8.1 Earthquake Rocks Southern Mexico

[Mystic Wanderer]

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Biggest Earthquake to Hit Mexico in Over a Century Moved Fault by 32 Feet

The massive earthquake that hit Mexico late in the night of September 7 is the biggest in the region in almost a century. Seismologists now say the magnitude 8.1 quake was so large it moved the fault up by 10 meters (32 feet), as the Cocos and North American tectonic plates collided.

The epicenter of the earthquake was off the coast of Mexico and Guatemala, 54 miles southwest of Pijijiapan. It struck at a depth of 69.7 kilometers (43.3 miles), data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed. Initially, a tsunami warning was issued, with waves up to three meters (10 feet) high, but this has since been lifted.



A map shows the epicenter of the magnitude 8.1 earthquake in Mexico. Seismologists say the earthquake would have been felt by over 500,000 people, as a tsunami threat looms. USGS

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Since the initial quake, many aftershocks have been recorded, ranging between magnitude 4.3 and 5.7. Seismologists are currently monitoring for more, as these could pose a major risk to the buildings already destabilized by the initial 8.1 earthquake, David Galloway, from the British Geological Survey (BGS), tells Newsweek.
A magnitude of “8.1 is a major earthquake, and I’m not surprised there’s lots of damage. I think there will be more reports of people having been killed and injured as time goes on, as we get more information,” Galloway said. “Communications often go down with big earthquakes. So far we’ve got reports of 15 killed and many more injured, but I expect that figure to rise.”



This image depicts how the fault slipped during the magnitude 8.1 earthquake off the coast of Mexico. USGS
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Several reports now say the number killed has risen over 30, with most killed in the state of Oaxaca. Officials said people also have died in Chiapas and Tabasco. Photos and video from regions affected show widespread damage. The BGS estimates half a million people experienced severe shaking.

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