August 28, 1973 Earthquake: Veracruz, Mexico City
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Veracruz, Mexico City on August 28, 1973 at 09:50:40 UTC, 84 km below the surface. It killed 527 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 28, 1973
- Time
- 09:50:40 UTC
- Place
- Veracruz, Mexico City
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 84 km (52 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 18.270° N, 96.600° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 527
- Injuries
- 4,000
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 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.
More than 600 reported killed, thousands injured. Heavy damage in the states of Morelos, Puebla, and Veracruz where thousands were left homeless. Felt strongly at Mexico City. Depth 84 km. Mag. 7.2, (reference #45, #105)
539 deaths (reference #1051)
527 dead, more than 4,000 injured, losses in the millions resulting from the collapse of houses and buildings. (reference #13997)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 3, 1920, Patlanala, Cozautlan, Puebla, Veracruz, Mexico
- October 24, 1980, S, Huajapan DE Leon, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 26, 1937, Esperanza, Veracruz, Central, Puebla, Mexico
- June 15, 1999, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Morelos, Guerrero, Mexico
- July 19, 1882, Puebla,huahuapan,huamuxtitlan,xalpatlahuac, Mexico
- July 29, 2014, Oaxaca, Mexico
- January 30, 2002, San Andres Tuxtla, Tuxtepec, Veracruz, Mexico
- April 16, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- 1523, Veracruz, Mexico
- March 15, 1604, Oaxaca, Mexico
- January 8, 1608, Oaxaca, Mexico
- February 13, 1620, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1662, Oaxaca, Mexico
- March 19, 1682, Oaxaca,mexico City
- May 15, 1714, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1973The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1973Recent 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 4642.