1973 Veracruz earthquake
Encyclopedia
The Veracruz earthquake of 1973 or also known as El Terremoto de Orizaba, was an earthquake that took place in the Mexican
state of Veracruz
. It is considered the worst earthquake in the state.
." It struck at 3:51 a.m. (local time, or 9:50 GMT) on August 28, 1973, with an epicenter
"in the vicinity of Serdan in the State of Puebla...." It was the strongest earthquake "in the region of Orizaba ... [since] June 17, 1928 when a magnitude 7" struck. It would be the most disastrous earthquake in Puebla until 1999.
There was also extensive damage, leaving hundreds dead and widespread devastation in several cities in Puebla
. The death toll was at least 600, and perhaps as many as 1,200 dead, with 212 casualties alone in Cuidad Serdán (a small city of 12,000).
Mexico is in the Pacific Ring of Fire
, an area with one of the highest seismic occurrence in the world. Major cities affected were:
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. It is considered the worst earthquake in the state.
History
The 1973 Veracruz earthquake "caused widespread damage in parts of the States of Puebla and Veracruz in southeast Mexico, registered 7.0 on the Richter Magnitude ScaleRichter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
." It struck at 3:51 a.m. (local time, or 9:50 GMT) on August 28, 1973, with an epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
"in the vicinity of Serdan in the State of Puebla...." It was the strongest earthquake "in the region of Orizaba ... [since] June 17, 1928 when a magnitude 7" struck. It would be the most disastrous earthquake in Puebla until 1999.
There was also extensive damage, leaving hundreds dead and widespread devastation in several cities in Puebla
Municipalities of Puebla
The Mexican state of Puebla is divided into 217 municipalities :-External links:* , Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México...
. The death toll was at least 600, and perhaps as many as 1,200 dead, with 212 casualties alone in Cuidad Serdán (a small city of 12,000).
Mexico is in the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements...
, an area with one of the highest seismic occurrence in the world. Major cities affected were:
- City Serdán
- OrizabaOrizabaOrizaba is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a 2005 census population of 117,273 and is almost coextensive with its small...
- IxtaczoquitlánIxtaczoquitlánIxtaczoquitlán is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 2 kilometres. from Orizaba. It is close to the Fortín–Orizaba railroad and stands on Federal Highways 180 & 190.....
- Córdoba
- Ciudad Mendoza
- Zongolica
- Rio Blanco
- Acutzingo