Mexico City, Built on `Gelatin,’ Unprepared for the Next Quake
The abandoned 15-story building in downtown Mexico City that once served as a federal budget office is a reminder of the 1985 earthquake that killed 10,000 and residents’ concern about the next one.
“I wish they would tear it down,'’ said Josefina Angel Rojas, 70, who sells magazines and snacks from a stand beneath the building at the corner of Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas and Arcos de Belen. “If an earthquake comes, we’ll just have to run.'’
Government officials say a quake similar in magnitude to the temblor that occurred 20 years ago this week may happen in the next decade because of pressure building in a geological fault off the western coast of the country. The 1985 quake had a magnitude of 8.1.
As many as 46,000 buildings in the downtown area would be threatened by a major quake, according to a study by El Colegio de Mexico and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The buildings were constructed before the 1985 earthquake and don’t adhere to stricter building codes put in place afterward, said Sergio Puente, one of the authors of the study.
More: bloomberg.com
Moderate quake shakes western Mexico
An earthquake shook part of western Mexico on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
The 5.4-magnitude temblor struck shortly before 1:30 p.m. and was centered in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Michoacan state, 45 miles southeast of the port city of Manzanillo, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Center.
Local authorities said the quake did not cause any damage but was strong enough to be felt in Guadalajara, Mexicos second-largest city, 280 miles northwest of Mexico City.
More : chron.com
Katrina echoes Mexico City's 1985 quake
For Mexico City, Hurricane Katrina had strong echoes of the earthquake 20 years ago that toppled buildings, hit the poor hardest and shook Mexicans' faith in government.
The skyline is soaring as the capital marks the 20th anniversary Monday of the earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people and leveled whole sections of the city. But some scars are still visible and scientists say the city may be unprepared for the next quake.
"That the poor were the ones that couldn't evacuate (from New Orleans) is something that caught our attention," said Luis Wintergerst, the city's director
Katrina echoes Mexico City's 1985 quake
For Mexico City, Hurricane Katrina had strong echoes of the earthquake 20 years ago that toppled buildings, hit the poor hardest and shook Mexicans' faith in government.
The skyline is soaring as the capital marks the 20th anniversary Monday of the earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people and leveled whole sections of the city. But some scars are still visible and scientists say the city may be unprepared for the next quake.
"That the poor were the ones that couldn't evacuate (from New Orleans) is something that caught our attention," said Luis Wintergerst, the city's
Mexico better armed for disaster after 1985 quake
The devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has stirred up memories of the earthquake that reduced parts of Mexico City to rubble 20 years ago, but the capital has armed itself for the next time disaster hits.
The Sept. 19, 1985 earthquake, measuring a giddy 8.1 on the Richter scale, caught Mexico off guard, killing thousands as it toppled housing blocks and office buildings in a city built on the soft mud left by a dried-up pre-Hispanic lake.
"It was pure panic. People were running about, getting hit by cars. There were gas leaks, water leaks.
Aftershocks Continue To Rattle US-Mexico Border
Calexico Several light aftershocks continue to rattle the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quakes were centered just south of the border, about 30 miles southeast of Calexico.
A magnitude 4.2 temblor hit at 12:40 a.m. and was followed nearly two hours later by a magnitude 3.0 quake.
Two other quakes between a magnitude of 3.4 and 4.4 struck in the same area around 5 a.m.
Early Saturday magnitude 3.1 temblor hit at 2:31 a.m. and was followed about an hour later by a magnitude 4.2 quake.
More: cbs5.com
Huge '85 Earthquake Jolted Mexico Into Preparedness
Scientists who took high-tech data readings on the temblor reflect on the experience, the damage and the reforms stemming from them.
Twenty years ago, American seismologist John G. Anderson bet that the west coast of Mexico was due for a catastrophic earthquake.
He and colleagues used money from a National Science Foundation grant to buy 30 seismic monitors and install them in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan, aiming to be the first to digitally record a great quake.
Most of the monitors were in place on the morning of Sept. 19, 1985, when strong-motion sensors
Strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake occurs off Mexico's Baja California coast
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake occurred in the pre-dawn hours off the coast of the Baja California peninsula in the Sea of Cortes, also known as the Gulf of California, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colorado reported.
The quake occurred about 2:32 a.m. local time (0832 GMT), and was centered about 56 miles (89 kilometers) northeast of Santa Rosalia, Baja California. The quake occurred at an estimated depth of six miles (10 kilometers), the center reported.
The area is sparsely populated, and there were no immediate reports of damage
GLOBAL MARKETS-Safe haven assets rally on quake off Mexico coast
Reports of an earthquake in Mexico's Gulf of California boosted demand for safe-haven government bonds on Wednesday, lifting U.S, euro zone bond futures and the Swiss franc sharply higher.
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the northern Mexican mainland.
March Bund futures hit a session high of 121.97 coming within a whisker of a nine-week peak as news filtered through the markets boosting demand for risk-free assets.
"There's talk of an earthquake in the Gulf of California. This is pushing bonds up," said David
Earthquake shakes Mexican capital
An earthquake has rocked central Mexico, prompting the evacuation of a number of buildings in the capital.
Hundreds of people are said to have run onto the streets of Mexico City as skyscrapers swayed. No injuries have been reported.
The quake was estimated to have a magnitude of 5.9 and was centred 200km (125 miles) south-west of the capital.
The Mexico City area is often hit by tremors. The last major earthquake, in 1985, killed thousands of people.
Source : news.bbc.co.uk
Two small quakes rattle along California-Mexico border
Two small earthquakes rattled just south of the U.S.-Mexico border Friday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
Two magnitude-3.3 temblors struck at 4:21 p.m. and 4:49 p.m. centered about 19 miles south-southeast of the border city of Calexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A dispatcher at the Imperial County Sheriff's Department said she had received no reports of injury or damage from either quake.
More: mercurynews.com
