M7.2 earthquake near La Orilla, Michoacán

What happened

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 46 km WNW of El Habillal, Mexico on 11 Jan 1997, 20:28 UTC at a depth of 33 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is La Orilla, about 61 km away in Michoacán, Mexico.