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2017 Chiapas earthquake

Coordinates: 15°01′19″N 93°53′56″W / 15.022°N 93.899°W / 15.022; -93.899
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"Chiapas earthquake" redirects here. For the 1995 earthquake, see 1995 Chiapas earthquake.

2017 Chiapas earthquake
2017 Chiapas earthquake is located in Mexico
2017 Chiapas earthquake
UTC time2017-09-08 04:49:19
ISC event611600536
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date7 September 2017 (2017-09-07)
Local time23:49:21 CDT
Magnitude8.2 Mw[1]
Depth47.4 km (29.5 mi)
Epicenter15°01′19″N 93°53′56″W / 15.022°N 93.899°W / 15.022; -93.899
TypeDip-slip (normal)
Areas affectedMexico, Guatemala[2]
Total damage$4 billion USD[3]
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)[4]
Tsunami1.75 m (5.7 ft) in Chiapas
Aftershocks3,831[5]
Casualties98 dead, 300+ injured

The 2017 Chiapas earthquake struck at 23:49 CDT on 7 September (local time; 04:49 on the 8th UTC) in the Gulf of Tehuantepec off the southern coast of Mexico near the state of Chiapas, approximately 87 kilometres (54 mi) southwest of Pijijiapan (alternately, 101 kilometres (63 mi) south-southwest of Tres Picos),[6] with a Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).[7] The moment magnitude was estimated to be Mw8.2.[1]

The earthquake caused all of Mexico City to tremble, prompting people to evacuate after the early warning system was triggered.[7] It also generated a tsunami with waves 1.75 metres (5 ft 9 in) above tide level;[8] and tsunami alerts were issued for surrounding areas.[9] Mexico's president called it the strongest earthquake recorded in the country in a century.[10] It was also the second strongest recorded in the country's history, behind the magnitude 8.6 earthquake in 1787,[11] the largest recorded globally in 2017 and the largest earthquake worldwide since the 2015 illapel earthquake.[12]

Tectonic setting

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The Gulf of Tehuantepec lies above the convergent boundary where the Cocos plate is being subducted below the North American plate at a rate of 6.4 cm/yr (2.5 in/yr).[13][14]

Background

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On 6 September, several earthquake alarms in Mexico City were mistakenly activated, leading to the evacuation of buildings. The incident prompted a review of the system.[15]

Earthquake

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People outside a hotel in Mexico City a few minutes after the earthquake

According to the National Seismological Service (SSN) of Mexico, the epicenter was located in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, about 137 kilometres (85 mi) southeast of Tonalá, Chiapas.[16] The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the epicenter was about 87 kilometres (54 mi) southwest of Pijijiapan, Chiapas.[1] The hypocenter was about 45 kilometres (28 mi) underground, deeper than usual for a relatively new subduction zone.[17] The SSN reported a measurement of M 8.2,[16] while the USGS also reported a M 8.2 earthquake after correcting an earlier estimate of M 8.0.[1] The earthquake was a result of normal faulting within the Cocos plate with a displacement of up to 10 metres (33 ft).[1][18] The entire thickness of the lithosphere of the Cocos plate ruptured during the earthquake.[17]

The earthquake is the most powerful in Mexico to be measured by seismographs. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto called the earthquake the "largest in at least a century" and said that it was felt by 50 million people.[10][19]

Geophysicists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico speculated that the earthquake relieved stored pressure in the "Tehuantepec gap", making future earthquakes in the region less likely.[20]

Tsunami

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A tsunami with waves of 1 m (3.3 ft) and higher was generated by the earthquake and was recorded at Salina Cruz;[21] A tsunami wave of 1.75 m (5.7 ft) was reported in Chiapas.[8] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for the entire Pacific coast of Central America, also extending south to Ecuador.[10][22]

Aftershocks

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In the hour following the earthquake, at least 12 aftershocks were recorded by the USGS.[23] As of 00:30 September 14 (UTC Time), the National Seismological Service (SSN) has recorded at least 1,806 aftershocks, of up to a magnitude of 6.1.[5]

