2010 Baja California earthquake
Template: Infobox earthquake / Maintenance / tsunami missing template: Infobox earthquake / maintenance / property missing
(60 km SSE of Mexicali )
Mexicali
The Baja California Earthquake of 2010 was a major earthquake that on April 4, 2010 at 22:40:41 UTC clock ( clock 15:40:41 local time) near the town of Guadalupe Victoria occurred. The hypocenter of the earthquake was 60 km south-southeast of Mexicali and 167 km east- southeast of Tijuana, according to the United States Geological Survey in around 10 km depth.
Pros and aftershocks
The region was more active for a year before the main quake with Mw 7.2 seismic; since 1 April, several minor earthquakes occurred, which reached a magnitude 3-4 on the moment magnitude scale.
Tectonic overview
The earthquake on Sunday, April 4, 2010 with a magnitude of 7.2 Mw occurred about 60 km south of the border between the United States and Mexico in the north of the Baja California peninsula in shallow waters at the boundary between the North American and Pacific Plate. This is an area with a high level of historic seismic activity, which was also active in recent seismic; nevertheless, the earthquake was the strongest at this point since 1892. It was stronger than the M 6.9 earthquake of 1940 and the other earthquake events in the region of Baja California in the early 20th century (eg 1915 and 1934).
In the latitude of the earthquake, the Pacific plate moves with respect to the North American plate at a rate of about 45 mm per year to the northwest. The principal plate boundary in northern Baja California consists of a series of trending north-west strike-slip faults, which are separated by divergent pool. These distortions are different, however, to the parallel fibers of the San Andreas Fault. The main quake on April 4, took place on a strike-slip segment of the plate boundary that coincides with the southeastern part of the Laguna Salada Fault -. Although the location and the focal mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with the shock of the rejection, rupture of the earth's crust at this point, however, is not yet confirmed. The aftershocks extend on both sides of the epicenter along the fault. The zone of aftershocks ranging from the northern tip of the Gulf of California to the Mexican-American border.
Earthquake magnitude of up to 7 have historically been recorded in this area of the panel limits. The earthquake of 1892 occurred on the Laguna Salada - Fault, though substantially to the northwest. The Imperial Valley Earthquake of 1940 reached a magnitude of 7 and had a center further north along the Imperial Fault. Both earthquakes were accompanied by a significant surface deformation. 1915 An event with a magnitude of M 7.0 or 7.1 occurred in this region and an earthquake with a magnitude of M 7.0 to 7.2 in 1934 broke the Cerro Prieto fault, whereby the surface by several m was added.
Available in the area of the earthquake of April 4, 2010 several active faults and it is not yet clear to which of these faults, the earthquake occurred. Since transitions in this area, the undersea plate boundary in the Gulf of Baja California in the continental plate boundary in the Salton trench, the seismic activity is complex here. Most of the more important active faults running from northwest to southeast and it involves right- slip faults, which are north of the state border common in the San Andreas Fault and the parallel dislocation in Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto.
Effects
Most damage caused by the earthquake in the twin cities Mexicali - Calexico, which extends on both sides of the border between the United States and Mexico. In the nearly one million population city Mexicali most gas lines, so fires broke out. Among the reported claims are also collapsed buildings, buckled road surfaces as well as the failure of the telephone network and the power supply.
The strongest effects were felt in the local level IX ( devastating ); they reached the stage VIII ( hard ) on the Mercalli scale in Progreso. In Mexicali, Calexico, and Guadalupe Victoria, the intensity was determined by VII (very strong), while in San Luis Río Colorado, the Level VI (strong) has been reached.