Chain of small earthquakes felt in central & southern Mexico

An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 4.9 was recorded early Wednesday morning on the coast of the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, according to a report by the United States Geological Survey.

The light quake was located 50 kilometers south-southeast of San Mateo del Mar and had a depth of 42.9 kilometers, according to the report.

No immediate significant damage or serious injuries were reported.

This earthquake happened after a chain of quakes occurred in Mexico City, in the center of the country, that were of low magnitude and duration.

The largest of those quakes was a magnitude 2.9, according to the USGS, felt on Tuesday night just northwest of Mexico City.

The head of the Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Twitter that the earthquake had been noticeable in several areas of the city but that no damage was initially reported.

The National Seismological Service of Mexico reported at least five more earthquakes in the same area, between 2.2 and 2.7.

These earthquakes are added to a series of eight earthquakes that have been registered in the municipalities of Miguel Hidalgo and lvaro Obregn in Mexico City since July 12, according to a report from the National Seismological Service.

The magnitudes of those earlier earthquakes ranged from 2.0 to 2.9.

“Although the magnitudes of the earthquakes are low, they were felt in several areas of Mexico City due to the proximity to the place of the epicenter and its shallow depth,” said the SSN.

In its report, the SSN indicated that Mexico City is located on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which runs from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

“In general, the seismic activity of the Basin of Mexico and its vicinity is small and of small magnitude, but there are several earthquakes recorded per year,” the report said.

Regarding the origin of earthquakes in this region, the report indicated several possibilities, including those generated by the reactivation of old faults.

“The Basin of Mexico has a complex geology and tectonics,” the report said, “so it is not surprising to see the occurrence of small magnitude earthquakes in the area.”

The earthquakes registered Tuesday night in Mexico City did not sound the seismic alerts, which generated questions among the public on social networks.

SkyAlert, a Mexican company dedicated to the development of seismic alert technologies, according to its website, said on Twitter that seismic alerts do not sound in these type of earthquakes because the epicenters are located below the homes in the city and the time to alert is zero, in addition to the quakes being of very low duration and intensity.