EMSC · September 26, 2026

Magnitude 3.6 earthquake near Acapulco de Juárez, Mexico

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was recorded near 5 km ENE of El Espinalillo, Mexico on Sep 26, 2026, 03:28 PM (local time at the epicentre — CST, UTC-6), at a depth of about 5.0 km, according to EMSC.

EMSCShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-27 03:18 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 3.6 · m
Location
5 km ENE of El Espinalillo, Mexico
Local time at the epicentre
Sep 26, 2026, 03:28 PM — CST, UTC-6
Time (UTC)
2026-09-26 21:28 UTC
Depth
5.0 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
16.971, -100.167
Felt reports
No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Review status
Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog
EMSC (Centro Sismológico Euromediterráneo)

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Who lives nearby

About 52,348 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 1,178,938 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
El Espinalillo4.5 km ENE1,051
Las Lomas7.8 km E1,303
Coyuca de Benítez9.5 km ENE13,566
Los Mogotes10.2 km ESE1,284
El Papayo11.1 km NW2,247
Aguas Blancas13.2 km ENE2,292
Cayaco13.7 km NW1,242
Colonia Luces en el Mar17.0 km ESE1,200
Yetla17.6 km E1,363
El Embarcadero17.6 km E1,370

Earthquake history in this area

12 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5+ have been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in Mexico.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

27 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 5 km ENE of El Espinalillo, Mexico

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 5 km ENE of El Espinalillo, Mexico earthquake?

Magnitude 3.6 (m), at a depth of 5.0 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Sep 26, 2026, 03:28 PM (local time at the epicentre — CST, UTC-6). In universal time: 2026-09-26 21:28 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is El Espinalillo, 4.5 km ENE (population 1,051).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

Yes. The largest earthquake recorded within 200 km since 1960 was magnitude 7.6 (12 km SSE of Vallecitos de Zaragoza, Mexico, 1979), and 27 further events were recorded within 100 km in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.