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Magnitude 7.2 Quake Strikes Baja California
APRIL 4, 2010, 9:56 P.M. ET
A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday damaged buildings in northern Mexico and shook high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego, but there were no immediate reports of serious injury or death.
The magnitude 7.2 quake struck at 3:40 p.m. local time in the state of Baja California, Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 16 miles southwest of Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico, a town 20 miles south of the border with California. Seismologists raised their preliminary estimate of the strength of the quake after initially calling it magnitude 6.9. The quake was felt across Southern California and parts of Arizona.
More than 10 powerful aftershocks shook the region during the afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey said three strong jolts, including a magnitude 5.1 aftershock, were felt in the Imperial County desert east of San Diego.
The Mexico quake was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, Calif., USGS geophysicist Susan Potter said. Strong shaking was reported in the Coachella Valley and Riverside, Calif. "Because of the location of the earthquake, it will have been felt by a large number of people," she said.
Within an hour of the earthquake, more than 4,000 people had filed reports with the USGS saying they had felt shaking as far away as Santa Barbara and Arizona.
In San Diego, several buildings and water mains reported damage, according to the San Diego Fire Department, although there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Maurice Laraque, of the San Diego Fire Department, said that there were initial reports of several water main breaks, as well as some broken pipes at private buildings. Several privately owned buildings had also reported structural damage, though there were no reports of collapsed structures.
The earthquake set off numerous fire alarms. However, the fire department suspected that many alarms were set off by the shaking and weren't related to actual fires, said Mr. Laraque. He said the department was trying to weed out the alarms that required an emergency response. "It shook big time," said Mr. Laraque. "It was shaking all over."
Several residents contacted in Tijuana, Mexico, reported no signs of damage Sunday afternoon, though local papers published online pictures of fallen merchandise in convenience stores. A government official in Mexicali, a Mexican town near the U.S. border that is closer to the epicenter of the quake, said residents had reported some minor injuries and several buildings had been damaged.
The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley, interrupting Easter dinners. Chandeliers swayed and wine jiggled in glasses. In Los Angeles, the city fire department went on earthquake status and some stalled elevators were reported. No damage was reported in Los Angeles or San Diego.
In the Phoenix area, Jacqueline Land said her king-size bed in her second-floor apartment felt like a boat gently swaying on the ocean.
"I thought to myself, that can't be an earthquake, I'm in Arizona,'' the Northern California native said. "And I thought, 'oh my God I feel like I'm 9 years old.'''
A police dispatcher in Yuma, Ariz., said the quake was very strong there, but no damage was reported. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office got a few calls, mostly from alarm companies because of alarms going off.
Mike Wong, who works at a journalism school in downtown Phoenix, said he was in his second-floor office getting some work done Sunday afternoon when he heard sounds and felt the building start to sway.
"I heard some cracking sounds, like Rice Krispies,'' he said. "I didn't think much of it, but I kept hearing it, and then I started feeling a shake. I thought, 'You know what? I think that might be an earthquake.''' Mr. Wong said the swaying lasted for "just a few seconds,'' and he didn't notice any damage.
APRIL 4, 2010, 9:56 P.M. ET
A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday damaged buildings in northern Mexico and shook high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego, but there were no immediate reports of serious injury or death.
The magnitude 7.2 quake struck at 3:40 p.m. local time in the state of Baja California, Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 16 miles southwest of Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico, a town 20 miles south of the border with California. Seismologists raised their preliminary estimate of the strength of the quake after initially calling it magnitude 6.9. The quake was felt across Southern California and parts of Arizona.
More than 10 powerful aftershocks shook the region during the afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey said three strong jolts, including a magnitude 5.1 aftershock, were felt in the Imperial County desert east of San Diego.
The Mexico quake was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, Calif., USGS geophysicist Susan Potter said. Strong shaking was reported in the Coachella Valley and Riverside, Calif. "Because of the location of the earthquake, it will have been felt by a large number of people," she said.
Within an hour of the earthquake, more than 4,000 people had filed reports with the USGS saying they had felt shaking as far away as Santa Barbara and Arizona.
In San Diego, several buildings and water mains reported damage, according to the San Diego Fire Department, although there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Maurice Laraque, of the San Diego Fire Department, said that there were initial reports of several water main breaks, as well as some broken pipes at private buildings. Several privately owned buildings had also reported structural damage, though there were no reports of collapsed structures.
The earthquake set off numerous fire alarms. However, the fire department suspected that many alarms were set off by the shaking and weren't related to actual fires, said Mr. Laraque. He said the department was trying to weed out the alarms that required an emergency response. "It shook big time," said Mr. Laraque. "It was shaking all over."
Several residents contacted in Tijuana, Mexico, reported no signs of damage Sunday afternoon, though local papers published online pictures of fallen merchandise in convenience stores. A government official in Mexicali, a Mexican town near the U.S. border that is closer to the epicenter of the quake, said residents had reported some minor injuries and several buildings had been damaged.
The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley, interrupting Easter dinners. Chandeliers swayed and wine jiggled in glasses. In Los Angeles, the city fire department went on earthquake status and some stalled elevators were reported. No damage was reported in Los Angeles or San Diego.
In the Phoenix area, Jacqueline Land said her king-size bed in her second-floor apartment felt like a boat gently swaying on the ocean.
"I thought to myself, that can't be an earthquake, I'm in Arizona,'' the Northern California native said. "And I thought, 'oh my God I feel like I'm 9 years old.'''
A police dispatcher in Yuma, Ariz., said the quake was very strong there, but no damage was reported. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office got a few calls, mostly from alarm companies because of alarms going off.
Mike Wong, who works at a journalism school in downtown Phoenix, said he was in his second-floor office getting some work done Sunday afternoon when he heard sounds and felt the building start to sway.
"I heard some cracking sounds, like Rice Krispies,'' he said. "I didn't think much of it, but I kept hearing it, and then I started feeling a shake. I thought, 'You know what? I think that might be an earthquake.''' Mr. Wong said the swaying lasted for "just a few seconds,'' and he didn't notice any damage.
