Are there earthquakes in Mexico?

Yes there are!  One of the most devastating earthquakes in Mexico was in 1985, when an 8.0 quake caused significant loss of life and property damage more than 300 km (186 miles) away in Mexico City.  Mexico City itself isn´t on a fault line, but it is on an ancient lake bed.  The soil under some parts of the city is clay rather than bedrock, and that has the effect of amplifying the effects of earthquakes quite far away.  We haven´t had a major quake in...

Yes there are!  One of the most devastating earthquakes in Mexico was in 1985, when an 8.0 quake caused significant loss of life and property damage more than 300 km (186 miles) away in Mexico City.  Mexico City itself isn´t on a fault line, but it is on an ancient lake bed.  The soil under some parts of the city is clay rather than bedrock, and that has the effect of amplifying the effects of earthquakes quite far away.  We haven´t had a major quake in Mexico City in many years, but we do get bounced around a bit by smaller quakes every so often. And as I mentioned, certain parts of the city are affected more than others - the downtown area, Col. Roma, and parts of Condesa tend to feel tremors more than most.

 

It is easy to be a bit freaked out by the possibility of earthquakes, but it is important to know that after the 1985 disaster, the city developed a number of plans to make sure we are better prepared and protected.  Building codes were strengthened and vulnerable buildings have been retrofitted.  Also, while there has been an alert system in place for years (including smartphone apps and social media alerts), it was recently updated and improved with impossible-to-ignore loudspeakers. We get a few minutes warning of quakes hundreds of kilometers away - just last week there was a 5.0 quake in Guerrero, and we got to experience the new warning system first hand, filing out of our building with all the neighbours.  We could see light poles swaying slightly, but didn´t actually feel the tremors on the ground. But better safe than sorry!

 

(Pictured: new construction in Mexico.)

 

 

 

Yes, there are earthquakes in Mexico. Normally they are small and most people do not even feel them. But one major earthquake on September 19, 1985 severely damaged Mexico City.

In a normal day, Mexico experiences 3 or 4 minor earthquakes. This really does not compare to the 20 minor earthquakes per day in California and Mexico is 4.6 times the size of California.

Major earthquakes are considered to be 7.0 or greater on the Richter Scale. There have been 49 of...

Yes, there are earthquakes in Mexico. Normally they are small and most people do not even feel them. But one major earthquake on September 19, 1985 severely damaged Mexico City.

In a normal day, Mexico experiences 3 or 4 minor earthquakes. This really does not compare to the 20 minor earthquakes per day in California and Mexico is 4.6 times the size of California.

Major earthquakes are considered to be 7.0 or greater on the Richter Scale. There have been 49 of these in Mexico in the past 100 years. That means an earthquake capable of major damage has occurred on an average of one every other year. Most of these have been away from populated areas and major buildings, etc. so their effects have been limited.

The 8.0 earthquake that severely damaged Mexico City actually occurred just off the Pacific coast but the shock waves created tremendous damage to Mexico City because it is built on an ancient lake-bed. Reports of casualties are completely unreliable and vary between 5,000 and 45,000 people killed.

The earthquake led to strengthened building codes and changes to many existing buildings. It also led to the Seismic Alert System of Mexico (SASMEX), which is considered one of the world’s most effective earthquake early warning systems. Notifications to citizens are issued simultaneously through siren, AM and FM radio broadcasts, opt-in text message services, television broadcasts, smart-phone apps, and social media alerts.

 

 

The public is notified directly for quakes greater than 6.0. Alerts are not issued for a minor quake. And only officials are notified for moderate quakes. The system is also customized to notify certain areas based on the distance from the epicenter. The alerts, when sent, are received by tens of thousands of receivers and at least give some warning.

In a recent earthquake, citizens in the closest cities had about 30 seconds to get somewhere safe and other cities had more than a minute of notice.

Evacuation drills are also practiced in all Mexican public buildings each year on September 19th (the anniversary of the Mexico City disaster). This keeps the public aware of possible danger and allows authorities to evaluate the response in the case of an earthquake.


Photo: Mexico City viewed from Chapultepec Castle