Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana

Volumen 78, núm. 2, A061125, 2026

https://doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2026v78n2A061125

  

Seismicity in the Northern Baja California region, Mexico: 1999-2024

 

Sismicidad en la región norte de Baja California, México: 1999-2024

 

J. Antonio Vidal-Villegas1, Oscar A. Castro-Artola1,*, Rogelio Arce-Villa1, Luis A. Yegres-Herrera1,  M. Alejandra Núñez-Leal1

 

1 Departamento de Sismología, División Ciencias de la Tierra, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE). Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana 3918, Zona Playitas, 22860. Ensenada, Baja California, México.

 

* Corresponding author:

(O. A. Castro-Artola) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

How to cite this article:

Vidal-Villegas, J. A., Castro-Artola, O. A., Arce-Villa, R., Yegres-Herrera, L. A., & Núñez-Leal, M.A. (2026). Seismicity in the Northern Baja California region, Mexico: 1999-2024: Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 78(2), A061125. https://doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2026v78n2A061125

 

Manuscript received: July 31, 2025. Corrected manuscript received: October 20, 2025. Manuscript accepted: October 27, 2025.

 

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes 25 years (1999-2024) of seismicity in Northern Baja California, a region characterized by the interaction between the Pacific and North American plates and subsidiary faults that also generate earthquakes. The main fault systems and their relationship to seismic activity are described,  highlighting  the  April 4, 2010, Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake, which marked a shift in seismicity distribution and prompted the expansion and modernization of the Northwestern Mexico Seismic Network. Seismicity is examined across four zones: the Gulf of California, the Mexicali Valley-Laguna Salada, the Peninsular Ranges of Baja California, and the offshore northern coast of Baja California. Moderate-to-large earthquakes and spatial patterns linked to major faults are reported. The magnitude of completeness shows spatial variability: 1.6 in the Peninsular Ranges, 1.8 in Mexicali–Laguna Salada, 3.0 in the northern Gulf, and 2.0 offshore northern Baja California. Network upgrades, international collaborations, and the integration of subnetworks have improved earthquake detection and characterization, leading to a complete and more reliable seismic catalog.

Keywords: seismicity, Northern Baja California region, RESNOM, seismic networks.