1979 Petatlán earthquake

Earthquake in Mexico 1979-03-14 11:07:16 usp0000zbw 668141 Mexico 2 minutes and 10 seconds 7.6 s yes 7.4 w yes 18.5 km mi 0 on 17.73 N 101.28 W inline,title 8 1.3 m 5 dead, 35 injured 05:07:16 14 March 1979 Mexico US$30 million The 1979 Petatlán earthquake, also known as the IBERO earthquake occurred on March 14 at 05:07 local time in the Mexican state of Guerrero. The earthquake had a surface-wave magnitude of s 7.6 or moment magnitude of w 7.4 and maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The epicenter, onshore, was located 12 km south southeast of Vallecitos de Zaragoza.M 7.6 – 12 km SSE of Vallecitos de Zaragoza, Mexico https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp0000zbw/executive United States Geological Survey 25 August 2021 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.Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO) https://www.holcimfoundation.org/about/associated-universities/ibero Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction 25 August 2021 Five people died and 35 others were injured due to the earthquake.Significant Earthquake Information https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/4828 ngdc.noaa.gov NCEI 25 August 2021 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 convergent plate boundary between the Cocos plate and North American plate. The Cocos plate consisting of denser oceanic lithosphere, subducts beneath the less dense continental crust of the North American plate. Most of the Mexican landmass is situated on the North American plate moving westward. Because the oceanic crust is relatively dense, when the bottom of the Pacific Ocean meets the lighter continental crust of the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor subducts beneath the North American plate creating the Middle America Trench along the southern coast of Mexico. Occasionally, the contact interface or subduction zone megathrust release elastic strain during earthquakes. Large and sudden uplift of the seafloor can produce large tsunamis when such earthquakes occur.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 https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1083/f/ United States Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1083-F Earthquake The earthquake occurred as a result of thrust faulting due to a rupture on the subduction zone near the west coast of Mexico. The s 7.6 earthquake was the largest subduction zone thrust event in the region since 1943. The quake partially ruptured the Guerrero gap; a seismic gap on the subduction one that is capable of an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater. Modelling of the finite fault suggest a rupture patch measuring 120 km by 120 km on the megathrust, involving two asperities.David A. Novelo-Casanova Vindell Hsu Eduard Berg Charles E. Helsley Joseph F. Gettrust Aftershock activity of the Petatlan earthquake: The first 54 hours Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 1984 74 6 2451–2461 10.1785/BSSA0740062451 11 July 2025 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.Carlos Mendoza Finite-fault analysis of the 1979 March 14 Petatlan, Mexico, earthquake using teleseismic P waveforms Geophysical Journal International 1995 121 3 675–683 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1995.tb06430.x 1995GeoJI.121..675M 131584103 free Another magnitude 7.6 quake, the aftershock of the 1985 quake, ruptured the shallow section of the megathrust, up-dip of the 1979 quake.Larry J. Ruff Angus D. Miller Rupture process of large earthquakes in the northern Mexico subduction zone Pure and Applied Geophysics 1994 142 1 101–172 10.1007/BF00875970 1994PApGe.142..101R 2027.42/43169 6009050 https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/43169/24_2004_Article_BF00875970.pdf?sequence=1 Tsunami A weak tsunami with a maximum height of 1.3 meters was generated. The tsunami was also recorded on ocean bottom tide gauges in the Pacific Ocean near the epicenter of the quake.Tsunami Event Information https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/tsunami/event-more-info/2112 ngdc.noaa.gov NCEI 25 August 2021 Impact Substantial damage was reported in Mexico City. The earthquake severely damaged and collapsed two buildings 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.A 40 años del sismo de la IBERO: lo que pasó, lo que pasaría hoy si volviera a ocurrir https://ern.com.mx/boletines/NotadeInteres/ERNterate_Nota_40_a%C3%B1os_sismo_Ibero.pdf ERN Evaluación de Riesgos Naturales 21 March 2019 25 August 2021 25 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210825045703/https://ern.com.mx/boletines/NotadeInteres/ERNterate_Nota_40_a%C3%B1os_sismo_Ibero.pdf dead In total, 90% of structures in the university was affected by the tremor.Cargando Contenido 14 de marzo de 1979: El sismo que marcó la historia de la IBERO https://ibero.mx/prensa/14-de-marzo-de-1979-el-sismo-que-marco-la-historia-de-la-ibero+&cd=12&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=sg 25 August 2021 14 March 2017 July 2026 InternetArchiveBot 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.Adriana Malvido De sismo en sismo, tres generaciones. Del 57 al 19-S y del telegrama al whatsapp https://confabulario.eluniversal.com.mx/sismos-en-mexico/ Confabulario 25 August 2021 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.Martha Marín Contreras Los terremotos más significativos de México. El sismo de Petatlán, Guerrero 14 de marzo de 1979 (M 7.6) https://blog.radioepicentro.mx/2020/04/los-terremotos-mas-significativos-de.html Radio Epicentro Blog 25 August 2021 2020 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. See also List of earthquakes in 1979 List of earthquakes in Mexico References Further reading Some lessons from the March 14, 1979 earthquake in Mexico City. Proceedings of 7th world conference on earthquake engineering (part 1) https://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/7_vol4_545.pdf Response of Two Reinforced Concrete Buildings in Mexico City during the Petatlan Earthquake of March 14, 1979 https://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/8_vol4_831.pdf Category:1979 earthquakes Category:Earthquakes in Mexico Category:1979 in Mexico Category:1970s tsunamis Category:Universidad Iberoamericana Category:1979 disasters in Mexico