A massive earthquake, measuring magnitude 6.6, has hit the Gulf of California, the New York Times reports. The earthquake, which has been confirmed by officials from the U.S. Geological Survey, hit the area on Sunday at 1:14 a.m. local time. The preliminary magnitude has been measured as 6.6. The official Twitter handle of the USGS has tweeted details about the earthquake.
6.6 – GULF OF CALIFORNIA: Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2015 08:14:12 UTC Lat/Lon: 25… http://t.co/PuafcD5c2f #USGS #earthquake
— USGS Earthquakes (@USGSEarthquakes) September 13, 2015
At the time of publishing this report, there have been no tsunami warnings issued.
No tsunami expected after 6.6 #earthquake hits Gulf of California. Quake is about 60 km south of Topolobampo,… http://t.co/qbG3X46b97
— Alerta Temprana (@AlertaGt502) September 13, 2015
Meanwhile, Yahoo News reports that the main earthquake was followed by a couple of aftershocks that measured magnitude 4.9 and 5.3. An emergency services official from Los Mochis, northern Sinaloa, described the earthquake as being “reasonably strong.”
“The biggest one felt reasonably strong, but there have been no reports of damage,” he told Yahoo News by telephone.
The earthquake struck at a depth of over 10 kilometers (6 miles) at an epicenter located around 37 miles (59 kilometers) south-southwest of Topolobampo, Mexico.
Meanwhile, people have taken to Twitter to talk about the Gulf of California earthquake.
6.6 earthquake in the Gulf of California ?
— Maddi Silverman (@maddisilverman) September 13, 2015
Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits Gulf of California http://t.co/2ek9sqPwip
— AHMAD T. CHERRY SR. (@SHUTTLECOCK74) September 13, 2015
The Gulf of California, along with the coast of California and northern Mexico, is situated on one of the most seismologically active zones on the earth. In the course of the past few months, the possibility of a mega earthquake hitting the area soon has been discussed a lot. Thanks to the movement of the Pacific plate against the North American plate, a major earthquake is a distinct possibility in the area in the years to come.
The USGS website also adds that Mexico has a long history of destruction caused by earthquakes. One of the biggest earthquakes to hit the country was the one that hit the country 30 years ago. The Mexico City earthquake that hit the capital, Mexico City, in September, 1985, was responsible for causing over 9,500 deaths. The country has also seen volcanic eruptions — the most recent ones being the Volcán de Colima and El Chichón erupted that erupted in 2005 and 1982, respectively.
[Image via U.S. Geological Survey]