2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake

Earthquake off the coast of Florida, United States May 2025 February 2025 2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake September 10, 2006 10:56 EDT 2006-09-10 14:56:08 8659780 usp000esv9 Middle America#Florida None ~ 20 seconds 5.9 Mw 14 km mi 0 on 26.25 N 86.63 W inline,title Reverse Southeastern United States IV The 2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake occurred in the eastern Gulf of Mexico on September 10 at 10:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time 14:56 UTC. The intraplate earthquake measured 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale and its epicenter was located about 250 mi km west-southwest of Anna Maria, Florida. The event was felt throughout much of the Gulf Coast of the United States and was the second earthquake of magnitude 5 or greater in the Gulf during 2006. Felt intensities, as measured on the Mercalli intensity scale, were as high as IV (Light) in Florida, with parts of Georgia at III (Weak). Characteristics The quake was reportedly felt along the gulf coast and as far north as Georgia. The earthquake was the strongest in the Gulf of Mexico in 33 years and was an intraplate earthquake, an event that takes place away from the borders of tectonic plates (where most tectonic activity takes place). Earthquakes in the Southeastern United States are not common, but several strong events have occurred in the region. In 1879 close to St. Augustine, Florida, an earthquake damaged plaster and forced dishes off counters, and in South Carolina the 1886 Charleston earthquake caused severe damage and was responsible for the deaths of sixty people.Lovett Richard A. September 11, 2006 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060911-earthquake.html https://web.archive.org/web/20061020012806/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060911-earthquake.html dead October 20, 2006 Rare Earthquake Shakes Gulf of Mexico National Geographic News September 29, 2012 The event occurred near the Cuba Fracture Zone and was well away from the edge of the North American plate. Randy Cox, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Memphis in Tennessee stated that the source of strain was the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where seafloor spreading was causing compression of the North American plate. A magnitude 5.2 event in February 2006 may have been associated with the same fault zone. The epicenter of the earthquake was too far offshore for it to be well covered by onshore seismographs and the event's characteristics are therefore poorly understood. The focal mechanism indicated reverse faulting. The focal depth of between 14–31 km show that it occurred within the seismogenic zone, rather than on any of the many shallow growth faults in the area. The earthquake led to a reassessment of the geohazard for hydrocarbon exploration and production facilities in the Gulf.http://e-book.lib.sjtu.edu.cn/otc-2007/pdfs/otc19035.pdf A Geohazard Perspective of Recent Seismic Activity in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Angell M. Hitchcock C. 2007 Offshore Technology Conference 7 December 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120426032414/http://e-book.lib.sjtu.edu.cn/otc-2007/pdfs/otc19035.pdf 2012-04-26 dead Several thousand people reported the event to the United States Geological Survey but none reported any damage from the 20 second earthquake.Associated Press September 11, 2006 https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/11/us/11quake.html?pagewanted=print Shock Waves Felt in South After Gulf Quake The New York Times September 29, 2012 Items were knocked from shelves and seiches were observed in swimming pools in parts of Florida where felt intensities were reported as high as IV, including Orlando in Central Florida, Brooksville on the west coast, Titusville on the east coast, and Panama City in the panhandle. In Atlanta, Georgia, the intensity was reported to be at level III.https://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2006/usslav/#summary Earthquake Summary United States Geological Survey September 11, 2006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061014050751/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2006/usslav/ October 14, 2006 See also List of earthquakes in 2006 List of earthquakes in the United States 2026 Gulf of Mexico earthquake Larger similar earthquake occurring nearby 20 years later References PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog https://earthquake.usgs.gov/static/lfs/data/pager/catalogs/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200313112456/ftp://hazards.cr.usgs.gov/web/data/pager/catalogs/ dead 2020-03-13 September 4, 2009 United States Geological Survey Version 2008_06.1 External links 8659780 Category:History of the Gulf of Mexico Category:2006 earthquakes Category:Natural disasters in Florida Category:Natural disasters in Louisiana Category:Earthquakes in the United States Category:Natural disasters in Alabama Category:2006 natural disasters in the United States Category:2006 in Florida Category:2006 in Louisiana Category:2006 in Alabama Category:September 2006 in the United States