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The 2010 Baja California earthquake (also known as 2010 Easter earthquake, 2010 Sierra El Mayor earthquake, or 2010 El Mayor – Cucapah earthquake) occurred on April 4 (
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
Sunday) with a moment magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong''). The shock originated at (3:40:41 PM PDT) south of
Guadalupe Victoria Guadalupe Victoria (; 29 September 178621 March 1843), born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican general and politician who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence and afte ...
,
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
, Mexico. The 89-second quake was widely felt throughout northwest Mexico and
southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. It was also the strongest to rock southern California in at least 18 years (since the M 7.3
1992 Landers earthquake The 1992 Landers earthquake occurred on Sunday, June 28 with an epicenter near the town of Landers, California, in San Bernardino County. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). Earthquak ...
), if not longer: the next most recent comparable earthquake—the 1952 Kern County earthquake (M 7.3)—was 58 years earlier. Each of these earthquakes had a similar magnitude, and was also felt across a large swath of North America. Most of the damage occurred in the twin cities of
Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...
and Calexico on the
Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...
.


Geology

The quake originally was believed to have occurred on the Laguna Salada Fault, which is about long and straddles the California–Baja California border. The active Laguna Salada Fault ruptured in February 1892 with an estimated 7.2 earthquake. By the distribution of aftershocks and using radar interferometry, the main shock rupture was found to have occurred on a previously unmapped fault in the Cucapah Mountains and beneath the Colorado River Delta. This fault line was named the Indiviso Fault, after the nearby town of El Indiviso. A liquefaction zone bounded by the Cerro Prieto Fault and the Laguna Salada Fault was observed.


Timeline


Foreshocks

Mexicali, El Centro, San Diego, Ensenada, and Tijuana are situated in a very active
seismic zone In seismology, a seismic zone or seismic belt is an area of seismicity potentially sharing a common cause. It can be referred to as an earthquake belt as well. It may also be a region on a map for which a common areal rate of seismicity is assume ...
and surrounded by important faults. An earthquake of such magnitude had been expected around the fault situated in the southeast of Mexicali. Before the 7.2 earthquake occurred, the surrounding area had been seismically active in 2009. Several
foreshock A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic eventthe mainshockand is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequenc ...
s began from April 1, 2010, with magnitudes of 3 and 4.


Mainshock

The earthquake measured 7.2 on the
moment magnitude scale The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mwg, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. was defined in a 1979 paper ...
that started south of
Guadalupe Victoria Guadalupe Victoria (; 29 September 178621 March 1843), born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican general and politician who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence and afte ...
,
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
, at a depth of . It occurred at 22:40 UTC (15:40 local time) on
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
Sunday, April 4, 2010, and it is said to have lasted about a minute and 29 seconds. Since the earthquake occurred on this day, it has been also called the Easter Sunday earthquake. Intensity VII (''Very strong'') shaking was felt in Calexico, Imperial, El Centro, and Heber. Intensity VI (''Strong'') shaking was felt in the Imperial Valley towns of
Ocotillo ''Fouquieria splendens'', commonly known as ocotillo, is a plant indigenous to the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Colorado deserts in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and nor ...
, Calipatria, Brawley, and Holtville. The April 4 quake was the second largest earthquake in
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
history after the 1892 Laguna Salada earthquake at a magnitude of 7.2–7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, and was well recorded in Southern California, especially in the Imperial valley.


