A minor earthquake shook the southern Yucatán town of Ticul late Thursday night, surprising residents unaccustomed to feeling the ground move beneath their feet.
Mexico’s National Seismological Service confirmed the 3.8-magnitude tremor struck at 11:28 p.m. on October 9, with an epicenter 13 kilometers (8 miles) northeast of Ticul. The quake registered at a shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).
Social media lit up just before midnight as residents of Ticul and nearby communities like Santa Elena reported the brief movement. Many initially had no idea what caused the shaking until the official confirmation came through Friday morning.
“No damages or injuries have been reported,” said state Civil Protection authorities in a statement released at 10:20 a.m. Friday. They added that the tremor posed no danger to residents of Yucatán or neighboring states, Campeche and Quintana Roo.
The quake caught people off guard in a region where earthquakes are exceptionally rare. The Yucatán Peninsula sits far from Mexico’s major fault lines and is considered one of the country’s most seismically stable areas.
Between 1970 and 2022, only five earthquakes were recorded in Yucatán state. By comparison, neighboring Quintana Roo logged 105 tremors and Campeche saw 74 during the same period.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded in the region hit on June 23, 2004, registering a 4.1 magnitude. That remains the largest seismic event near Yucatán in over a century of record-keeping.
Scientists have previously documented that the peninsula has no fault lines running beneath it. However, a geological feature called La Sierrita, located in southern Yucatán near Ticul, has generated small tremors in the past.
Another fault line exists off the coast of Quintana Roo, running parallel to the territories of Belize and the Caribbean coastline about 200 kilometers (124 miles) offshore.
The National Seismological Service, part of Mexico’s National Autonomous University, maintains monitoring stations throughout the country. The agency typically reports earthquakes above magnitude 4.0 within minutes of occurrence. Smaller quakes appear in daily summary reports.
Ticul, known as “La Perla del Sur” or The Pearl of the South, sits 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Mérida along Federal Highway 184. The city of roughly 40,000 people serves as a strategic jumping-off point for tourists visiting the Puuc Route archaeological sites, including nearby Uxmal.
The community is famous throughout Mexico for its handmade shoes and distinctive red clay pottery. Local artisans create everything from replicas of ancient Maya stelae to modern decorative pieces.
Thursday’s earthquake adds to a year of unusual seismic activity in areas typically considered stable. Earthquakes measuring 2.9 to 3.9 magnitude near the peninsula have puzzled scientists who continue studying the geological conditions that occasionally produce these rare events.
Analysts at the National Seismological Service note that low-intensity earthquakes occur in the Yucatán Peninsula roughly every 12 to 18 months. These tremors usually center in the southern part of the state.
“The geological conditions of the Peninsula promote this type of phenomenon,” one SSN analyst explained in a previous interview about regional seismic activity.
Civil Protection officials confirmed they’ve received no reports of structural damage in Ticul or surrounding municipalities, including Muna, Oxkutzcab, and Dzán. Monitoring continues across all 106 municipalities in the state.
While Thursday’s quake startled locals, it fell well below the threshold that causes any damage to buildings or infrastructure. Earthquakes below magnitude 4.0 are typically felt but rarely cause harm, especially at shallow depths in areas without vulnerable structures.
Quick Facts About the Ticul Earthquake:
Magnitude: 3.8 on the Richter scale
Date and time: Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 11:28 p.m.
Epicenter location: 13 kilometers northeast of Ticul
Depth: 5 kilometers
Coordinates: Latitude 20.43, Longitude -89.41
Damage reported: None
Injuries reported: None
Nearby communities affected: Ticul, Santa Elena, and surrounding areas
Monitoring agency: Servicio Sismológico Nacional (National Seismological Service)
Historical context: Fifth earthquake recorded in Yucatán state since 1970
Sources: Diario de Yucatán, Azteca Quintana Roo, Yucatán Magazine, The Yucatan Times, National Seismological Service (Wikipedia), POSTA México