2017 Chiapas earthquake and aftershocks
  • Graph of aftershocks by magnitude
    Graph of aftershocks by magnitude
  • Map of aftershocks as of 13 September Red marks earthquakes over Mw  8.0 and orange over Mw  5.0.
    Map of aftershocks as of 13 September
    Red marks earthquakes over Mw  8.0 and orange over Mw  5.0.
  • Number of aftershocks
    Number of aftershocks
List of aftershocks recorded by USGS[24]
# CDT time Epicenter Nearby landmarks Depth Mag.
Main 7 September 2017 23:49:21 15°04′05″N 93°42′54″W / 15.068°N 93.715°W / 15.068; -93.715 87 km (54 mi) southwest of Pijijiapan 69.7 km (43.3 mi) 8.2
1 8 September 2017 0:01:38 15°52′01″N 94°05′17″W / 15.867°N 94.088°W / 15.867; -94.088 29 km (18 mi) southwest of Paredon 35 km (21.7 mi) 5.7
2 8 September 2017 0:17:42 15°32′49″N 94°29′20″W / 15.547°N 94.489°W / 15.547; -94.489 75 km (47 mi) south-southeast of San Francisco del Mar 41.3 km (25.7 mi) 5.4
3 8 September 2017 0:24:40 15°32′02″N 94°22′41″W / 15.534°N 94.378°W / 15.534; -94.378 77 km (48 mi) southwest of Paredon 50.5 km (31.4 mi) 5.2
4 8 September 2017 0:33:38 15°20′42″N 94°16′19″W / 15.345°N 94.272°W / 15.345; -94.272 87 km (54 mi) south-southwest of Paredon 35.0 km (21.7 mi) 5.2
5 8 September 2017 0:57:00 15°05′N 94°31′W / 15.09°N 94.52°W / 15.09; -94.52 137 km (85 mi) southwest of Tonalá 21.0 km (13.0 mi) 5.1
6 8 September 2017 1:08:47 15°27′N 94°47′W / 15.45°N 94.78°W / 15.45; -94.78 92 km (57 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 10.0 km (6.2 mi) 5.0
7 8 September 2017 2:38:38 15°31′N 94°50′W / 15.52°N 94.83°W / 15.52; -94.83 83 km (52 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 50.0 km (31.1 mi) 5.3
8 8 September 2017 2:59:57 15°35′N 94°55′W / 15.58°N 94.91°W / 15.58; -94.91 73 km (45 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 50.0 km (31.1 mi) 5.2
9 8 September 2017 3:34:34 15°10′N 94°20′W / 15.17°N 94.33°W / 15.17; -94.33 130 km (81 mi) southwest of Tonalá 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.9
10 8 September 2017 6:25:56 15°54′N 95°07′W / 15.90°N 95.11°W / 15.90; -95.11 32 km (20 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 59.0 km (36.7 mi) 5.0
11 8 September 2017 6:43:07 15°50′N 95°02′W / 15.83°N 95.04°W / 15.83; -95.04 42 km (26 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 59.0 km (36.7 mi) 5.2
12 8 September 2017 9:24:59 15°47′N 94°56′W / 15.78°N 94.93°W / 15.78; -94.93 94 km (58 mi) southwest of Arriaga 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.3
13 8 September 2017 9:45:00 15°44′N 94°54′W / 15.73°N 94.90°W / 15.73; -94.90 60 km (37 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 97.0 km (60.3 mi) 5.5
14 8 September 2017 12:02:55 15°46′N 94°56′W / 15.77°N 94.94°W / 15.77; -94.94 54 km (34 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 71.0 km (44.1 mi) 5.0
