2009 Gulf of California earthquake

2009 Gulf of California earthquake

Date 3 August 2009 (2009-08-03)
Magnitude 6.9 Mw
Depth 10 km (6.2 mi)
Epicenter Gulf of California
Countries or regions  Mexico
Tsunami none[1]
Casualties none

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Gulf of California, between the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California, on August 3, 2009, at 10:59:56 a.m. PDT (17:59:56 UTC).[2][3] The quake's epicenter was located offshore, in the Gulf of California, between two islands, only 22 km (14 mi) from Isla Ángel de la Guarda and 36 km (22 mi) from Tiburón Island. It was 89 km (55 mi) north-northeast of Santa Isabel, Baja California, 185 km (115 mi) west of Hermosillo, Sonora. The earthquake occurred along the Tiburón fault zone[4] that is part of the tectonic boundary between the North American plate and the Pacific plate.[2]

The quake rocked buildings in Puerto Libertad, El Desemboque, Punta Chueca, Bahía de Kino, Puerto Peñasco and Hermosillo.[1] It was felt in Ensenada, Tecate, Mexicali and Tijuana. In the United States, the earthquake was felt in parts of Southern California and Arizona.[5]

Foreshocks and aftershocks

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Sacuden cuatro sismos las costas de Sonora" ("Four earthquakes shake the coast of Sonora") La Critica (a newspaper in Hermosillo, Sonora) 3 August 2009, in Spanish, accessed 3 August 2009
  2. ^ a b "Magnitude 6.9 - Gulf of California: 2009 August 03 17:59:56 UTC" Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey, accessed 3 August 2009
  3. ^ "Earthquake Hits Mexican Coast". Sky News. 3 August 2009. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/An-Earthquake-Measuring-69-On-The-Richter-Scale-Strikes-Baja-California-Coast-In-Mexico/Article/200908115353138?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15353138_An_Earthquake_Measuring_6.9_On_The_Richter_Scale_Strikes_Baja_California_Coast_In_Mexico. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
  4. ^ Fenby, S. S. and Gastil, R. G. (1991) "Geologic-tectonic map of the Gulf of California and surrounding areas" In Dauphin, J. P. and Simoneit, B. R. T. (eds.) The Gulf and Peninsular Provinces of the Californias AAPG Memoir 47, pp. 79–83
  5. ^ Grad, Shelby (2009-08-03). "6.9 quake in Baja California rattles office workers in San Diego". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/69-quake-in-baja-california-rattles-office-workers-in-downtown-san-diego.html. 
  6. ^ "Magnitude 5.8 - Gulf of California: 2009 August 03 17:55:23 UTC" Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey
  7. ^ "Magnitude 5.0 - Gulf of California: 2009 August 03 18:33:34 UTC" Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey
  8. ^ "Magnitude 6.2 - Gulf of California: 2009 August 03 18:40:55 UTC" Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geological Survey
  9. ^ "Magnitude 5.5 - Gulf of California: 2009 August 05 09:13:13 UTC" Earthquake Hazards Program, United States Geolologic Survey