September 30, 1999 Earthquake: Oaxaca, Mexico
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Oaxaca, Mexico on September 30, 1999 at 16:31:15 UTC, 61 km below the surface. It killed 35 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
- September 30, 1999
- Time
- 16:31:15 UTC
- Place
- Oaxaca, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 61 km (38 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 16.059° N, 96.931° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 35
- Injuries
- 215
- Damage
- $164.8 million
- Houses damaged
- 2,000
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.
At least 33 people killed, 215 injured, thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed, utilities disrupted and roads blocked by landslides in the state of Oaxaca. Maximum intensity (VIII) in southwestern Oaxaca. One person killed and minor damage to some buildings at Mexico City. One person killed at Cordoba, Veracruz. Minor damage in the states of
Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz. Felt from
the state of San Luis Potosi to Guatemala. (reference #1053)
31 killed, $164.8 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 11, 1870, Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
- August 2, 1968, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 16, 2018, Oaxaca, Mexico
- March 28, 1787, San Marcos, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- November 29, 1978, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1982, Guererro, Orziba, Oaxaca, Guadalupe, Mexico
- October 5, 1801, Oaxaca, Mexico
- August 23, 1965, Mexico City, Oaxaca
- June 17, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 5, 1854, Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
- December 23, 1937, Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
- September 14, 1995, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City
- March 20, 2012, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 9, 1951, Miahiatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1999The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1999Recent 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 5537.