October 25, 1981 Earthquake: Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico on October 25, 1981 at 03:22:15 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 3 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
- October 25, 1981
- Time
- 03:22:15 UTC
- Place
- Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 18.048° N, 102.084° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 28
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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.
The earthquake of magnitude Ms=7.3 occurred in the central part of the Michoacan gap (17.75"N. 102.25'W), near Playa Azul and Lazaro Cardenas, Mich. At Mexico City some buildings were damaged. Thousand of people were trapped in the "Metro" subway. Three people died, and 28 were injured. The tidal gauge station of Acapulco registered evidence of a small tsunami with a maximum height of 0.09 m (Fig. 65 in the Appendix I). (reference #369)
One person killed, 11 injured and damage at Mexico City; two people killed, 17 injured and extensive damage in Michoacan. Felt throughout southern Mexico. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 19, 1985, Mexico City, Michoacan
- April 15, 1941, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico
- July 6, 1964, Guerrero, Mexico
- January 30, 1973, S, Farias, Tecoman, Mexico
- March 14, 1979, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 22, 1943, Paricutin Volcano Forms, Guerrero, Mexico
- September 22, 2022, Mexico City, Michoacan
- September 19, 2022, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico
- January 11, 1997, Michoacan, Arteaga, Mexico
- April 22, 2013, Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico
- September 21, 1985, Mexico City, SW Coast
- June 7, 1911, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico City
- June 21, 1999, Cuitzeo, Coahuayutla, Michoacan, Guerrero, Mexico
- January 1, 2004, Guerrero, Mexico City
- April 18, 2014, Guerrero, Mexico City
More
Significant earthquakes of 1981The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1981Recent 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 4932.