1999 Oaxaca earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Oaxaca earthquake occurred on September 30, 1999 at 11:31 local time (16:31 UTC) in Oaxaca
, Mexico, 60 km NNW of Puerto Ángel
. The epicenter was located near San Agustin Loxicha
. It had a magnitude of Mw 7.4. The maximum intensity reached MM VIII in southwestern Oaxaca, and could be felt strongly in Mexico City
. The torrential rains preceding and following the temblor intensified the damage of this earthquake. 35 people were reported dead. The archeological site of the ancient Zapotec city of Monte Alban also suffered damage in this earthquake. This was an intraplate earthquake in the Cocos Plate
, with a normal-faulting mechanism. The fault plane was 90 km long and 45 km wide. The maximum slip was about 2.5 m, which was located about 20 and 40 km WNW of the hypocenter. A research of M. A. Dunajecka and S. A. Pulinets showed that anomalies in temperature and humidity had been observed before the earthquake.
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico, 60 km NNW of Puerto Ángel
Puerto Ángel
Puerto Ángel is a small coastal town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca located in the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla. It, along with San Agustinillo and Playa Zipolite are known as the "Riviera Oaxaqueña. It is located 9 km south of city of Pochutla fifty km west of Huatulco and eighty km...
. The epicenter was located near San Agustin Loxicha
San Agustín Loxicha
San Agustín Loxicha is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 389.1 km².It is part of the Pochutla District in the east of the Costa Region....
. It had a magnitude of Mw 7.4. The maximum intensity reached MM VIII in southwestern Oaxaca, and could be felt strongly in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. The torrential rains preceding and following the temblor intensified the damage of this earthquake. 35 people were reported dead. The archeological site of the ancient Zapotec city of Monte Alban also suffered damage in this earthquake. This was an intraplate earthquake in the Cocos Plate
Cocos Plate
The Cocos Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Central America, named for Cocos Island, which rides upon it.-Geology:...
, with a normal-faulting mechanism. The fault plane was 90 km long and 45 km wide. The maximum slip was about 2.5 m, which was located about 20 and 40 km WNW of the hypocenter. A research of M. A. Dunajecka and S. A. Pulinets showed that anomalies in temperature and humidity had been observed before the earthquake.