A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 4 kilometers west of San José del Cabo on Tuesday afternoon, June 2, at 3:36 p.m. local time. Mexico’s National Seismological Service (SSN) recorded the quake at a shallow depth of 13.4 kilometers (about 8 miles). Residents across multiple neighborhoods in San José del Cabo felt the shaking, and reports came in from as far away as downtown Cabo San Lucas, roughly 24 kilometers from the epicenter.
Locals took to social media to describe the tremor, which lasted only a few seconds but was strong enough to rattle windows and shelves. Los Cabos municipal secretary Alberto Rentería confirmed that authorities activated emergency protocols immediately after the quake to assess potential infrastructure damage throughout the area.
No Injuries or Damage Reported
Civil Protection and Risk Management officials said they found no injuries or structural damage during their initial inspections. Authorities urged residents to rely only on official channels for information and to report any hazards such as cracked walls, gas leaks, or downed power lines.
The quake was one of several seismic events to hit the Los Cabos area in recent days. A magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred in the Gulf of California on May 27, though that event was not widely felt on land. In the past seven days alone, monitoring services recorded 36 earthquakes of varying magnitudes near Los Cabos, most too small for people to notice.
Seismic Activity Common in Los Cabos
Los Cabos sits in a seismically active zone along the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, near the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. On average, the area experiences about 813 earthquakes per year, with roughly 16 of those reaching magnitude 3.0 or higher. The region has recorded at least two quakes above magnitude 7.0 since 1900, though events of that scale occur only about once every 60 to 65 years.
The strongest earthquake near Los Cabos in the past year was a magnitude 4.8 event on Sept. 1, 2025. Tuesday’s quake, while modest, was notable because its shallow depth and proximity to populated areas made it widely felt during a busy afternoon.
This story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.