2022 Michoacán earthquake

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2022 Michoacán earthquake
2022 Michoacán earthquake is located in Mexico
2022 Michoacán earthquake
Magnitude 7.7 ṃ (SSN)[1]
7.6 ṃ (USGS)
Depth 15.1 km (9.4 mi)
Epicenter Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Fault Thrust[2]
Max. intensity VII (Very strong)
Tsunami 0.79 m (2.6 ft)
Casualties 1 dead, several missing

On 19 September 2022, a magnitude 7.6–7.7 earthquake struck the Mexican state of Michoacán at 13:05:06 local time.[2] The USGS reported the epicentre was 37 kilometres (23 mi) southeast of the town of Aquila.[3]

Tectonic setting

This shallow earthquake occurred in a seismically active zone near the coast of central Mexico. The earthquake occurred near the juncture of three tectonic plates, which are the North American Plate to the northeast, the Rivera Plate to the northwest, and the Cocos Plate to the south. Both the Rivera Plate and the Cocos Plate are being subsumed beneath the North American Plate. The slower subducting Rivera Plate is moving northwest at about 2 centimetres (0.79 in) per year relative to the North American Plate and the faster Cocos plate is moving in a similar direction at a rate of about 4.5 centimetres (1.8 in) per year.[4]

Several significant earthquakes have occurred near the recent event. In 1932, a magnitude 8.1 thrust earthquake struck northwest of the 2022 event. On 27 January 2003, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck nearby, killing 29 people. On 9 October 1995, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck west of the 2022 event, killing 49 people and leaving 1,000 others homeless. The most deadly earthquake in the region also occurred in Michoacán exactly 37 years earlier. This magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed thousands of people, injured about 30,000, and left 100,000 people homeless.[4]

Earthquake

The earthquake occurred as a result of thrust faulting, on a tectonic boundary between the Cocos Plate and the North American Plate.[2] This earthquake occurred close to events in 1985, 1995 and 2003.[2]

The quake coincidentally occurred on the 37th anniversary of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which killed around 10,000 people, and the fifth anniversary of the 2017 Puebla earthquake. A national earthquake drill was held shortly after midday, less than an hour before the earthquake had struck.[5][6][7]

Tsunami

In Manzanillo, Colima, a tsunami was observed reaching 0.79 m (2.6 ft).[8] In Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, the tsunami had heights of at least 32 cm (1.05 ft).[9]

Impact

Colima

In Manzanillo, one person died when a fence fell on him, and some landslides were reported.[10] In the city, a gym collapsed, leaving several people missing.[11] Communications are said to have been disrupted in Tecomán and Comala, close to the epicentre.[11]

Michoacán

Many buildings, including a hospital, were damaged.[11]

See also

References

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