Tuesday, May 6, 2025

3 ‘micro-quakes’ registered in Mexico City

Three brief earthquakes shook Mexico City late Tuesday morning causing residents to quickly evacuate buildings, though no seismic alarm sounded.

Over the course of three minutes, three “micro-quakes” occurred with epicenters in the city’s southwest borough of Álvaro Obregón, beginning at 11:06 a.m. local time. The first quake registered a magnitude of 2.8, followed one minute later by a 3.0-magnitude quake at 11:07, and a third with a magnitude of 2.4 at 11:08.

The earthquakes were felt in the boroughs surrounding Álvaro Obregón, including Benito Juárez and Cuauhtémoc. (Juan Pablo Zamora/Cuartoscuro)

“An earthquake has been detected in Mexico City; at this moment we are establishing communications with the risk management and civil protection units of the boroughs. Information coming soon,” Myriam Urzua Venegas, Mexico City’s Integral Risk Management and Civil Protection minister, posted on X (formerly Twitter) at 11:09 a.m.

While residents waited for further information, social media was flooded with memes connecting the seismic activity with the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which draws millions of faithful to the capital every year on Dec. 12.

Tuesday’s “micro-quakes” are the second (third and fourth) earthquakes to be felt in Mexico City in less than a week. On Thursday, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck the area of Chiautla de Tapia, Puebla, triggering the seismic alert system in the Valley of Mexico. 

Upon confirming that the quakes originated within city limits, Mexico City’s Center of Control, Command, Communication, Computer and Quality (C5) posted a short video on X explaining that when earthquake epicenters are located within a close range of the capital, the seismic alarm is not triggered.

“In the case of earthquakes that occur inside the Valley of Mexico, it is impossible to establish an opportune warning,” Juan Manuel García Ortegón, head of the C5, says in the video.

At the time of publication, no material damages had been reported following the earthquakes in the capital.

With reports from El Universal

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Protesters demanding freedom of expression in Mexico

Senate pauses problematic telecommunications reform amid censorship fears

4
The president has argued that the proposed legislation is needed to stop foreign governments from broadcasting propaganda in Mexico, but critics fear its wording opens the door to government censorship of the media.
Indigenous people seated

Historic decree to restore 2,471 hectares of ancestral land to Wixárika community

2
The return represents the largest ancestral land restitution to date, representing nearly one-quarter of the 10,448 hectares the Wixárika have claimed in Mexico.
Cerralvo Island

How did an island in the Gulf of California end up for sale on Mercado Libre?

2
Cerralvo Island, more than twice the size of Manhattan, was recently listed for sale on the e-commerce site Mercado Libre by KW Metropolitan, a brand of Texas-based Keller Williams.