Aftershocks

Four 
aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...
s with a magnitude of at least 5 have been reported; one at a magnitude of 5.2, one at 5.4, one at 5.1, and one at a magnitude of 5.7, all four within one hour. Additionally, a 5.3 aftershock hit the region very close to the mainshock epicenter on April 8, at approximately 9:44 AM local time. There have been at least nine large aftershocks in total. By six hours after the earthquake, more than 90 aftershocks or triggered earthquakes between magnitude 3.0 and 5.1 were recorded in northern Baja California and Southern California. This included a magnitude 3 event off the coast of
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...
. By the early hours of the following morning, scientists had measured 100 aftershocks. Pat Abbott, a professor emeritus of geology at
San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
, said, "Any quake of this size seems to pass some kind of threshold where it's large enough to disturb or trigger other faults. In cases like this, that often means increasing stress on other faults, which makes them more prone to movement. The energy seems to be moving northward toward the San Andreas Fault. I don't want to anthropomorphize, but it's like this quake was goading the San Andreas." It remains to be seen how the San Andreas Fault was affected by these temblors. The southern section of the
San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...
worries scientists, because it has not ruptured in more than 300 years. The region also includes other faults, including the Imperial Fault Zone. In the early morning hours of April 10, 2010, an aftershock measuring magnitude 4.4 was felt throughout most of Southern California and Baja California. It was said to have lasted about ten seconds. No injuries or damage were reported. Another aftershock measuring a similar magnitude struck Southern California on the morning of April 11. Seismologists in the
California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...
of Pasadena announced a 10 percent chance of another earthquake on the same magnitude (7.3) or greater to strike within the first week, and 5 percent in the rest of the month of April 2010. It also falls on the state of California's Earthquake Preparedness month, as state and FEMA officials urge the state citizens to take preparations, and schools and businesses conduct earthquake drills across the state. The California Geological survey added 50 new faults to its map of faults several weeks after the earthquake. Geological field work as of April 5, 2010, by Dr. Thomas Rockwell, professor of geology at San Diego State University, indicates about one meter of right-lateral surface faulting and 0.3 to 0.5 meters of vertical road offset on a fault that is located east of Laguna Salada Fault. Whether or not this is the Cerro Prieto Fault is unclear as of April 5. This is a developing field situation, as geologists are working to locate and measure the lateral extent of the surface faulting. A strong aftershock with a magnitude of 5.7 occurred on June 14, 2010, at 9:26:58 PM PDT, with an epicenter near
Ocotillo ''Fouquieria splendens'', commonly known as ocotillo, is a plant indigenous to the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Colorado deserts in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and nor ...
in southwestern Imperial County and a focal depth of 5.0 km. On July 7, 2010, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, triggered by the April 10, 2010, quake, occurred on the San Jacinto Fault, the most seismically
active fault An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...
in California, and one of two that exhibited signs of increased pressure following the Mexico quake. It was centered 15 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of the town of
Borrego Springs Borrego Springs (''borrego'' is Spanish for "sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in northeastern San Diego County, California. It is located within the Low Desert area of Southern California. The population was 3,073 at the 2020 census. ...
. The main quake in April had transferred stress to fault zones farther north, triggering the aftershock. The quake rattled buildings in downtown Los Angeles, toppled bottles off shelves, and briefly halted rides at Disneyland.


Impact


Mexico

Baja California state capital
Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...
was reported by
Comisión Federal de Electricidad The Comisión Federal de Electricidad () is the Government-owned company, state-owned electric utility of Mexico, widely known as CFE. The Mexican Constitution of Mexico, constitution states that the government is responsible for the control and ...
(CFE) Director General Alfredo Elías Ayub as being without electricity. There were at least two fatalities in Mexicali, one of which was caused by a collapsed house. At least 100 people were injured in Mexicali and its suburbs. Multiple fires were caused by ruptured natural gas lines and damaged
propane Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
tanks, and people were stuck in collapsed buildings as of the day after the quake. Major damage to irrigation systems occurred, severely impacting over 80,000 acres of agriculture in the Mexicali Valley. Groundwater flowed to the surface, flooding fields and damaging hundreds of miles of irrigation canals. 25,000 people overall were impacted by the earthquake.
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
reported that, "Pictures from Mexicali showed the sides ripped off buildings, toppled telephone poles, cracked roads, and supermarket aisles strewn with food that had fallen off shelves." Damage was also reported in a state government building in construction, and windows were broken at the
Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
in the city. According to the ''
San Diego Union Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'', the largest hospital in Mexicali sustained damage and was moving patients to other facilities. The quake was felt for about 40 seconds in
Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, Baja California, located to the west-southwest, where it caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in parts of the city. Families celebrating Easter ran out of the homes. A falling tree damaged a city water tank. Rescuers trying to reach Mexicali from Tijuana were slowed by a
landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...
along the highway. The earthquake cracked the main aqueduct that carries
Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
water from Mexicali to Tijuana, causing limitations on the water supply in Tijuana. The day after the quake, Baja California Governor José Guadalupe Osuna asked the federal government for a state of emergency to be declared.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. ...
visited the Mexicali area on Monday, April 5, to inspect the damage first-hand.


