Mexico City Sinking Rapidly, Visible From Space, NASA Satellite Reveals
MEXICO CITY – Mexico City is sinking by almost 10 inches (25 centimeters) annually, according to new satellite images released this week by NASA, making it one of the fastest-sinking metropolises in the world. The capital and its surrounding cities, one of the world’s largest and most populated urban areas with approximately 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles) and nearly 22 million inhabitants, were built on the bed of an ancient lake. Many downtown streets were once canals, a tradition that continues in the peripheral rural areas.
Intensive Groundwater Pumping and Urban Development
Intensive groundwater pumping and urban development have drastically reduced the aquifer, meaning Mexico City has been sinking for over a century. This phenomenon has left many ancient monuments and buildings, such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, whose construction began in 1573, visibly tilted. The contraction of the aquifer has also contributed to a chronic water crisis, which is predicted to worsen.
“This damages critical infrastructure in Mexico City, such as the subway, drainage system, water, drinking water system, housing, and streets,” said Enrique Cabral, a researcher studying geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. “It’s a very big problem.”
The city is sinking so rapidly that the process can be observed from space.
NASA’s Satellite Observations
In some areas, subsidence occurs at an average rate of 0.78 inches (2 centimeters) per month, according to the newly released NASA report. This includes locations like the main airport and the iconic monument commonly known as the Angel of Independence. Collectively, this translates to an annual subsidence rate of about 9.5 inches (24 centimeters). In less than a century, the drop has exceeded 39 feet (12 meters), according to Cabral.
“We have one of the fastest land subsidence rates in the world,” he noted.
NASA’s calculations are based on measurements taken between October 2025 and January 2026 by a powerful satellite known as NISAR, which can track real-time changes in the Earth’s surface. NISAR is a joint initiative between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization.
NISAR scientist Paul Rosen pointed out that by capturing details of the Earth from space, the project also “tells us something about what’s actually happening beneath the surface.”
“It’s basically documentation of all these changes within a city,” he explained. “You can see the full magnitude of the problem.”
Over time, the team hopes to be able to zoom in even closer to specific areas and someday obtain building-by-building measurements. More broadly, researchers hope to apply the technology worldwide to monitor things like natural disasters, changes in fault lines, the effects of climate change in regions like Antarctica, and more.
Rosen indicated that such technology could be used to strengthen alert systems, allowing scientists to warn governments about the need for evacuations in cases of volcanic eruptions, for example.
Addressing the Problem
For Mexico City, the technology represents a major breakthrough for studying the subsidence problem and mitigating its worst effects, according to Cabral. For decades, the government has largely ignored the issue, except for stabilizing foundations under monuments like the cathedral. However, after recent flare-ups of the water crisis, Cabral noted that authorities have begun to fund more research.
The images from the NISAR satellite and the accompanying data will be key for scientists and authorities to plan how to address the problem.
“To make a long-term mitigation of the situation,” Cabral stated, “the first step is simply to understand.”
