M4.6 Earthquake near Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro), Mexico — 12 September 2025
A light earthquake of magnitude 4.6 was recorded near Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro), Mexico on , with an epicentre 140 km south-southwest of Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro), at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 5th strongest of 40 earthquakes recorded in Mexico in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2025-09-12 23:35:53
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 4.6 (light)
Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 14.7067, -94.2450
Location: 140 km SSW of Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro), Mexico
Country: Mexico
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake radiates roughly 120 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 326, 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 17:18 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.
This event was shallower than 58% of the 1,036 earthquakes recorded in Mexico in our catalogue and stronger than 90% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 14.7067, -94.2450 — 140 km south-southwest of Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro). The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.2 earthquake 78 km southeast of here on 23 July 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are El Palmarcito (7 km southeast), Doctor Belisario Domínguez (La Barra) (24 km northwest), La Esperanza (El Zapotal) (78 km southeast) and San Francisco del Mar Viejo (84 km north-northwest).
Why the 10 km depth matters
At 10 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, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. 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 M4.6 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
2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.9.
202 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.4 event near Puerto Madero on 17 July 2026. This M4.6 event released about 15,849 times less energy than that event.
14 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 0 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
- M4.2 earthquake near La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico — (78 km SE)
- M4.5 earthquake near La Esperanza (El Zapotal), Mexico — (86 km E)
- M4.4 earthquake near El Arenal, Mexico — (92 km ESE)
- M4.6 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico — (103 km ESE)
- M4.4 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico — (103 km ESE)
- M4.5 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico — (104 km SE)
- M4.3 earthquake near Aquiles Serdán, Mexico — (106 km ESE)
- M5.2 earthquake near El Arenal, Mexico — (110 km E)
- M4.3 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico — (112 km ESE)
- M4.3 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico — (112 km ESE)
Other recent earthquakes in Mexico
- M5.3 earthquake near off the coast of Michoacan, Mexico —
- M2.2 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., Mexico —
- M4.2 earthquake near Brisas Barra de Suchiate, Mexico —
- M4.5 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico —
- M4.4 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico —
- M1.5 earthquake near Tecate, B.C., Mexico —
- M4.3 earthquake near Puerto Madero, Mexico —
- M1.3 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., Mexico —
- M1.5 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., Mexico —
- M1.4 earthquake near Progreso, B.C., Mexico —
Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide
- M4.6 earthquake near Sipí, Colombia —
- M4.8 earthquake near Alianza Cristiana, Peru —
- M4.6 earthquake near Labuha, Indonesia —
- M4.5 earthquake near Sipí, Colombia —
- M4.6 earthquake near Minami-Sōma, Japan —
- M4.5 earthquake near Tomioka, Japan —
- M4.5 earthquake near Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea —
- M4.4 earthquake near San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro)?
It measured magnitude 4.6 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.6 earthquake radiates roughly 120 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro)?
The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro) earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 4.6 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro) happen?
12 September 2025 at 23:35 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.9.
How often do earthquakes happen near Manuel Ávila Camacho (Ponte Duro)?
202 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.4 event near Puerto Madero on 17 July 2026. This M4.6 event released about 15,849 times less energy than that event.