1979 Petatlán earthquake
  | |
| UTC time | 1979-03-14 11:07:16 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 668141 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 14 March 1979 |
| Local time | 05:07:16 |
| Duration | 2 minutes and 10 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.6 Ms 7.4 Mw |
| Depth | 18.5 km (11 mi) |
| Epicenter | 17°44′N 101°17′W / 17.73°N 101.28°W |
| Areas affected | Mexico |
| Total damage | US $30 million |
| Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe) |
| Tsunami | 1.3 m |
| Casualties | 5 dead, 35 injured |
The 1979 Petatlán earthquake, also known as the IBERO earthquake occurred on March 14 at 05:07 local time in the Mexican state of
Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The epicenter, onshore, was located 12 km south southeast of Vallecitos de Zaragoza.[1]
With a shallow hypocenter depth of 18.5 km, the earthquake caused extensive and widespread damage in Guerrero, including the near total destruction of campus buildings at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.[2] Five people died and 35 others were injured due to the earthquake.[3] The earthquake was felt in the states of Jalisco, Guerrero and Puebla, where damage was reported.
Tectonic setting
Mexico is one of the most seismically active regions in the world; located at the boundary of at least three tectonic plates. The west coast of Mexico lies at a
tsunamis when such earthquakes occur.[4]
Earthquake
The earthquake occurred as a result of
asperities.[5] Slip on the megathrust occurred at depths ranging between 3–25 km. Inversion of P wave data revealed a limited area where the slip was 0.7 meters, while the peak slip was 1.19 meters. The rupture zone of the 1979 earthquake is located immediately southeast of that of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.[6] Another magnitude 7.6 quake, the aftershock of the 1985 quake, ruptured the shallow section of the megathrust, up-dip of the 1979 quake.[7]
Tsunami
A weak
tide gauges in the Pacific Ocean near the epicenter of the quake.[8]
Impact
Substantial damage was reported in the
Ibero-American University compound. Nine structures suffered serious damage and 25 had significant damage. Despite the collapse, there were no casualties as it did not occur during school hours.[9] In total, 90% of structures in the university was affected by the tremor.[10] At the time of the quake, an estimated 7,200 students were enrolled in the university. Scheduled lessons resumed on 22 March 1979 at the National Polytechnic Institute College of Engineering and Physical-Mathematic Sciences, which was undamaged.[11] Water supply was disrupted by the earthquake, which left many residents without access to water for 48 hours. A total of 600 structures, including homes, cinemas, and other public infrastructures were damaged in the city.[12]
The earthquake had a maximum
Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) recorded in Chilpancingo. The city suffered significant damage in the downtown area. A seven-story reinforced concrete building was demolished due to the severe damage it sustained during the quake. In Petatlán, Guerrero, the earthquake destroyed some adobe styled homes.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "M 7.6 - 12 km SSE of Vallecitos de Zaragoza, Mexico". earthquake.usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO)". Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "Significant Earthquake Information". ngdc.noaa.gov. NCEI. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Harley M. Benz; Richard L. Dart; Antonio Villaseñor; Gavin P. Hayes; Arthur C. Tarr; Kevin P. Furlong; Susan Rhea. "Seismicity of the Earth 1900–2010 Mexico and Vicinity" (Open-File Report 2010-1083-F). U.S. Geological Survey.
- doi:10.1785/BSSA0740062451 (inactive 31 January 2024).)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - S2CID 131584103.
- S2CID 6009050.
- ^ "Tsunami Event Information". ngdc.noaa.gov. NCEI. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ a b "A 40 años del sismo de la IBERO: lo que pasó, lo que pasaría hoy si volviera a ocurrir" (PDF). ERN Evaluación de Riesgos Naturales. 21 March 2019.
- ^ Cargando Contenido (14 March 2017). "14 de marzo de 1979: El sismo que marcó la historia de la IBERO". Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Adriana Malvido. "De sismo en sismo, tres generaciones. Del 57 al 19-S y del telegrama al whatsapp". Confabulario. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Martha Marín Contreras (2020). "Los terremotos más significativos de México. El sismo de Petatlán, Guerrero 14 de marzo de 1979 (M 7.6)". Radio Epicentro Blog. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
Further reading
- "Some lessons from the March 14, 1979 earthquake in Mexico City. Proceedings of 7th world conference on earthquake engineering (part 1)" (PDF).
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "RESPONSE OF TWO REINFORCED CONCRETE. BUILDINGS IN MEXICO CITY DURING THE. PETATLAN EARTHQUAKE OF MARCH 14, 1979" (PDF).
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