15 8 September 2017 13:24:14 16°03′N 95°20′W / 16.05°N 95.33°W / 16.05; -95.33 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Salina Cruz 75.0 km (46.6 mi) 5.1
16 8 September 2017 13:57:23 16°10′N 95°14′W / 16.17°N 95.24°W / 16.17; -95.24 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Salina Cruz 65.0 km (40.4 mi) 5.2
17 8 September 2017 21:32:07 15°05′N 94°20′W / 15.08°N 94.33°W / 15.08; -94.33 127 km (79 mi) southwest of Tonalá 20.0 km (12.4 mi) 5.4
18 8 September 2017 22:08:14 15°43′N 94°32′W / 15.71°N 94.54°W / 15.71; -94.54 87 km (54 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.3
19 8 September 2017 23:54:48 14°44′N 94°15′W / 14.73°N 94.25°W / 14.73; -94.25 154 km (96 mi) southwest of Pijijiapan 20.0 km (12.4 mi) 5.6
20 9 September 2017 0:22:16 15°31′N 94°51′W / 15.52°N 94.85°W / 15.52; -94.85 82 km (51 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.2
21 9 September 2017 1:24:20 15°39′N 95°02′W / 15.65°N 95.04°W / 15.65; -95.04 61 km (38 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 17.0 km (10.6 mi) 5.0
22 9 September 2017 7:17:40 15°47′N 94°56′W / 15.79°N 94.93°W / 15.79; -94.93 52 km (32 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 55.0 km (34.2 mi) 5.4
23 9 September 2017 10:30:09 15°43′N 95°04′W / 15.71°N 95.06°W / 15.71; -95.06 54 km (34 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 26.0 km (16.2 mi) 5.0
24 9 September 2017 15:26:16 15°39′N 94°55′W / 15.65°N 94.91°W / 15.65; -94.91 66 km (41 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 32.0 km (19.9 mi) 5.0
25 9 September 2017 22:07:21 15°18′N 94°42′W / 15.30°N 94.70°W / 15.30; -94.70 111 km (69 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 15.0 km (9.3 mi) 5.8
26 10 September 2017 10:28:50 15°13′N 94°34′W / 15.21°N 94.57°W / 15.21; -94.57 127 km (79 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 20.0 km (12.4 mi) 5.0
27 11 September 2017 9:55:58 15°15′N 94°33′W / 15.25°N 94.55°W / 15.25; -94.55 124 km (77 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.2
28 11 September 2017 16:09:13 15°03′N 94°14′W / 15.05°N 94.24°W / 15.05; -94.24 140 km (87 mi) southwest of Tonalá 20.0 km (12.4 mi) 5.2
29 11 September 2017 20:12:31 15°01′N 94°58′W / 15.02°N 94.96°W / 15.02; -94.96 126 km (78 mi) southwest of Tonalá 34.0 km (21.1 mi) 5.6
30 12 September 2017 0:08:45 15°01′N 93°59′W / 15.01°N 93.98°W / 15.01; -93.98 111 km (69 mi) southwest of Pijijiapan 13.0 km (8.1 mi) 5.3
31 12 September 2017 4:20:01 15°32′N 95°04′W / 15.53°N 95.06°W / 15.53; -95.06 73 km (45 mi) south of Salina Cruz 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.0
32 12 September 2017 15:07:30 15°22′N 94°48′W / 15.37°N 94.80°W / 15.37; -94.80 99 km (62 mi) southeast of Salina Cruz 16.0 km (9.9 mi) 5.0

