October 9, 1995 Earthquake: Jalisco, Manzanillo, San Patricio Melaque, Mexico
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck Jalisco, Manzanillo, San Patricio Melaque, Mexico on October 9, 1995 at 15:35:53 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 50 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
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 9, 1995
- Time
- 15:35:53 UTC
- Place
- Jalisco, Manzanillo, San Patricio Melaque, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 19.055° N, 104.205° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 49; 50 with its tsunami and other effects
- Injuries
- 200
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 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.
On October 9, 1995, at 15:35 UT a magnitude 7.4 Ms earthquake occurred. At least 49 people were killed, 100 injured, nearly 1,000 homeless and extensive damage in the states of Colima and Jalisco. Most of the damage and casualties were in the Cihuatlan-Manzanillo area, Colima. Some damage also occurred in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan. Felt strongly at Mexico City. Felt by people in high-rise buildings as far as Dallas and Houston, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Landslides blocked roads
between Guadalajara and Manzanillo. A tsunami was generated with estimated runup heights of 200 to 500 cm in the Manzanillo area. Maximum wave heights (peak-to-trough) recorded at the following selected tide stations: 51 cm at Cabo San Lucas and 20 cm on Isla Socorro, Mexico; 100 cm on Hiva Oa, 30 cm on Nuku Hiva and 7 cm at Papeete, French Polynesia; 37 cm at Hilo, 34 cm at Kahului, 12 cm at Nawiliwili and 11 cm at Kawaihae, Hawaii; 37 cm at Pago Pago, American Samoa; 4 cm at Southport, Australia. Land subsidence of approximately 14 cm observed at the Manzanillo harbor. (reference #1053)
62 fatalities, 200 injuries. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 31, 1818, Morelos-Guerrero,mexico City,guadalajara
- March 25, 1806, Jalisco,oaxaca,michoacan, Mexico
- June 3, 1932, Near Coast of Jalisco, Mexico
- April 15, 1941, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico
- June 22, 1932, Central, Mexico
- December 27, 1568, Cocula,jalisco, Mexico
- January 30, 1973, S, Farias, Tecoman, Mexico
- January 22, 2003, Villa DE Alvarez, Colima, Tecoman, Jalisco, Mexico
- September 22, 2022, Mexico City, Michoacan
- September 19, 2022, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico
- January 11, 1997, Michoacan, Arteaga, Mexico
- November 14, 1573, Colima, Mexico
- July 14, 1739, Colima, Mexico
- March 2, 1896, Colima, Mexico
- August 16, 1711, Mexico City, Colima, Guadalajara
More
Significant earthquakes of 1995The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1995Recent 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 5423.