August 23, 1965 Earthquake: Mexico City, Oaxaca
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Mexico City, Oaxaca on August 23, 1965 at 19:46:02 UTC, 28 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
- August 23, 1965
- Time
- 19:46:02 UTC
- Place
- Mexico City, Oaxaca
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 28 km (17 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 16.300° N, 95.800° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 6
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
August 23, 1965, 19:46:02.8 UTC. Epicenter 16.3 N, 95.8 W, Oaxaca, Mexico, magnitude 7.25, depth about 20 km. This shock was felt through southern Mexico and left five persons dead in Mexico City and one in Oaxaca. Slight structural damage was reported from both cities and telephone and electric services were disrupted. (reference #45)
August 23, 1965, 19:46:02.9 UTC, 16.3 N, 95.8 W, depth 28 km, magnitude 6.6 mb, 7.8 MS, Mexico. (reference #1229)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 30, 1999, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 11, 1870, Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- November 29, 1978, Oaxaca, Mexico
- October 5, 1801, Oaxaca, Mexico
- September 23, 2017, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 17, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 9, 1951, Miahiatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 29, 2014, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 25, 2022, Oaxaca, Mexico
- January 24, 1983, Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico
- February 3, 1998, Oaxaca, San Agustin, San Francisco, Mexico
- March 22, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- March 27, 1872, Oaxaca,mexico City
- November 12, 1942, Juchitan, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1965The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1965Recent 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 4356.