United States

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
seismologist Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes (or generally, quakes) and the generation and propagation of elastic ...
Dr. Lucy Jones said at least 20 million people in the United States and Mexico, including most of
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
, felt the quake. Sporadic power outages were reported throughout southern California. Skyscrapers shook in San Diego, California, northwest of the epicenter. The earthquake broke at least two water mains, one at a
Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a seco ...
department store in Fashion Valley Mall and another at
Mission Bay High School Mission Bay High School (MBHS) is a public high school in San Diego, California, adjacent to Mission Bay (San Diego), Mission Bay in the community of Pacific Beach, San Diego, Pacific Beach. It is a magnet school with emphasis on academic stu ...
. San Diego International Airport also had a water leak at Gate 33 in Terminal 2, and the terminal was evacuated for about 10 minutes due to fears of a natural gas leak. The Coronado Bridge over
San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port in San Diego County, California, near the Mexico–United States border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...
was briefly closed by the
California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...
as a precautionary measure. The Sheraton Hotel and Marina was evacuated when cracks were discovered in the floors and reoccupied once deemed to be safe. Electric service was disrupted across most of the
Imperial Valley The Imperial Valley ( or ''Valle Imperial'') of Southern California lies in Imperial and Riverside counties, with an urban area centered on the city of El Centro. The Valley is bordered by the Colorado River to the east and, in part, the S ...
. In
Calexico, California Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California ...
, Fire Chief Peter Mercado said that there were structural damage, leaking gas lines, and damage to the town's water system, but that no one was hurt. Calexico Police Lieutenant Gonzalo Gerardo said, "Downtown is going to remain closed until further notice. I honestly doubt that it will reopen soon. You've got a lot of cracks. You've got a lot of broken glass. It's unsafe for people to go there." The Calexico border crossing on California State Route 7 and a section of Interstate 8 were both closed. In El Centro, California, gas leaks, water main breaks, and collapsed chimneys and balconies were reported. A man was injured when he fell during the quake, and another man was injured when a sign fell on him. One city hospital had so many people, that
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
sent a truck with water canteens and sandwiches. It was felt in downtown Los Angeles, where there were no immediate reports of damage, although the
Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides firefighting services and technical rescue services, hazardous materials services, and emergency medical services to the residents of the city of Los Angeles, California, United ...
was put on alert. It was reported that some people were stuck in an elevator in
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
,
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...
, and in a
Century City Century City is a 176-acre (71.2 ha) neighborhood and business district in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located on the Westside to the south of Santa Monica Boulevard around 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Los Angeles, Cent ...
high-rise in Los Angeles. The rides in Disneyland were temporarily closed for inspection. In the
Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...
area, 3,369 residents experienced a "relatively momentary
ower Ower is a hamlet in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest towns are Totton – approximately to the southeast, and Romsey – around to the north-east. Ower lies on the A36 road northwest of Totton. It lies most ...
outage" from the quake, "but most were back in service shortly afterward".


See also

* 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes * Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station *
Lists of 21st-century earthquakes The following is a summary of significant earthquakes during the 21st century. In terms of fatalities, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was the most destructive event with 227,898 confirmed fatalities, f ...
*
List of earthquakes in 2010 Earthquakes in 2010 resulted in nearly 165,000 fatalities. Most of these were due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which caused an estimated 160,000 deaths, making it the 8th deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Other deadly quakes occurred in ...
*
List of earthquakes in the United States The following is a list of notable earthquakes and tsunamis which had their epicenter in areas that are now part of the United States with the latter affecting areas of the United States. Those in ''italics'' were not part of the United States wh ...
*
List of earthquakes in California A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, bu ...
* List of earthquakes in Mexico *
Seiche A seiche ( ) is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbors, caves, and seas. The key requirement for formatio ...


References


Further reading

*


External links


M7.2 – Baja California, Mexico
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

Rupture characteristics of M7.2 Sierra El Mayor (Mexico) earthquake
– PhD Y.Fialko * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baja California Earthquake, 2010
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
2010 in California 2010 in Mexico 2010 natural disasters in the United States
Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
Geology of Imperial County, California Natural history of Baja California Gulf of California
Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
Lower Colorado River Valley April 2010 in the United States April 2010 in Mexico 2010 disasters in Mexico