Damage and aftermath

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Damage to Juchitán de Zaragoza City Hall
City Hall in November 2006
City Hall on 8 September 2017

Within Chiapas, an estimated 1.5 million people were affected by the earthquake, with 41,000 homes damaged.[25][26] Jose Calzada, Minister of Agriculture, reported that at least 98 people had died in the earthquake, including 78 in Oaxaca, 16 in Chiapas and 4 in Tabasco. The Secretariat of the Interior declared a state of emergency for 122 municipalities in Chiapas,[27] and the Mexican Army was deployed to aid in disaster relief.[28] Schools were closed on 8 September in 11 states for safety inspections.[29] Damage in Veracruz was reported, meanwhile the state is expecting the arrival of Hurricane Katia on 9 September.[29] Hurricane Max made landfall in Guerrero state on 14 September, near the earthquake-stricken region.[30]

Buildings in Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, closest to the epicenter, were "reduced to rubble" according to reports from the town's mayor.[31]

The earthquake also caused buildings to shake and sway in Mexico City, while also knocking out electricity for 1.8 million people.[25][29] There were reports of glass shattered at Mexico City International Airport.[32] A highway bridge under construction near Mexico City's new international airport collapsed due to the shaking.[33]

The epicenter was near Mexico's border with Guatemala, where the quake was felt in Guatemala City, and infrastructure damage was reported by CONRED in the nation's south-west.[2] President Jimmy Morales stated that one Guatemalan was killed.[34]

  • President Enrique Peña Nieto inspecting damage to a home in Juchitán, Oaxaca
    President Enrique Peña Nieto inspecting damage to a home in Juchitán, Oaxaca
  • Collection Center for the victims of the earthquake, Mexico City City Hall
    Collection Center for the victims of the earthquake, Mexico City City Hall

Response

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On 11 September, Mexico recalled its aid to the United States, offered in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, to focus on earthquake recovery.[35]

United States President Donald Trump called Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on 14 September, a week after the earthquake, to express his condolences.[36]

Three years after the earthquake, Governor Alejandro Murat reported that 60,000 homes have been rebuilt, but that many others still have not been. He reported that sixty health centers have been reconstructed, and in 2020 they plan to rebuild 2,000 schools.[37]

