Reporter of the Economic Business: Wen Qiao Reporter of the Economic Business Business: Gao Han
According to Xinhua News Agency , the Mexico National Earthquake Administration said on the 19th that a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred in the western part of the country m. in the afternoon of the same day. According to the latest report from Reuters , the earthquake has killed two people. According to information from the Chinese Embassy in Mexico, there are currently no information reports on casualties of Chinese citizens in the earthquake.
According to information released by the Mexican National Earthquake Administration, the earthquake occurred at 13:5 local time on the 19th (2:5 Beijing time on the 20th). The epicenter is located 63 kilometers south of Koalkoman, Michoacan, with an epicenter depth of 15 kilometers. The US Geological Survey determined that the magnitude of of this earthquake was 7.6.
Mexico Federal Electricity Commission said that the earthquake that day had affected 1.2 million electricity users in five regions of the country, and 68% of users have resumed electricity use.
Previously, the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning to coastal areas. However, according to the latest report from CNN, the center said that the current tsunami threat "has basically passed", and the latest data shows that the wave height has dropped.
It is worth noting that this day also happened to be the anniversary of the earthquake of Mexico - on 1985 and September 19, 2017, two strong earthquakes hit the country. In this regard, experts said this was just a coincidence and there was no scientific explanation for three major earthquakes on the same day.
Since 1985, Mexico has experienced three earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above, more than 10 earthquakes of magnitude 7 and above, and countless earthquakes of magnitude 7 and below. Why are earthquakes in Mexico so frequent?
September 19th, in the Mexican capital Mexico City , people who are outdoors are comforting each other.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency Francisco Canetho Photo by
1.2 million households are affected, but the threat of tsunami has basically passed
According to a previous report by Xinhua News Agency, the Mexican civil defense department quoted data from the Mexican Navy and said that according to the analysis of the tsunami and earthquake situation in the past Mexico, this earthquake may cause a change in the height of waves of up to 82 cm in the waters near the epicenter.
Tsunami warnings in four states along the Pacific coast of Mexico were also activated, including Colima, Michoacan, Jalisco and Guerrero. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially stated that dangerous tsunamis could occur on the coast within 300 kilometers of the epicenter and asked people in threatened coastal areas to remain vigilant.
However, according to the latest CNN report, the tsunami warning was released immediately after the earthquake and was revised later. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat "has basically gone" and the group's latest data shows that the wave height has dropped. Previously, the center expected that waves up to 3 meters would hit Mexico and simultaneously attack the Pacific coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica , Ecuador , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Nicaragua , Panama and Peru .
This earthquake also had an impact on residents' electricity use. According to foreign media reports, the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission said that the earthquake has affected 1.2 million electricity users in five regions, 8% of the 14.6 million users in these states have been affected, and 68% of the users have resumed electricity use. Statistics show that the country's capital and Mexico's were the worst hit, affecting more than 900,000 electricity users. In addition, there are 145,000 in Colima, 106,000 in Michoacan, the epicenter, and 72,000 in Jalisco.
It is worth noting that on September 19, there were two major earthquakes on Mexico History . At 7:19 on September 19, 1985, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurred in Mexico, killing more than 7,000 people and injuring 11,000 people. It is reported that the earthquake caused losses of US$3 billion to US$4 billion; on September 19, 2017, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in Morelos State in central Mexico, killing about 370 people.
According to CCTV News, just before the earthquake, many places such as Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, had just held earthquake early warning exercises.On the morning of September 19 local time, Mexican President Lopez presided over a commemorative event for the victims of the 1985 and 2017 Mexican earthquake, and at the same time, lowered the flag and held a 1-minute silence ceremony.
According to Bloomberg, experts from the Institute of Physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico calculated that the probability of three major earthquakes occurring in the same country on the same day in different years is 0.00075%. The university said there was no scientific explanation for the three major earthquakes that occurred on the same day and blamed them on coincidence.
USGS seismologist Paul Earle also said that this is just a coincidence that the earthquake in Mexico did not have statistical deviations from any particular month.
On September 19, in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, civil defense personnel guided the people who were hiding outdoors.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency Francisco Canetho Photo
is located in the subduction zone, with an average of 40 earthquakes per day
" Daily Economic News " reporters checked the information and found that since 1985, Mexico has had three earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above, more than 10 earthquakes of magnitude 7 and above, and countless earthquakes of magnitude 7 and above. According to foreign media reports, data from the Mexican National Earthquake Administration shows that an average of 40 earthquakes of varying sizes occur every day in Mexico.
So, why do Mexico earthquakes occur frequently? The geographical location of its subduction zone is the reason why the country is prone to severe earthquakes. The subduction zone usually refers to the tectonic belt in which the oceanic plate submerges below the continental plate.
Public information shows that Mexico is located at the junction of the three largest plates on the earth, namely the North American plate, the Pacific plate and the Cocos plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is located on the Pacific Rim seismic belt , which is the most active earthquake zone in the world.
The Cocos plate is moving northeastward at a speed of 50 to 70 mm every year, and is gradually sinking below the North American plate. Over time, the friction of the plate causes the pressure to increase, and the ultimate suppressed energy will be released in the form of an earthquake.
In addition, according to foreign media reports, the density of the Cocos plate is higher than that of Mexico's land, which also means that the country's land is easily squeezed and broken. Therefore, it is not surprising that Mexico's frequent earthquakes occur.
At present, the specific reasons for the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Mexico have not been announced yet. However, the two major earthquakes in Mexico in 2017 were caused by this subduction zone along the west coast of Central America – from central Mexico to Panama. Experts say the subduction zone is the culprit for the world's strongest earthquake.
Gavin Hayes, a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, said in an interview with the New York Times that earthquakes of magnitude 9.0 or higher can only occur in subduction zones. For example, the magnitude 9.1 earthquake that occurred in Japan in 2011, the magnitude 9.1 earthquake that occurred in Indonesia in 2004, the magnitude 9.2 earthquake that occurred in Alaska, USA in 1964, and the magnitude 9.5 earthquake that occurred in Chile in 1960 (the strongest earthquake on record) all occurred in the subduction zone.
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