Magnitude 4.4 earthquake — 17 km S of Cuyutlán, Mexico

A moderate earthquake has shaken Mexico's Pacific coast this morning, centred about 17 kilometres south of the small resort town of Cuyutlán in Colima state.

The United States Geological Survey recorded the quake at magnitude 4.4, striking at just after five o'clock in the morning local time. The tremor occurred fairly deep underground, some 60 kilometres down, which typically means the shaking spreads over a wider area but feels less severe at the surface.

What a 4.4 magnitude feels like

A quake of this size is considered light to moderate. People indoors would likely have felt a noticeable shaking — enough to rattle windows and doors, set hanging objects swinging, and possibly wake sleeping residents. It's the sort of tremor that gets your attention and might send you reaching for the doorframe, though it's unlikely to cause structural damage to well-built buildings.

The deeper depth means the shaking would have been spread across a broader region, possibly felt in nearby coastal communities and perhaps as far as Manzanillo to the north or Tecomán to the east, though with decreasing intensity the further from the epicentre.

A seismically active region

This stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast sits along one of the world's most active earthquake zones, where the Cocos tectonic plate slides beneath the North American plate. The region experiences frequent seismic activity, and locals are generally well accustomed to the occasional shake.

Cuyutlán itself is a quiet beach town known for its black sand beaches and the famous Ola Verde (Green Wave) that sometimes forms offshore. At this early morning hour, most residents and any visitors would likely have been at home when the shaking began.

There are no reports yet of any damage or injuries, though information is still coming in. The depth and moderate magnitude suggest this was more of a wake-up call than a serious threat, but authorities will be checking on coastal communities as the morning progresses.

Have you felt this one, or do you know anyone in the Cuyutlán or Manzanillo area? If you've experienced earthquakes along Mexico's Pacific coast, we'd love to hear what it's like living in such an active zone.