1973 Veracruz earthquake
   | |
| UTC time | 1973-08-28 09:50:41 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 757676 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | August 28, 1973 |
| Local time | 3:50 a.m. |
| Duration | 1–2 minutes[1] |
| Magnitude | 7.1 Mw[2] |
| Depth | 80.1 km (50 mi) |
| Epicenter | 18°14′N 96°28′W / 18.23°N 96.47°W |
| Areas affected | Mexico |
| Total damage | Severe[3] |
| Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe)[4] |
| Tsunami | No |
| Casualties | 539–1,000 dead[5] thousands injured[5] |
The 1973 Veracruz earthquake, also known as El Terremoto de Orizaba, occurred at 3:50 a.m. local time (9:50 GMT) on August 28, 1973, with the
Geography
The area that was damaged in Veracruz is tropical and mountainous; the
Past events
Mexico's southwest coast is much more seismically active than the southeast area near Orizaba. Earthquakes there have been relatively infrequent. The previous strong event in the region was on June 17, 1928, when a magnitude-7.8 event occurred south of Ciudad Serdán. However, the area 100 to 300 kilometers south of Ciudad Serdán does see more very strong earthquakes, with three events over magnitude 7 in 1928 alone.[7]
Damage
There was extensive damage, leaving hundreds dead and widespread devastation, in several cities in Puebla. The death toll was at least 600, with as many as 1,200 dead, and 212 casualties alone in the small Ciudad Serdán.[8] Major cities affected were Ciudad Serdán, Orizaba, Ixtaczoquitlán, Córdoba, Ciudad Mendoza, Zongolica, Tlacotepec, Río Blanco, and Acultzingo.
In Orizaba, a twelve-story apartment building collapsed. Many of the occupants, up to 100, were sleeping at the time, and this was the number proclaimed dead at that site.[9]
This event was the most disastrous earthquake in Puebla until the 1999 Tehuacán earthquake.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Irvine 1973, p. 6
- ^ a b "List of earthquakes in the ISC-GEM Catalogue with Mw from bibliography". International Seismological Centre. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- ^ a b Meehan 1974, p. 1
- ^ a b USGS (September 4, 2009), PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog, Version 2008_06.1, United States Geological Survey
- ^ Irvine 1973, pp. 4, 6
- ^ Irvine 1973, pp. 4, 5
- ISBN 978-0-521-82869-7.
- ^ "12-Story Apartment Collapses in Temblor; 100 Occupants Perish". Los Angeles Times. August 29, 1973.
Sources
- Irvine, H. Max (October 1973), The Veracruz earthquake of 28 August 1973, Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory (ASIN B0006Y7UIK
- Meehan, John F. (December 1974), "Reconnaissance report of the Veracruz, Mexico earthquake of August 28, 1973", Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 64 (6): 2011–2025, S2CID 133422476
Further reading
- Singh, S. K.; Wyss, M. (1976). "Source parameters of the Orizaba earthquake of August 28, 1973". Geofísica Internacional. 16 (3): 165–184. ISSN 0016-7169.