M1.8 Earthquake near Progreso, B.C., Mexico — 16 September 2025, 03:59 UTC
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.8 was recorded near Progreso, B.C., Mexico on , with an epicentre 16 km west-northwest of Progreso, B.C., at a focal depth of 6.0 km. It ranked as the 35th strongest of 51 earthquakes recorded in Mexico in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2025-09-16 03:59:17
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.8 (micro)
Focal depth: 6.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 32.6435, -115.7340
Location: 16 km WNW of Progreso, B.C., MX
Country: Mexico
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Automatic
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs.
A magnitude 1.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.8 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 50, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 20:16 local solar time at the epicentre, in the evening.
This event was shallower than 79% of the 1,065 earthquakes recorded in Mexico in our catalogue and stronger than 30% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 32.6435, -115.7340 — 16 km west-northwest of Progreso, B.C.. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 0.9 earthquake 32 km west-northwest of here on 07 October 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Aguanga (141 km northwest), Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C. (142 km south-southeast) and Adelanto (266 km northwest).
Why the 6 km depth matters
At 6 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
201 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.3.
22 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near San Diego Country Estates on 14 April 2025. This M1.8 event released about 1.9 million times less energy than that event.
3880 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 371 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the September 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Mexico during September 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M0.9 earthquake near Ocotillo, United States — (32 km WNW)
- M0.8 earthquake near Ocotillo, United States — (39 km NW)
- M1.9 earthquake near Brawley, United States — (41 km NNE)
- M0.9 earthquake near Pine Valley, United States — (59 km WNW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Pine Valley, United States — (62 km WNW)
- M1.7 earthquake near Ocotillo Wells, United States — (80 km NW)
- M2.0 earthquake near Salton City, United States — (83 km NNW)
- M0.6 earthquake near Oasis, United States — (90 km NNW)
- M1.1 earthquake near Borrego Springs, United States — (91 km NW)
- M1.4 earthquake near Borrego Springs, United States — (105 km NW)
Other recent earthquakes in Mexico
- M4.9 earthquake near El Arenal, Mexico —
- M2.7 earthquake near Primo Tapia, B.C., Mexico —
- M4.5 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico —
- M2.1 earthquake near Puebla, B.C., Mexico —
- M1.3 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., Mexico —
- M4.8 earthquake near El Colomo, Mexico —
- M1.3 earthquake near Tecate, B.C., Mexico —
- M4.1 earthquake near Buenos Aires, Mexico —
- M4.2 earthquake near Plan de Ayala, Mexico —
- M4.4 earthquake near La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico —
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Salton City, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Ocotillo Wells, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Klukwan, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Kasilof, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Enterprise, United States —
- M2.0 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Progreso, B.C.?
It measured magnitude 1.8 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 1.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.8 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Progreso, B.C.?
The focus was 6 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Progreso, B.C. earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 1.8 and a focal depth of 6 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Progreso, B.C. happen?
16 September 2025 at 03:59 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
201 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.3.
How often do earthquakes happen near Progreso, B.C.?
22 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near San Diego Country Estates on 14 April 2025. This M1.8 event released about 1.9 million times less energy than that event.