Earthquake in Mexico: Magnitude 4.0 earthquake in Ometepec, Guerrero

Ometepec was the epicenter of a magnitude 4.0 quake which surprised residents of the state of Guerrero today at 2:29 a.m. local time (8:29 a.m. UTC).

The earthquake occurred 64 km southwest of the city and had a depth of 16.5 kmaccording to preliminary information from the National Seismological Service (SSN).

In the event of significant seismic activity, the The National Center for Disaster Reduction (Cenapred) recommends not to fall into the trap of rumors or fake news and to get information only from official sourcessuch as civil protection authorities, both local and state, as well as federal.

after an earthquake, look for your house possible damage, only use your mobile 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 earthquakeit is therefore important to remain vigilant.

You can also take the following actions before an earthquake: prepare a civil security plan, participate in evacuation drills, find safety zones home, school or workplace and set up a emergency backpack.

during an earthquake keep calm and stay in a safe zone, stay away from falling objects; if you are driving, park and move away from buildings, trees and poles; and if you find yourself on the coast, move away from the beach and take refuge in height.

It is to highlight that Mexico is in constant danger to suffer an earthquake of great magnitude, such as those which occurred in September of the years 1985 and 2017. Such movements have caused misfortunes and, although they are the best known, They weren’t the greatest in the country.

During the colonial period, it happened the strongest earthquake recorded in the history of what is now Mexico. arrived on On March 28, 1787, its epicenter was in Oaxaca, it had a magnitude of 8.6. The movement was so violent that it not only shook the earth, but also caused a tsunami that reached 6 kilometers inland.

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

However, such a magnitude is not necessary to wreak havoc. Mexicans have memories of minor earthquakes, which occurred in 1985 and 2017. On such occasions, the capital and entire states were paralyzed by the unprecedented consequences of such telluric movements.

The one on September 19, 1985 occurred at 7:19 a.m. local time (1:19 p.m. UTC) with a magnitude of 8.2 and with epicenter in the state of Guerrero. Since that earthquake, many thought that something like this would never happen again. But it happened again exactly 32 years later.

In 2017, it happened at 1:14 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. UTC), with its epicenter in an area between the states of Puebla and Morelos. Then the death toll reached 369.