Mexico had two major earthquakes this month. Here’s why

Rescuers work survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building after a powerful quake in Mexico City on September 19, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing panic among the megalopolis' 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico's Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale. The institute said the quake's epicenter was seven kilometers west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla. / AFP PHOTO / Alfredo ESTRELLA (Photo credit should read ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Damaged buildings (Betty's Burgers) following an earthquake are seen along Chapel Street on September 22, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has been felt across south-east Australia. The epicentre of the quake was near Mansfield, Victoria with tremors felt as far away as Canberra, Sydney and Tasmania. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

earthquake early warning system orig mg_00002310.jpg

orig 5 most powerful earthquakes on record npr_00002704.jpg

weather 15 years of earthquakes jj nccorig_00004316.jpg

ring of fire chad myers weather orig_00003221.jpg

A resident sifts through debris past the rubble of a mosque in Palu, Indonesia's Central Sulawesi following the September 28 earthquake and tsunami.

indonesia earthquake tsunami palu orig mg_00000711.jpg

honduras earthquake map 1.09.2018

Anuwat Kongko, a 28-year-old hiker from Thailand, was on top of Mount Rinjani when the earthquake hit. "I reached the summit [Mont Rinjani] at around 6am along with some friends. Then I spent some time taking pictures with my camera with my friends until 6.47am, when the 1st earthquake occurred. It's just like the mountain was shaking. Everyone crouched on the floor and after it stopped I started to run away from there. "After 10minutes an aftershock happened. Then, everyone was told to move out from there pretty quickly (you can see it in my video). Some of the pathway was destroyed by the earthquake." Kongko said it took them 1 hour to get from the summit to the camping area, and 3 hours from the camping area to the village.