Vicente Guerrero, Baja California, experiences a magnitude 4.0 earthquake

And earthquake checked Vicente Guerrero at 2:42 local time (8:42 UTC) today, with a magnitude 4.0 and a depth of 22 kilometers.

According to initial information from the National Seismic Service (SSN), the epicenter of the earthquake was located 23 km northwest of the city, in the state of Baja California.

In the event of significant seismic activity, the The National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) recommends not falling into rumors or false news and obtaining information only from official sourcessuch as civil defense authorities, both local and state, as well as federal.

After an earthquake, check your home in the search of any damage, only use the phone in an emergency, do not light matches or candles until you make sure there are no gas leaks and remember that there may be aftershocks of the earthquakeso it is important to be vigilant.

You can also take the following measures before an earthquake: prepares a civil protection plan, organizes evacuation drills, identifies safety zones at home, school or workplace and prepare a emergency backpack.

during an earthquake keep calm and stay in a safe area, stay away from falling objects; if you are driving, park and move away from buildings, trees and poles; and if you are on the coast, stay away from the beach and seek refuge in high areas.

Seismic activity in Mexico

Mexicans are used to this kind of event, why The country is located in a high seismic area. It is worth mentioning the great damage caused by the earthquakes of 1985 and 2017, which caused great havoc throughout the Aztec territory. However, there are records of even more destructive movements in the country’s history.

The March 28, 1787a colonial Oaxaca was shaken by what was the strongest earthquake recorded in what is now Mexico until now. With a magnitude 8.6it was followed by a tsunami that moved 6 kilometers beyond the coast.

The experts of the Seismic Instrumentation and Recording Center (Cires) estimate it. it will be possible to repeat similar situations in the near future. These conclusions arose from a 2009 study that sought to analyze the aforementioned event. It was then said that there could be earthquakes of similar magnitude on the coasts of Mexico and Central America. This is because this area has great potential for geological events, given its location in the so-called Guerrero Gap.

However, a lower magnitude in a seismic event does not necessarily translate into a lower impact on buildings and infrastructure. Thus, in 1985 and 2017, the inhabitants of the capital, Mexico City, had to face the devastation caused by two earthquakes that marked a watershed in their life.

That of September 19, 1985 took place at 7:19 local time (13:19 UTC) with a magnitude of 8.2 and with its epicenter in the state of Guerrero. After that earthquake, many thought that such a thing would never happen again. But it happened again exactly 32 years later.

The 2017 one occurred between the states of Puebla and Morelos at 1:14 pm local time (6:30 pm UTC). The human death toll reached 369 dead.

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Other earthquake notes

Notes on Popocatépetl Volcano