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M2.0 Earthquake near Ensenada, Mexico — 17 December 2024

A micro earthquake of magnitude 2.0 was recorded near Ensenada, Mexico on , with an epicentre 38 km east-northeast of Ensenada, B.C., at a focal depth of 5.3 km. It ranked as the 30th strongest of 38 earthquakes recorded in Mexico in the preceding 30 days.

2.0 Micro

Time (UTC): 2024-12-17 20:53:57

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 2.0 (micro)

Focal depth: 5.3 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 31.9480, -116.2280

Location: 38 km ENE of Ensenada, B.C., MX

Country: Mexico

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

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 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 14 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 60, 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 13:09 local solar time at the epicentre, around midday.

This event was shallower than 84% of the 1,025 earthquakes recorded in Mexico in our catalogue and stronger than 36% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 31.9480, -116.2280 — 38 km east-northeast of Ensenada, B.C.. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.7 earthquake 13 km northwest of here on 07 September 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C. (99 km southeast) and Aguanga (175 km north-northwest).

Why the 5 km depth matters

At 5 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 M2.0 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

108 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.4.

21 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 M2.0 event released about 1.1 million times less energy than that event.

63 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 63 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 December 2024 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Mexico during December 2024. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Mexico

All recorded earthquakes in Mexico →

Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Ensenada?

It measured magnitude 2.0 — a micro earthquake. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 14 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Ensenada?

The focus was 5 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Ensenada earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 2.0 and a focal depth of 5 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Ensenada happen?

17 December 2024 at 20:53 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

108 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.4.

How often do earthquakes happen near Ensenada?

21 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 M2.0 event released about 1.1 million times less energy than that event.