Two microseisms in Iztapalapa: Routine or signal?
Early Wednesday morning had its own telluric alarm clock in Mexico City. According to the always reliable National Seismological Service (SSN), the ground shook twice in Iztapalapa.
The first movement came at 2:02 hours. Magnitude 2.3, epicenter in the same municipality, only 6 kilometers deep. Shallow enough for some to feel it, weak enough for authorities to classify it as ‘safe’.
The second, at 4:38. A little stronger (2.5), a little deeper (7 km). Same coordinates, same official narrative.
“The National Seismological Service continues to monitor seismic activity in the region, ensuring that these earthquakes are of low magnitude and do not represent a significant risk for the population.”
There is the usual statement. The master formula for public tranquility. Low magnitude, no risk, go about your day.
And so far, it works. There are no reports of material or personal damage in Iztapalapa. The official recommendation is the obvious one: be attentive.
But here’s my cynical question from a journalist who has covered too many natural disasters: How many safe ‘microseisms’ do it take before someone asks why it shakes so much at the same point? The data is there: almost identical coordinates (19.37, -99.10 and 19.37, -99.09). Almost twin depths.
The SSN does its technical work impeccably: they measure, locate, report. What they don’t do is contextualize historically or speculate on patterns. That’s up to us.
Meanwhile, Iztapalapa woke up intact. Collective memory records two nighttime shakes and little else. The official version once again prevails over any uncomfortable geological concerns.




