6,9 magnitude earthquake in Baja California

Humanitarian catastrophes (including resource wars and conflicts), natural, climate and industrial (except nuclear or oil forum fossil and nuclear energy). Pollution of the sea and oceans.
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6,9 magnitude earthquake in Baja California




View recyclinage » 04/08/09, 11:44

Mexico: earthquake of magnitude 6,9 in Baja California, no victims

(AFP) - 4 hours ago

MEXICO - A strong 6,9-magnitude earthquake struck the Mexican coast of the Gulf of California on Monday, but did not cause any loss of life or significant damage, according to the National Seismological Service of Mexico (SSN).

The earthquake occurred at 11:00 a.m. local time (18:00 p.m. GMT), at a depth between 14 and 15 kilometers, 79 kilometers from Santa Isabel, in Baja California (Mexico), in the northwest of the country, very close to the border with the United States, according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS).

The earthquake was preceded by another 5,8 magnitude five minutes earlier, then was followed by two more 5,0 and 5,9 magnitudes about half an hour later, the institute said. American.

The USGS estimates that there is no imminent risk of a tidal wave, although "earthquakes of this magnitude sometimes generate local tsunamis which can be destructive on coasts up to a few hundred kilometers from there. 'epicenter".

The earthquake caused no human loss or significant property damage, SSN director Carlos Valdez told AFP in Mexico City.

No damage was yet reported on the Mexican coast, in Baja California as on the other shore of the Gulf, in the state of Sonora, of which the town of Hermosillo is closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. No shock was felt in Hermosillo, according to an AFP correspondent.

However, the earthquake was seen across the border to San Diego. Some people were even evacuated there from an office building in the city center, according to local media.

Earthquakes of this type and magnitude are nothing unusual in this region, according to the director of the SSN. They produce only very rare damage, because they come from lateral slides of seismic plates, which do not cause a tidal wave, unlike slides approaching the vertical, explained Mr. Valdez.

The Gulf of California is an inland sea between the mainland and the peninsula of Baja California, much of which is desert and mountainous.

But its coast, riddled with small fishing ports, is very touristy. It is the starting point for walks in the waters of the Gulf, renowned for the diversity of their marine life. Whales make their home there every year.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved



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