2011 Guerrero earthquake

Coordinates: 16°48′29″N 98°35′31″W / 16.808°N 98.592°W / 16.808; -98.592
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Not to be confused with 2011 Zumpango earthquake.

2011 Guerrero earthquake
ML)[5]
CasualtiesNone reported

The 2011 Guerrero earthquake struck with a moment magnitude of 5.7 in southern Mexico at 08:24 local time on 5 May. It was positioned west of Ometepec, Guerrero, with a focal depth of 24 km (14.9 mi), and was lightly felt in many adjacent areas.

Buildings swayed with the tremor in Mexico City, prompting evacuations and causing panic among many. Following the quake, police patrolled city streets for safety reasons and damage assessments were carried out across the affected region. There were no casualties, though two local police stations suffered slight damage. A number of light aftershocks succeeded the main event, of which the strongest measured a magnitude of 4.1 (ML).

Geology

The

ML).[10]

USGS shake map

Owing to the moderate magnitude of the quake, significant shaking was felt only in localized parts of

Mercalli scale in Azoyú and V (moderate) in populous areas around the epicenter.[3] Lighter ground motions (MM IV–III) were perceived in much of Guerrero, including Acapulco and Chilpancingo, with weak tremors (MM II) reported as far away as in Mexico City, about 300 km (187 mi) from the epicenter.[4][11] The capital city rests on a former lakebed of largely unconsolidated sedimentary layers, so earthquake shaking in its vicinity is generally amplified.[11]

Aftershocks

By 6 May, a total of five light aftershocks had occurred near the earthquake's epicenter. Of the five, the first registered a magnitude of 3.7 (ML) and struck about 15 minutes after the main shock, and was succeeded by a magnitude 3.9 (ML) tremor at 10:09 local time. Two similar quakes of minor intensity struck the region the next day; however, the strongest and final aftershock registered a magnitude of 4.1 (ML) and occurred at 04:00 in the morning.[5]

Impact and response

Despite relatively strong ground motions, damage to the area was very limited; structures around the epicenter were a mix of fairly vulnerable and resistant to earthquake shaking.[4] Buildings swayed with the tremor in Mexico City, causing panic among many citizens and prompting some to evacuate.[12] Several schools in Guerrero were evacuated as a safety precaution.[1] The earthquake and its aftershock sequence contributed to intermittent power outages in Acapulco; more than 40,000 residences in some 40 districts remained without power by the next day.[13] There were no reports of major losses or fatalities in the wake of the tremor, though two police stations located in Acapulco and Marquelia suffered light damage.[12][14][15] Elsewhere, some fallen roof tiles and small landslides occurred east of the epicenter in Cuautepec.[16]

Prior to the arrival of

Federal District announced the installation of 50,000 seismic alarms in local schools, hospitals, and offices. Reassessments of structural conditions—particularly in earthquake-prone parts of the state—were scheduled, and about 1,817,000 government workers partook in an earthquake simulation exercise the following day.[20]

Scientific reaction

Although the intensity of the quake was fairly significant, specialists reported that earthquakes of such magnitude do not release nearly enough seismic energy to prevent a major earthquake from occurring in the region. In reality, roughly 900 earthquakes of similar intensities to that of the Guerrero earthquake are required per year to total the energy unleashed by a magnitude 7.5 event. Many locals perceived an apparent increase in recent earthquake occurrences, though at the time seismologists registered normal levels of seismic activity in the area.[21] In 2009, a similar magnitude 5.8 Mw earthquake struck Guerrero near Acapulco at a depth of 35 km (22 mi), killing at least two people.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Staff Writer (5 May 2011). "Sacude sismo de 5.5 grados en la escala de Richter Ciudad de México; Saldo Blanco". veracruzanos.info (in Spanish). Noticias Veracruz. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b USGS. "M5.7 - Guerrero, Mexico". United States Geological Survey.
  3. ^
    USGS. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  4. ^
    USGS. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original
    on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Ultimos sismos registrados". ssn.unam.mx (in Spanish). SSN. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  6. Fox News Network. Archived from the original
    on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  7. ^ Staff Writer (5 May 2011). "México registra un sismo de 5.5 grados con epicentro en Guerrero". mexico.cnn.com (in Spanish). CNN México. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  8. ^ amd (5 May 2011). "Ciuda danos deben estar preparados ante sismos: SSN". radioformula.com.mx (in Spanish). Grupo Fórmula. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  9. USGS. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original
    on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Localización del sismo seleccionado: Magnitud 5.5". ssn.unam.mx (in Spanish). SSN. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^
    AlertNet
    . Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  12. ^ a b Associated Press (5 May 2011). "Earthquake shakes wide area of southern Mexico". Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  13. ^ Sandoval, Adriana Covarrubias (6 May 2011). "Sismos afectan alumbrado público de Acapulco". eluniversal.com.mx (in Spanish). El Universal. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  14. ^ Covarrubias, Adriana (5 May 2011). "Sismo daña cuartel de policía de Acapulco". eluniversal.com.mx (in Spanish). El Universal. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  15. ^ Notimex (5 May 2011). "Causa sismo cuarteaduras en sede policial en Guerrero". radioformula.com.mxn (in Spanish). Grupo Fórmula. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  16. ^ "Solo sustos en la Costa Grande por sismo" (in Spanish). Sol de la Costa. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ Miselem, Sofía (5 May 2011). "Alerta sísmica en Ciudad de México: 50 segundos para ponerse a salvo" (in Spanish). AFP.
  18. ^ Pantoja, Sara (5 May 2011). "GDF reporta saldo blanco tras sismo de 5.5 grados". eluniversal.com.mx (in Spanish). El Universal. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  19. ^ EFE (5 May 2011). "Sismo de 5.5 grados Richter en DF; epicentro en Guerrero". terra.com.mx (in Spanish). Terra. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  20. ^ Castillejos, Jessica (7 May 2011). "Protección civil en el DF fortalecerá alerta sísmica". excelsior.com.mx (in Spanish). Excélsior. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  21. ^ Montes, Rafael/Marisol (6 May 2011). "Evitan minisismos un terremoto mayor". eluniversal.com.mx (in Spanish). El Universal. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  22. USGS (27 April 2009). "M5.8 – Guerrero, Mexico". Archived from the original
    on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  23. Fox News Network
    . Retrieved 17 May 2011.

External links
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