The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. The earthquake caused damage in the Mexican states of Puebla and Morelos and in the Greater Mexico City area, including the collapse of more than 40 buildings. Depending on the frequency of the seismic waves, the movement of the ground can feed energy into buildings of a certain height. Coming off the heels of Mexico City's latest tragedy, however, the focus must be on the people of central Mexico. The quake damaged the Jojutla Municipal Palace. On the anniversary of a deadly 8.0 quake that struck central Mexico in 1985, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the same region, killing at least 200 people, destroying dozens of buildings and leaving millions without power. The death toll has been disputed, but about 5,000 bodies were … Until today, nobody really knows how many people perished as a result of the earthquake. Vote Now! A similarly deep but much larger magnitude 8.1-earthquake struck two weeks ago, also from the crumpling of the Cocos Plate. It produced strong motions felt by more than 12 million people, and noticeably swayed buildings in Mexico’s capital city, some of which collapsed. Mexican government officials are still tallying up the economic losses of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that caused widespread damage in the capital, … 17th Annual Photo Contest Finalists Announced. This movement is causing extreme tensions as the slab is rammed into the Earth. People remove debris off a building that collapsed in Mexico City. Tuesday's toll indicates there is yet more work to do. Rescuers in Mexico City work to save a child. An injured person is carried away after being rescued in Mexico City on Tuesday, September 19. In the history of Mexican earthquakes, Tuesday's was coincidentally the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 Michoacan earthquake, which resulted in thousands of deaths. People look for survivors in Mexico City on September 20. Recovery efforts take place at the collapse of a residential building in Mexico City on September 19. Keep up-to-date on: © 2021 Smithsonian Magazine. REBECCA LAI SEPT. 23, 2017 A 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday killed more than … About 1000 buildings, mostly of masonry and rein- The temblor nearly flattened the distant Mexico City, yet left many cities close to the epicenter nearly unscathed. Other seismologists have likened these lakebed dynamics to a bowl of Jello. A survivor is pulled out of rubble in Mexico City on September 20. Men carry beams of wood to offer help in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood on September 20. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people 32 years ago. But when they roll into the soft sediments of a basin, the vibrations can become trapped, reverberating back and forth through the material, explains Susan Hough, a seismologist with the USGS. Tuesday's earthquake took place on the anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed thousands in Mexico City in 1985. Initial reports are that the system worked Tuesday. As well, the tremors led to gas mains to break causing fires and explosions throughout Mexico City. The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). This was also the cause of the 8.1-earthquake that hit Mexico two weeks ago. Meantime Mexico's. Most of the damage was focused on the historic downtown area of Cuauhtémoc. A deadly M 7.1 earthquake struck nearby Mexico City yesterday, leaving over 200 dead and countless missing. When soils are saturated with water, intense shaking can cause them to lose their solid structures and begin acting like a liquid—to the point that the ground can swallow up cars like quick sand. Photos show the devastating impact of the deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rattled Mexico City, killing more than 220 people The quake killed at least 220 people Time.com A police officer runs toward the site where a building collapsed in Mexico City on September 19. While it is not yet known if this is a factor for the latest quake, “it would not be surprising,” says Polet. Its entire Pacific coast is a large and fast moving (that is, moving as fast as fingernails grow-- speedy in plate tectonics terms) plate boundary, often suffering large and great earthquakes. The event caused serious damage to the Greater Mexico Cityarea and the deaths of at least 5,000 people. In the early 1300s, attracted by those fertile soils, the Aztecs selected an island in the lake on which to build their capital city, Tenochtitlan, which eventually became Mexico City. When the damage was finally assessed, 3,000 buildings in Mexico City were demolished and another 100,000 suffered serious damage. One might assume that the Sept. 8 … Soldiers remove debris from a collapsed building in Mexico City on September 20. Further, the tremors caused gas mains to break, causing fires and explosions throughout the city. As buildings began to sway, crowds poured into the streets. Although there was severe damage in the coastal regions, the real disaster happened 220 miles away in Mexico City. A magnitude 7.1 quake. “When seismic waves make a basin shake at one of these natural frequencies, significant amplification may occur.”. As these plates scrape against one another, tension builds until they reach a breaking point—which is when an earthquake strikes. or The cure for earthquake devastation is well known -- fix the old buildings and improve construction methods -- and too complex and expensive to accomplish in less than decades. Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. When earthquake tremors hit solid rock, the rock simply shakes. KTLA- Damage Caused by 7.1 Earthquake in Mexico City. By LARRY BUCHANAN, JASMINE C. LEE, SERGIO PEÇANHA and K.K. This, as yesterday’s quake shows, causes them to sway—and eventually topple. The first of these occurred on 20 September with a magnitude of 7.5 and the sec… Earthquake kills dozens in central Mexico, 5 things you should know about earthquakes, See 15 years of earthquakes in 45 seconds, Search for survivors after tsunami continues, Deadly tsunami hits Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Hundreds of hikers rescued after earthquake, Relatives of missing people wait for news in front of a collapsed building in Mexico City on Friday, September 22. The reason: Ancient sediments that underlie the city trap and magnify the vibrations that ripple through the region. Powerful Earthquake Jolts Southern Mexico and Kills at Least 6 The 7.5-magnitude quake, centered on the Pacific Coast in the state of Oaxaca, damaged some structures and caused buildings to … Tuesday's earthquake, however, was caused by crumpling arising from the downward bending of the sinking Cocos Plate, rather than directly by slippage between plates. A man walks his bike past a partially collapsed building in Jojutla on September 20. It was 30 years ago today that at least 5,000 people — some estimates put the number at closer to 10,000, others at four times that — died in the powerful Mexico City earthquake of 1985. Mexico City sits atop an ancient shallow lake, with soils made of sediments that washed in from the surrounding mountains thousands of years ago. Follow him on Twitter at @seismoguy. Mexico shares your grief.”. … Cookie Policy That earthquake was an 8.0 magnitude and it caused extreme damage to Mexico City. Engineers who surveyed Mexico City reported little significant structural damage. “A basin will have natural frequencies, which depend on its shape and size, as well as the material properties of the sediments inside,” explains Jascha Polet, a geophysicist at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, via e-mail. The greatest impact was in densely populated Mexico City, but the shaking was even more intense in Puebla, closer to the epicenter. Rescue workers search for survivors Thursday, September 21, at a collapsed apartment building in Mexico City. Two weeks ago, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake—the strongest in a century—jolted southern Mexico, killing nearly 100 people. Two weeks ago, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake—the strongest in a century —jolted southern Mexico, killing nearly 100 people. The sequence of events included a foreshock of magnitude 5.2 that occurred the prior May, the main shock on 19 September, and two large aftershocks. The 1985 earthquake was the more typical great earthquake that breaks the boundary between the plates, and caused great devastation in Mexico City despite being more than 100 miles distant. In the 1985 earthquake, many large buildings were destroyed, and Tuesday's quake was another blow mostly to the older, less solidly constructed structures. First came the 8.1-magnitude earthquake that struck offshore of Chiapas, Mexico, killing dozens and turning many buildings in the nearby region into rubble. Mexico City’s lakebed geology also make it prone to an even more dramatic disaster: liquefaction. Rescue workers and volunteers search a collapsed building in Mexico City on September 19. Shortly after noon on Tuesday, an earthquake violently shook the area around Mexico City, collapsing numerous buildings into dust, killing more than 100. Along the coast of Mexico, the Cocos Plate slides underneath the North American Plate, moving about three inches per year. Give a Gift. But if you push at a consistent frequency, each push will send the child higher into the sky. If there is a silver lining to these destructive natural events, it’s that they present an opportunity for scientists to collect real world data in hopes of better understanding and coping with future disasters. “Unfortunately many people have lost their lives, including girls and boys in schools, buildings and houses. The earthquake happened on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that killed an estimated 9,500 people in and around Mexico City. Continue It is not immediately clear whether Tuesday's earthquake was triggered by the earlier one or if it is unrelated -- usually aftershocks are not so distant in time. "No one expected the intensities of motion that were recorded in Mexico City,” Berto said. Rescue workers remove rubble from a Mexico City building on September 19. Further, the tremors caused gas mains to break, causing fires and explosions throughout the city. President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday [Sept. 27] that preliminary accounting of the damage caused by the two big earthquakes that hit Mexico this … Mexico City's downtown area is notoriously vulnerable to earthquakes because of the very soft and wet ground underneath. There have been 34 earthquakes bigger than magnitude-7 within 300 miles of Tuesday's quake since 1900. Maya Wei-Haas is the assistant editor for science and innovation at Smithsonian.com. People sleep on the street next to damaged homes in Jojutla on September 20. Patients from a Mexico City hospital receive treatment outside after the hospital was evacuated on September 19. A woman in Mexico City cries as she tries to reach people on her cell phone after the quake. Updated 1429 GMT (2229 HKT) September 20, 2017. Almost nine million people live in Mexico City. Tuesday’s earthquake, however, was caused by … The seismic waves that were taking down buildings were five times greater than waves outside the city, according to measurements taken during that event, reported the LA Times. “No one had designed for it, and that is why so many buildings failed.”. Children's toys are seen in a damaged building in Mexico City on September 20. Mexico City is especially prone to severe damage because it is built on an ancient lakebed that amplifies the effect of earthquakes. This holds true even if the epicenter of the quake is positioned far from the city’s boundaries, which was the case for both this latest earthquake (which originated nearly 100 miles southeast of Mexico City in the state of Puebla), and the 1985 earthquake (whose epicenter was some 200 miles from the capital). A car is crushed by debris in Mexico City on September 19. A search goes on at the scene of a collapsed building in Mexico City's Del Valle neighborhood on September 19. 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