On 19 September 2022, a

moment magnitude 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 ...

7.6–7.7 earthquake struck between the

Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...

s of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

and

Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...

at 13:05:06

local time Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...

. The earthquake had a depth of , resulting in a maximum intensity of VIII (''Severe'') on the

Modified Mercalli intensity scale The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake. Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or ...

. The

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

reported the epicentre was southwest of the town of

Aquila Aquila may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Aquila'', a series of books by S.P. Somtow * ''Aquila'', a 1997 book by Andrew Norriss * ''Aquila'' (children's magazine), a UK-based children's magazine * ''Aquila'' (journal), an orni ...

(near the municipality of Coalcomán). Two people were killed and at least 35 others were injured across several states. A magnitude 6.8 aftershock struck on 22 September, causing three more deaths. The earthquake coincidentally occurred on the 37th anniversary of the

1985 Mexico City earthquake The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Modified Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The ev ...

, which killed around 10,000 people, and the fifth anniversary of the

2017 Puebla earthquake The 2017 Puebla earthquake, also known as 19S, struck at 13:14 CDT (18:14 UTC) on 19 September 2017 with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 and strong shaking for about 20 seconds. Its epicenter was about south of the city of Puebla, Mexico. ...

that struck the state of

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

and killed 370 people. A national earthquake drill was being held shortly after midday, less than an hour before the earthquake struck.

Tectonic setting

This shallow earthquake occurred in a seismically active zone near the coast of central Mexico. The earthquake occurred near the juncture of three

tectonic plates Plate tectonics (, ) is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago. The model builds on the concept of , an idea developed durin ...

, which are the North American plate to the northeast, the

Rivera plate The Rivera plate is a small tectonic plate (a microplate) located off the west coast of Mexico, just south of the Baja California peninsula. It is bounded on the northwest by the East Pacific Rise, on the southwest by the Rivera Transform Fa ...

to the northwest, and the Cocos plate to the south. Both the Rivera plate and the Cocos plate are being

subducted Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere and some continental lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at the convergent boundaries between tectonic plates. Where one tectonic plate converges with a second plat ...

beneath the North American plate. The slower subducting Rivera plate is moving northwest at about per year relative to the North American plate and the faster Cocos plate is moving in a similar direction at a rate of about per year. Several significant earthquakes have occurred near the recent event. In 1932, a magnitude 8.1 thrust earthquake struck northwest of the 2022 event. On 21 January 2003, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck nearby, killing 29 people. On 9 October 1995, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck west of the 2022 event, killing 49 people and leaving 1,000 others homeless. The most deadly earthquake in the region also occurred in

exactly 37 years earlier. This magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed thousands of people, injured about 30,000, and left 100,000 people homeless.

Earthquake

The earthquake occurred as a result of

thrust fault A thrust fault is a break in the Earth's crust, across which older rocks are pushed above younger rocks. Thrust geometry and nomenclature Reverse faults A thrust fault is a type of reverse fault that has a dip of 45 degrees or less. I ...

ing, on the tectonic boundary between the Cocos plate and the North American plate. This earthquake occurred close to events in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

and

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. The United States Geological Survey said that earthquakes of this size typically

rupture Rupture may refer to: General * Rupture (engineering), a failure of tough ductile materials loaded in tension Anatomy and medicine * Abdominal hernia, formerly referred to as "a rupture" * Achilles tendon rupture * Rupture of membranes, a "water ...

over an area measuring x . A majority of coseismic slip occurred directly beneath land rather than offshore with a maximum displacement at . The subduction interface ruptured at depth and along the subduction strike. The event produced a maximum slip of . The rupture area overlapped that of a 7.6 earthquake in 1973 with similar rupture size and source duration.

Tsunami

In Manzanillo, Colima, a tsunami was observed reaching . The tsunami reached at a lagoon near Manzanillo, flooding the coastal neighbourhood of Valle de Las Garzas. Near the epicenter, the National Mareographic Service recorded a tsunami, and at Acapulco, the tsunami measured . In

Zihuatanejo Zihuatanejo (), and/or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was known by 18th-century English mariners as Chequetan and/or Seguataneo. Politically the city belongs to the municipalities of Mexico, m ...

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

, the tsunami had heights of at least . Sea level fluctuations at Las Salinas lagoon in Zihuatanejo were observed. A tsunami of was observed in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. A

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 ...

reaching occurred in

Devils Hole Devils Hole is a geologic formation located in a detached unit of Death Valley National Park and surrounded by the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in Nye County, Nevada, in the Southwestern United States. Devils Hole is habitat for the on ...

Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is a national park of the United States that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern sect ...

in the United States, about away.

Impact

Colima

Two people were killed and nine were injured in Colima. At least 2,790 homes across 10 municipalities, 20 buildings, two temples and seven medical facilities were damaged. Five bridges and eight roads were destroyed. In Manzanillo, one person died when a fence fell on him and some landslides were reported. At Point Plaza Bahia, a mall in the city, a gym partially collapsed, killing one person. Communications were disrupted in

Tecomán Tecomán is a city and seat of the municipality of Tecomán in the Mexican state of Colima, about 50 km south of the city of Colima. In the 2005 census the city had a population of 112,726 people. It is the third-largest community in the st ...

and

Comala f''or the pseudonymous artist, see Therese Emilie Henriette Winkel'' Comala () is a town and municipality located in the Mexican state of Colima, near the state capital of Colima, being the northernmost and second smallest municipality in Colima ...

, close to the epicentre. A gas tank explosion in Tecomán left four people, including two children, injured.

Michoacán

At least 3,161 homes and 89 schools were affected across Coalcomán, Chinicuila, Coahuayana and Aquila— 800 of which collapsed. The heaviest damage was in Coahuayana, where 1,143 homes were impacted, including 398 which were razed. Damage was reported in 21 hospitals but only two had to be evacuated. Structural damage occurred in eight churches. Several bridges and communication lines were affected. One road collapsed. In Coahuayana, 26 people were injured including one due to a gas explosion.

Jalisco

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

, a man's arm was amputated at the elbow during an elevator accident. Debris fell from the temples of San Agustín and La Merced in the city center. At

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...

, ceilings and windows fell from buildings, and some apartment buildings showed cracks between slabs, beams and ground floors. In the town of Tolimán, at least eight houses collapsed.

Nayarit

In the state capital, both towers of Tepic Cathedral were heavily damaged, with debris falling from one. In the Villas de Arana subdivision, homes and a hospital were damaged. At

Ixtlán del Río Ixtlán del Río is both a municipality and the municipal seat in the Mexican state of Nayarit. In 2018, the population of the municipality was 33,289, with 35,180 residents living in the municipal seat. The total area of the municipality is 581. ...

, the fence of an elementary school and a financial building were damaged. Stores were damaged and items fell in

Bahía de Banderas Bahía de Banderas (, Spanish language, Spanish for ''Bay of Flags'') is a bay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, within the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit, being the westernmost municipality in Nayarit. It is also the name of an administrati ...

. An abandoned school in Compostela cracked. Two people were injured in San Blas; one during a motorcycle accident and another due to a fall.

Mexico City

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, buildings swayed, and at least 97 structures were reported to have sustained slight to moderate damage, some of which were already damaged by previous earthquakes. At least 76 schools in the city were among those damaged. One school was significantly damaged and lessons were suspended.

Elsewhere

In addition to the areas identified above, the earthquake was felt strongly in parts of

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

México Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Morelos Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala, is one of the 32 federal entities that comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tlaxcala, 60 municipalities and t ...

, and

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

Aftershocks

Over 2,000 aftershocks were recorded. A 5.8 aftershock at 02:17 on 20 September occurred at a depth of and was the result of normal faulting along a NW–SE striking, shallow NE dipping plane or a SE–NW striking, steep SW dipping plane. A magnitude 6.8 aftershock at 01:16 on 22 September at a depth of caused power outages in many areas, including

, where two people were killed; one after falling from a staircase and another due to a heart attack. At least 22 buildings were also damaged in the city, one of them seriously. The quake damaged at least one building in the city of

Uruapan Uruapan () is the second largest city in the Mexico, Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Tarascan Plateau, Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente (Mexico), Tierra Caliente region. Since the c ...

. In

, a 5-month-old baby died when a gas explosion occurred. Five others were also injured, including two from said gas explosion. In the city of

Metepec Metepec () is a municipality in the State of Mexico in Mexico and is located directly to the east of the state capital, Toluca, at an altitude of above sea level. The center of Mexico City lies some 50 km further to the east. The city of ...

, in the

state of Mexico The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...

, at least four school buildings were slightly damaged.

References

External links

*
M 7.6 – MICHOACAN, MEXICO – 2022-09-19 18:05:08 UTC
– European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre {{DEFAULTSORT:Michoacán earthquake, 2022 2022 earthquakes 2022 in Mexico 21st century in Michoacán September 2022 in Mexico Earthquakes in Mexico History of Colima History of Jalisco History of Nayarit 2022 tsunamis 2022 disasters in Mexico