6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Southern Mexico, no tsunami threat

A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico on Friday, January 2, as per the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake occurred at approximately 1:58 p.m. local time, with its epicentre located about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) north-northwest of Rancho Viejo, in the state of Guerrero.

The USGS reported that the earthquake at depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles). Till now, there’s no tsunami threat issues following the quake.

The earthquake was the largest recorded near Rancho Viejo in the past year and the only quake reported in the area over the past 30 days, according to EarthquakeTrack.com.

In the past year, Mexico has experienced more than 1,000 earthquakes measuring 1.5 magnitude or greater over the past year.

Shortly, after the main quake, European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a 4.2 magnitude aftershock was recorded at 8:17 a.m. (local time), approximately 43 kilometres (27 miles) east of Acapulco de Juárez.

The aftershock was shallow, at the depth of 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) and was felt in the neighbouring areas of Guerrero. In Acapulco, Cuernavaca, and other nearby communities, light to moderate shaking was reported.