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 17.283° N, 92.382° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 6
- Damage
- $17 million
- Houses damaged
- Very many (over 1,000)
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.
1954 Feb 5, 15:18:02 UTC, 17.3 N 92.6 W, Magnitude 6.2, depth 100. In Mexico this shock of 5 February 1954 destroyed or badly damaged the towns of Yajalon, Tila, Patalarigo and Chilon in the state of Chiapas,’ “practically pulverising everything within a radius of 40 kilometres”; .at Yajalon most of the large buildings were destroyed; many people were killed at Patalarigo; at Chilon, 90 percent of the houses were damaged; the village of Tila was “virtually wiped off the map’". There were 6 dead, 5,000 homeless and damage estimated at $17 million; the disaster area is part of the rich coffee plantation zone of southern Mexico (“Seismological Notes”, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., Vol. 44, 1954, p. 192; Schulz, 1955). (reference #1040)
1954 Feb 5, 15:17:59 UTC, 17.5 N 92.5 W, Magnitude 6.25. Extensive property damage at Chilon, Petalcingo, Tila and Wajalon. Depth about 100km. (reference #45)
1954 Feb 5, 15:18:04.88 UTC, 17.283 N 92.382 W, Magnitude 6.08 Mw, depth 85 km. (reference #10476, version 9.0)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1954The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1954Recent 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 4039.