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6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Mexico

Image of an interactive map of the 6.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Mexico Sunday June 18 2023. (Screenshot courtesy of USGS.)

Image of an interactive map of the 6.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Mexico Sunday June 18 2023. (Screenshot courtesy of USGS.)

John Oyewale Contributor
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A strong earthquake struck Sunday off the coast of Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake, detected with a magnitude of 6.4, struck at 4:30 p.m. EST (UTC-04:00), with its epicenter in the Gulf of California, 105 km east-southeast of La Rivera, Mexico, according to the USGS Interactive Map. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System, however, recorded the magnitude as 6.6.

The fault waves of the earthquake then struck the resort cities of San José del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas and La Paz on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Sur and the coastal cities of Sinaloa, one of the states of Mexico. The intensity or shaking effect at the epicenter was measured at 7.5 but the fault waves reduced in intensity to somewhere between 3.5 and 4.0 as they struck the coasts of Baja California and Sinaloa, according to the map.

There was no tsunami warning, advisory, watch or threat to watch out for, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System. (RELATED: Earthquake Rumbles Through Major US State)

Residents of the two affected coastal Mexican states were likely to have felt some rocking sensations or vibrations from within cars or houses although there might not have been any structural damage given the light intensity, according to the USGS evaluation of earthquake effects.

In addition, some might not have realized an earthquake struck, according to the evaluation. Nonetheless, a few residents have contributed Did-You-Feel-It? (DYFI?) responses to the USGS website, confirming the earthquake. At least two responses came from Los Angeles and Santa Clarita in California. The responses, however, have not been confirmed by scientists, per the USGS.

There have been a few recent related occurrences. A mild 3.3 magnitude earthquake was reported at about 11:15 p.m. June 4 in the northern Gulf of Mexico, southeast of Venice, Louisiana, according to a WKRG news report. It was a rare occurrence as there are no tectonic plates or fault lines in the area, per the report. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake had also shaken parts of southern Mexico the night of April 18, according to Reuters.