STRONG EARTHQUAKE ROCKS MEXICO AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

By Debbie Bulloch




A powerful earthquake in Baja California rocked the U.S.-Mexico border region Sunday, collapsing a parking structure south of the border and causing power outages in both countries as it sent out seismic waves felt from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Arizona.

The 7.2-magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, a bustling commerce center on the Mexican side of the border where trucks carrying goods cross into California. More than 900,000 people live in the greater Mexicali area.

It was the largest earthquake in the region in nearly 18 years and was followed by aftershocks or distant "triggered" earthquakes on both sides of the border, including a 3.1 quake in the Malibu-Santa Monica area.

Here are the quake details from the U.S. Geological Service:


Earthquake Details

Magnitude 7.2
Date-Time Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 22:40:40 UTC
(Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 03:40:40 PM, Pacific Standard Time at epicenter)

Location 32.128°N, 115.303°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) (poorly constrained)
Region BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Distances 26 km (16 miles) SW (225°) from Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico
60 km (38 miles) SSE (165°) from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
62 km (38 miles) SW (233°) from San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
167 km (104 miles) ESE (105°) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Here is a list of the biggest quakes in recent California history, measured by magnitude:

7.3, Landers, Calif., June 28, 1992, three deaths

7.2, Cape Mendocino, Calif., April 25, 1992

7.2 (estimate), Southeast of Mexicali, Mexico, April 4, 2010

7.2, Off coast of Northern California, June 14, 2005

7.1, Hector Mine, Calif., Oct. 16, 1999

7.0, Honeydew, Calif., Aug. 17, 1991

7.0, Cape Mendocino, Calif., Sept. 1, 1994

6.9, Loma Prieta, Calif., Oct. 18, 1989, 63 deaths

6.7, Northridge, Calif., Jan. 17, 1994, 60 deaths

6.6, San Simeon, Calif., Dec. 22, 2003, 2 deaths

6.6, Off coast of Northern California, June 16, 2005

6.5, Off coast near Eureka, Jan. 9, 2010

6.2, Joshua Tree, Calif., April 23, 1992

6.0, Central California, Sept. 28, 2004

5.9, Humboldt County, Feb. 4, 2010

5.6, Sierra Madre, Calif., June 28, 1991, two deaths

5.6, San Francisco Bay Area, Calif., Oct. 30, 2007


Stay tuned for further details as this story continues to develop.