Trending Now - Mexico City’s Rapid Sinking Revealed by Satellite Images

WHO:

CNN - David Bekaert, project manager at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research and a member of the NISAR science team.

WHAT:

Space.com - Mexico City is sinking up to 14 inches per year.

CNN - Mexico City is sinking at a rate of more than 0.5 inches a month.

CNN - New data from NISAR shows parts of Mexico City subsided by roughly 0.8 inches per month between October 25, 2025, and January 17, 2026.

CNN - The sinking rate translates to more than 9.5 inches every year.

CNN - The Angel of Independence monument has needed 14 steps added to its base due to sinking.

WHERE:

CNN - Mexico City, which is one of the world's biggest cities and stretches across a high-altitude lake.

CNN - Areas most affected include the Benito Juarez International Airport.

WHEN:

CNN - The NISAR satellite mapped the movement of the ground beneath Mexico City between October 25, 2025, and January 17, 2026.

WHY:

CNN - Over-extraction of the ancient aquifer, which provides around 60% of drinking water for the city’s 22 million residents, has caused the land above it to subside.

CNN - Urban development has added extra weight on top of the clay-rich soil, exacerbating the sinking.

HOW:

CNN - NISAR, a project between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization, is designed to map complex processes and track subtle motions such as land sinking.

(UPDATED May 6, 2026 01:30 UTC)

New data from the NISAR satellite reveals that Mexico City is sinking at an alarming rate, with some areas subsiding by roughly 0.8 inches per month, translating to more than 9.5 inches each year. This alarming trend is largely due to the over-extraction of the ancient aquifer that supplies about 60% of the drinking water for the city's 22 million residents, compounded by urban development that adds extra weight on the clay-rich soil. Notably, the Angel of Independence monument has required 14 steps added to its base to accommodate the sinking, highlighting the urgent need for attention to this pressing issue.