See also

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Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2017 Chiapas earthquake.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e ANSS: Chiapas 2017 .
  2. ^ a b Cumes, William (7 September 2017). "Temblor de 7.7 grados sacude Guatemala". Prensa Libre (in Spanish).
  3. ^ "Event:CHIAPAS, MEXICO". National Geophysical Data Center.
  4. ^ "2017 Chiapas earthquake shakemap".
  5. ^ a b @SSNMexico (21 September 2017). "Hasta las 5:30 am del 21-sep: 34 réplicas (M4.0 la mayor) del sismo del 19-sep M7.1 y 3831 réplicas (M6.1 la mayor) del sismo del 7-sep M8.2" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ ANSS. "M 8.2 – 87 km SW of Pijijiapan, Mexico". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 7 September 2017. Subsequently redirected to ANSS. "M 8.2 – 101 km SSW of Tres Picos, Mexico". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  7. ^ a b "Earthquake of magnitude 8.1 strikes off Mexico's Pacific coast". BBC News. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (8 September 2017). "Tsunami Message Number 17". Ewa Beach, Hawaii: National Weather Service. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Tsunami Message Number 5 (0653 UTC Fri Sep 8 2017)". National Weather Service (United States). 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  10. ^ a b c Graham, Chris; Johnson, Jamie; Strange, Hannah; Badcock, James (8 September 2017). "Mexico hit by 'strongest earthquake in a century' as magnitude 8.2 tremor triggers tsunami waves – latest news". The Telegraph.
  11. ^ Richard Hartley, Parkinson (8 September 2017). "Most powerful earthquake in 230 years hits Mexico sparking tsunami". Metro. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  12. ^ "World – M7+ in 2017". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  13. ^ Singh, S.K.; M. Ordaz; L. Alcantara; N. Shapiro; V. Kostoglodov; J. F. Pacheco; S. Alcocer; C. Gutierrez; R. Quaas; T. Mikumo; E. Ovando; J. Aguirre; D. Almora; J. G. Anderson; M. Ayala; C. Javier; G. Castro; R. Duran; G. Espitia; J. Estrada; E. Guevara; J. Lermo; B. Lopez; O. Lopez; M. Macias; E. Mena; M. Ortega; C. Perez; J. Perez; M. Romo; M. Ramirez; C. Reyes; R. Ruiz; H. Sandoval; M. Torres; E. Vazquez; R. Vazquez; J. M. Velasco & J. Ylizaturri (2000). "The Oaxaca earthquake of 30 September 1999 (MW = 7.5)" (PDF). Seismological Research Letters. 71 (1): 67–78. doi:10.1785/gssrl.71.1.67. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  14. ^ Taylor, Adam (8 September 2017). "Mexico's cataclysmic history of earthquakes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Se activa, por error, alerta sísmica en CDMX; descartan sismo" [Seismic alert in CDMX is activated by mistake; disregard earthquake]. El Universal (in Spanish). 6 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Reporte de Sismo: Sismo del día 07 de Septiembre de 2017, Chiapas (M 8.2)" [Earthquake Report: Earthquake of 7 September 2017, Chiapas (M 8.2)] (PDF) (in Spanish). National Seismological Service. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  17. ^ a b Melgar D.; Ruiz-Angulo A.; Garcia E.S.; Manea M.; Manea V.C.; Xu X.; Ramirez-Herrera M.T.; Zaval-Hidalgo J.; Geng J. (2018). "Deep embrittlement and complete rupture of the lithosphere during the Mw8.2 Tehuantepec earthquake". Nature Geoscience. 11 (12): 955–960. Bibcode:2018NatGe..11..955M. doi:10.1038/s41561-018-0229-y. S2CID 133956015.
  18. ^ Osborne, Hannah (8 September 2017). "Biggest earthquake to hit Mexico in over a century moved fault by 32 feet". Newsweek. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  19. ^ Partlow, Joshua (8 September 2017). "At least 58 killed in massive earthquake off Mexico coast". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  20. ^ Wade, Lizzie (15 September 2017). "Unusual Mexico earthquake may have relieved stress in seismic gap". Science Magazine. 357 (6356): 1084. doi:10.1126/science.357.6356.1084. ISSN 1095-9203. OCLC 1644869. PMID 28912223. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  21. ^ "Mexico earthquake: mass evacuations after strongest tremor in a century". The Guardian. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  22. ^ "At least six die in huge Mexico quake, small tsunami triggered – Video". Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  23. ^ Malkin, Elisabeth; Ramzy, Austin (8 September 2017). "Strong Earthquake Hits Off Mexico's Coast". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Search Results". USDS.
  25. ^ a b "Death toll rises to 60 in powerful Mexico earthquake". Associated Press. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  26. ^ "Thousands of homes wrecked by huge Mexican quake, death toll at 90". Reuters. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  27. ^ Mandujano, Isaín (8 September 2017). "La Segob declara "emergencia extraordinaria" en 122 municipios de Chiapas por sismo" [Secretariat of the Interior declares "extraordinary emergency" in 122 Chiapas municipalities after earthquake]. Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  28. ^ Garcia, Dennis A. (8 September 2017). "Sedena aplica Plan DN-III-E en Chiapas y Oaxaca" [Sedena applies DN-III-E plan in Chiapas and Oaxaca]. El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  29. ^ a b c Sherman, Cristopher; Castillo, Eduardo (8 September 2017). "'The house moved like chewing gum': Dozens killed in Mexico earthquake as country braces for hurricane". The National Post. Toronto. Associated Press. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  30. ^ "Hurricane Max lashes earthquake-hit area of southwest Mexico". Channel NewsAsia. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  31. ^ Cortes, Jose (8 September 2017). "At least 58 die in Mexico's strongest quake in 85 years". Reuters. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  32. ^ Malkin, Elisabeth; Ramzy, Austin (8 September 2017). "Mexico Earthquake, at 8.1 Magnitude, Is Felt for Hundreds of Miles". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  33. ^ Navarro, Andrea (13 September 2017). "In Mexico City Mud, Pena Nieto's $13 Billion Airport Project Bogs Down". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  34. ^ Linthicum, Kate; Sanchez, Cecilia (8 September 2017). "From toppled buildings to at least 32 deaths, Mexico's most powerful quake in years prompts chaos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  35. ^ Agren, David (11 September 2017). "Mexico withdraws Harvey aid offer as it focuses on earthquake recovery". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  36. ^ Partlow, Joshua (14 September 2017). "Was it just the cell signal? Mexicans wonder why Trump took so long to offer his earthquake condolences". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Familias siguen sin casa en Oaxaca cuando se cumplen tres años del terremoto". www.msn.com (in Spanish). EFE. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
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