This Video Of The Earthquake In Mexico Will Shake You To The Core

A magnitude 8 earthquake just struck off the southern coast of Mexico, but it wasn't just people in its immediate vicinity who could feel it. One Mexico earthquake video in particular, taken from about 600 miles away, will show you exactly what a powerful quake it was, even for people who were nowhere nearby. You generally think of street lamps as pretty stable and immovable, right? Well, not anymore.

The earthquake occurred late Thursday night in the ocean about 76 miles south of the city of Pijijiapan, but reports immediately began flowing in about people running into the streets in Mexico City. Buildings there were shaking severely, and it wasn't just buildings. As the video shows, the street lamps on top of an overpass were swaying from side to side, and other videos show monuments and office areas moving in ways that they are definitely not supposed to move.

Fortunately, the earthquake's epicenter was far enough away that you only see the street lamps moving and not the bridge itself. If a magnitude 8 earthquake occurs under a major population center, it can bring down bridges and most structures. However, the video does show why the earthquake was terrifying enough to send people out of their houses in the middle of the night.

So far, there are no reports of major buildings coming down in Mexico City. the New York Times reported that the greatest damage so far has occurred in the state of Chiapas, where three people have reportedly been killed by falling buildings. Additionally, a shopping mall ceiling collapsed in the state capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Mexico's civil protection agency says that this is the strongest earthquake to hit the country since 1985, when thousands were killed and hundreds of buildings were seriously damaged.

Aftershocks of over 5.0 in magnitude have been recorded since the initial earthquake, and those could continue for the next several days or even weeks. There has also been a tsunami wave recorded on the Mexican coast, reaching about 2.5 feet high. While the videos were taken in Mexico City, the greatest damage is expected to be in Chiapas, the state closest to the earthquake's epicenter.

"The shaking along the coast of Chiapas at this point is estimated to be very strong to severe," said Jana Pursely, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, speaking with CNN.

If you've never experienced an earthquake, it's hard to imagine exactly what it feels like for the ground to literally be shaking under you. We think of the earth as very solid, even if micro-quakes are happening all the time, all around us. But when the ground that you're standing on starts shaking, it's a uniquely frightening feeling — where can you go for shelter when the ground underneath you is what's making you unstable? If you have felt an earthquake, you'll never forget it. And if you haven't, just watch the video above to get a sense of what you are very fortunately missing.