M6.9 earthquake near Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca

What happened

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 4 km ENE of El Ciruelo, Mexico on 19 Jul 1997, 14:22 UTC at a depth of 33 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Pinotepa Nacional, about 17 km away in Oaxaca, Mexico.