5.0 quake triggers alarm in Mexico City, shakes Guerrero

Residents of Mexico City were again rousted from their beds conscionable aft midnight Friday aft an earthquake triggered the Seismic Alert System, but authorities rapidly reported that nary harm had occurred.

The 5.0 magnitude temblor was hardly perceptible successful astir of the capital, but did nutrient immoderate insignificant shaking person to the epicenter successful the Pacific seashore authorities of Guerrero.

.@SismologicoMX: Hasta las 08:00 horas del 16/enero/2026 se han registrado 4,700 réplicas del sismo de M 6.5 ocurrido en San Marcos, Guerrero el 2/enero/2026, la más grande de magnitud M 5.0 pic.twitter.com/XS0IZzhhgn

— Webcams de México (@webcamsdemexico) January 16, 2026

 In a societal media station soon aft the incident, President Claudia Sheinbaum said nary harm had been reported, adding that “the National Civil Protection Coordination is initiating the reappraisal protocol” successful Mexico City and successful areas astir the epicenter.

Hours later, national and section authorities said nary injuries had been reported and confirmed that nary important harm to infrastructure had been identified.

Mexico’s National Seismological Service (SSN) described the tremor arsenic an aftershock related to the Jan. 2 earthquake that rang successful the New Year.

“Through 8 a.m. connected Jan. 16, 2026, we person registered 4,700 aftershocks related to the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred successful San Marcos, Guerrero, connected Jan. 2, 2026, the largest being magnitude 5.0,” the SSN said connected its website.

Forty-eight much aftershocks occurred successful the 7 hours instantly aft the Friday greeting temblor, the largest reaching conscionable 4.1, the SSN reported.

Newspaper reports indicated the epicenter of the 5.0 magnitude tremor was 17 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of San Marcos, and astir 70 kilometers (44 miles) southbound of Acapulco.

The region from San Marcos to Mexico City is astir 365 kilometers (225 miles).

The SSN explained that the caller seismic enactment successful San Marcos, besides adjacent the epicenter of the Jan. 2 quake, is owed to “the readjustment of the Earth’s crust aft a large rupture.” Additionally, it said, “Guerrero sits astatine the confluence of the Cocos and North American tectonic plates, and the movements originate erstwhile the erstwhile slides nether the latter, successful a improvement known arsenic subduction.”

Scientists person dismissed speculation that a alleged San Marcos Fault has formed, explaining that San Marcos is located precise adjacent to the Guerrero Gap, which extends astir 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Acapulco to Papanoa-Petatlán, and is portion of the Cocos-North America boundary.

Movement on the Guerrero Gap occasionally produces ample earthquakes, but frequent, slow-slip events that merchandise strain, known arsenic soundless earthquakes, are much characteristic.

With reports from El Universal, El Financiero, N+ and Infobae