Southern Mexico was rocked by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake. Is Florida exposed to earthquakes?

Watch the moment an earthquake rocks the Mexico City press conference

An earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Guerrero, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning press conference.

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Guerrero, Mexico, but no major damage or deaths were reported. Florida rarely experiences earthquakes because it is not located near any tectonic plate boundaries. The largest earthquake recorded in Florida was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in 1879.

The Mexican state of Guerrero in the southern part of the country was hit by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake on Friday, January 2, according to the US Geological Survey.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was in the middle of her first news conference of 2026 when sirens started sounding, and videos showed her calmly leading the evacuation.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at a depth of 21.75 miles, but Sheinbaum said no major damage was reported.

“A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck southwest of San Marcos, Guerrero state, at 7:58 a.m., and protocols and patrols have been activated in the area,” she told a room of reporters in Spanish. “So far, no damage or deaths have been reported. As of 9 a.m., only small aftershocks were recorded, the largest of which was 4.2 magnitude.”

Here, on the other side of the Gulf, we get hurricanes, but at least we can see them coming. We are not used to earthquakes

That's why the 4.0 magnitude earthquake that shook parts of Florida's Space Coast nearly a year ago was such a surprise.

The quake occurred about 100 miles east of Cape Canaveral around 10:48 p.m. on February 8, according to the USGS, at a shallow depth of about six miles. Residents from Merritt Island to Palm Bay reported feeling shaking.

Experts say earthquakes happen somewhere in the world every day. In January 2024, the USGS released the latest National Seismic Hazard Model that showed that nearly 75% of the United States — including parts of Florida — could be affected by a devastating earthquake.

Should Floridians be more concerned that the ground will start moving?

The answer: Maybe not much. But this has happened before.

Is Florida exposed to earthquakes?

What you need to know about earthquakes

Every year, there are about 500,000 earthquakes – 100,000 of which can be felt on the Earth's surface. But how do earthquakes work? We explain.

Just FAQ

Yes, but very rarely. Florida ties North Dakota as the state with the fewest earthquakes annually. Between 1975 and 1995, the state was one of only four states that recorded no earthquakes at all. (The others were Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.)

Earthquakes are caused by sudden movement of tectonic plates that release energy in waves that travel through the Earth's crust and cause the surface to shake.

However, Florida is not located near any tectonic plate boundaries. (Neither is New Jersey, although there are minor fault lines in the area.) The closest fault line to Florida runs through the Caribbean Sea, north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and south of Cuba toward Guatemala.

However, the state is usually shaken by earthquakes strong enough to affect us even if they are not nearby. In September 2020, Santa Rosa residents were rocked by a 3.8 magnitude earthquake on the Florida/Alabama line northwest of Mount Carmel. People in Jay, East Milton and even Navarre reported feeling the ground shaking.

The Sunshine State shakes: Will Florida, known for its storm threats, be shaken by earthquakes?

How likely is an earthquake in Florida?

It's not a high risk in Florida, but in the USGS National Earthquake Hazard Model map, it's not zero.

The 2025 update, based on a “massive collaborative effort” from more than 50 scientists, engineers, and federal, state and local governments, found that most of Florida has a 5% or less chance of experiencing a devastating earthquake in the next 100 years.

But the Panhandle and the northern Florida region down to a line running from Jacksonville southwest to south of Cape Coral have a 5% to 25% chance, the agency said.

Don't start pulling breakable items off the shelves just yet. The Sunshine State remains at the low end of the threat spectrum. In the detailed USGS report, “Florida” is not mentioned once.

Shake the Coast: How many earthquakes have the Treasure Coast felt? More than one

What is the largest earthquake in Florida?

In 1879, the largest recorded earthquake in Florida occurred with a magnitude of 4.4, likely epicentered in the Palatka area on the border of Putnam and Marion counties in north-central Florida. The quake was felt as far away as Tallahassee and Cedar Key.

According to USGS records: “Plaster was shaken off and items were tossed from shelves at St. Augustine and further south at Daytona Beach.”

The largest earthquake to hit Florida was in 2006, when a 5.9-magnitude quake in the Gulf of Mexico shook southwest Florida, reportedly shaking some buildings in Cape Coral, but causing no major damage.

What other earthquakes have struck Florida?

Most earthquakes in our area are small aftershocks of magnitude 3 or less. The “magnitude” is the relative size of the earthquake, on the Richter scale – which residents might notice as a slight shaking. Some notable earthquakes in Florida:

January 1880: Shocks from two powerful earthquakes near Cuba hit Key West. August 1886: The famous Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake, which killed 60 people and damaged thousands of buildings, was felt throughout northern Florida, ringing church bells in St. Augustine and shaking towns along the East Coast. October 1900: On Halloween, Jacksonville residents felt eight different shocks when a 3.5 magnitude earthquake struck. November 1948: Captiva Island near Fort Myers shook and residents described hearing sounds like explosions in the distance. November 1952: “On November 18, 1952, a slight tremor was felt by many in Quincy, a small town about 20 miles northwest of Tallahassee,” U.S. Geological Survey records say. “Windows and doors shook, but no serious effects were observed. One source notes that 'the impact interfered with writing a parking ticket.' It is not stated in what way.” October 1997: A 4.8-magnitude earthquake northwest of Flamaton, Alabama, was felt by residents of Pensacola. January 2014: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred off the northern coast of Cuba, sending shockwaves across Key West. June 11, 2001: A 3.3 magnitude earthquake was reported 86 miles east-northeast of St. Louis. Augustine. March 2019: The USGS reported a 2.6 magnitude earthquake in Santa Rosa County, just south of the Alabama border. March 2019: Five earthquakes within a month were reported in Escambia County from the Flamaton, Alabama area. February 3, 2020: A 3.8 magnitude earthquake was detected west-northwest of Jay, Florida. February 7, 2024: A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was detected about 100 miles east of Cape Canaveral. March 23, 2025: A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded in the newly renamed American Gulf. What does earthquake strength mean?

Magnitude is a measure of the strength of an earthquake. It is officially called the “moment magnitude scale”. It is a logarithmic scale, meaning each number is ten times stronger than the one before it. So a 5.2 magnitude earthquake is moderate while a 6.2 magnitude earthquake is strong.

Impact magnitude below 2.5 is generally not felt. 2.5 to 5.4 Slight or no damage. 5.5 to 6.0 Slight damage to buildings 6.1 to 6.9 Serious damage 8.0 or greater Serious damage, can completely destroy communities.

Source: Michigan Technological University.

Previously, people would refer to the Richter scale to describe earthquakes, but this is no longer in common use because it was only valid in certain circumstances.

Did the US Navy cause an earthquake off the coast of Daytona Beach, Florida?

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake was recorded off the coast of Florida, about 100 miles east-northeast of Daytona Beach Shores, in July 2016.

But it turns out it was caused by a man-made explosion meant to test the seaworthiness of a US Navy ship, so it doesn't really matter. A similar “earthquake” was reported by the Geological Survey on June 10, 156 nautical miles east-northeast of Ormond-by-the-Sea, the same day the Navy announced a shock experiment on the USS Jackson.

Contributors: Samantha Neely, Fort Myers News-Press; Mary Walrath Holdridge, Janine Santucci, Zach Wechter, Kate Perez, USA Today

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