January 11, 1997 Earthquake: Michoacan, Arteaga, Mexico
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Michoacan, Arteaga, Mexico on January 11, 1997 at 20:28:26 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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
- January 11, 1997
- Time
- 20:28:26 UTC
- Place
- Michoacan, Arteaga, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 18.219° N, 102.756° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
One person killed and extensive damage in the Arteaga area. Felt strongly in much of Michoacan and at Mexico City. Also felt in Colima, Guerrero and Jalisco.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 19, 1985, Mexico City, Michoacan
- March 25, 1806, Jalisco,oaxaca,michoacan, Mexico
- May 31, 1818, Morelos-Guerrero,mexico City,guadalajara
- June 3, 1932, Near Coast of Jalisco, Mexico
- April 15, 1941, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico
- January 30, 1973, S, Farias, Tecoman, Mexico
- October 9, 1995, Jalisco, Manzanillo, San Patricio Melaque, Mexico
- January 22, 2003, Villa DE Alvarez, Colima, Tecoman, Jalisco, Mexico
- March 14, 1979, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 22, 1943, Paricutin Volcano Forms, Guerrero, Mexico
- September 22, 2022, Mexico City, Michoacan
- October 25, 1981, Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico
- September 19, 2022, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico
- June 7, 1911, Colima, Jalisco, Mexico City
- April 22, 2013, Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1997The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1997Recent 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 5444.