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1912 Acambay earthquake

1912 Acambay earthquake
1912 Acambay earthquake is located in Mexico
1912 Acambay earthquake
UTC time1912-11-19 13:55:03
ISC event16958218
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date19 November 1912
Local time07:55
Magnitude6.7 Mw
Depth15 km (9.3 mi)
Epicenter19°50′N 99°55′W / 19.83°N 99.92°W / 19.83; -99.92[1]
TypeNormal
Areas affectedMexico
Max. intensityMMI XI (Extreme)[1]
Aftershocks60
Casualties140–1,200 killed

The 1912 Acambay earthquake affected central Mexico on 19 November at 07:55 local time. It had a moment magnitude of 6.7 Mw  and an epicenter in the Acambay graben, 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Mexico City. Damage was severe in Acambay and several nearby villages, and the casualty toll ranged between 140 and 1,200. There was also significant damage in Mexico City and one fatality. The earthquake occurred along three fault zones that bound the Acambay graben, an extensional tectonic feature located within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Surface ruptures were observed on these fault zones.

Tectonic setting

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The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) which spans across central Mexico, from near the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico, for more than 1,000 km (620 mi). It is the product of ongoing volcanism related to subduction of the Cocos and Rivera plates beneath the North American plate. As a result, volcanoes erupt through the North American plate. Within the TMVB, active extensional tectonics is ongoing, particularly prominent west of the 100°W latitude. The cause of this extension may be caused by the North American plate reaching a state of isostatic equilibrium because of the large load exerted by the TMVB.[2] Within the central part of the TMVB, east–west trending normal faults can produce earthquakes. Some of these faults form escarpments visible for 60 km (37 mi). The overlying Holocene alluvium and Quaternary cinder cones have shown displacements caused by these faults.[3]

Earthquake

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The town of Detiña located at the on the graben's northern boundary

The earthquake, with a magnitude of Mw  6.7,[4] occurred within the Acambay graben in the central region of the TMVB. It had an epicenter near the graben's southern margin. This graben, located 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Mexico City,[1] measures 40 km (25 mi) long and 15 km (9.3 mi) across.[5] A maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme) was observed at several locations within the graben.[1] The graben features three faults; the Acambay–Tixmadejé and Pastores faults which forms its northern and southern boundary, and a central fault inside the structure.[5] The Acambay–Tixmadejé Fault is a 42 km (26 mi), normal fault that dips at 60–70° southwards while the Pastores Fault extends 27 km (17 mi) and features 110–150 m (360–490 ft) tall scarps.[6][5] The intragraben fault zone stretches across the Temascalcingo volcano featuring multiple strands that rupture through the volcano.[5]

Surface ruptures were observed along all three fault zones. The Acambay-Tixmadejé Fault produced a 41 km (25 mi) surface rupture, starting west at San José Solís, passing 1 km (0.62 mi) north of Acambay, and terminating near the Huapango reservoir. The largest vertical displacement of 50 cm (20 in) occurred near Tixmadejé village, about midway along the rupture between Acambay and San José Solís. East of the reservoir, a northwest–southeast trending rupture, likely an extension of the Acambay–Tixmadejé Fault, stretched 2 km (1.2 mi) with vertical displacements of 12–20 cm (4.7–7.9 in). On the Pastores Fault, a 17 km (11 mi) rupture trending east–west occurred between Santiago Coachochitlán and Mayé el Fresno. Within the graben, three parallel ruptures were recorded near Temascalcingo, corresponding to the intragraben fault zone, with the longest extending 20 km (12 mi).[6] Sixty aftershocks were recorded between 19 November 1912 and 15 April 1913.[7]

Impact

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The number of casualties varied across newspaper reports. According to the Mexican government, citing El Imparcial on 21 November, at least 140 people died.[8] Citing the Mexican interior secretariat, Meriden Daily Journal reported on 22 November that over 1,200 people were killed.[9] An additional nine deaths was reported in Temaxculcingo, three in Atlacomulco and one in Eloro.[10] Many of the dead were never recovered from the rubble and their decomposing bodies attracted pests.[11] During January 1913, an unspecified number of people also died from starvation.[12] The town of Acambay was levelled; few buildings remained undamaged,[13] and several nearby villages were also destroyed.[14] Among the casualties, more than 100 worshippers who died when a church collapsed onto the crowd.[13] Wells, springs and streams dried up following the earthquake so some survivors resorted to ponds for water. Their frequent reliance made these ponds a breeding ground for contagious and deadly viruses. Rebels from outside the area looted the affected communities and attacked its residents.[15] In response to these rebel presence, the Mexican government said they would deploy soldiers to defend the area and allow outside assistance to enter.[11] In parts of Mexico City, the earthquake knocked out gas and water services.[16] At least one person died and many others were injured in the city.[17][1] Cracks appeared in the walls of the National Palace while some poorly-constructed homes collapsed, and on the streets, water pipes ruptured and roads buckled.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Suter, M.; Carrillo-Martfnez, M.; Quintero-Legorreta, O. (1996). "Macroseismic Study of Shallow Earthquakes in the Central and Eastern Parts of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Mexico". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 86 (6): 1952–1963. Bibcode:1996BuSSA..86.1952S. doi:10.1785/BSSA0860061952. S2CID 132743263.
  2. ^ Ferrari, Luca; Orozco-Esquivel, Teresa; Manea, Vlad; Manea, Marina (2012). "The dynamic history of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Mexico subduction zone". Tectonophysics. 522–523: 122–149. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2011.09.018.
  3. ^ Suárez, Gerardo; Caballero‐Jiménez, Gema V.; Novelo‐Casanova, David A. (30 August 2019). "Active Crustal Deformation in the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt as Evidenced by Historical Earthquakes During the Last 450 Years". Tectonics. 38 (10): 3544–3562. Bibcode:2019Tecto..38.3544S. doi:10.1029/2019TC005601. S2CID 202923598 – via John Wiley & Sons.
  4. ^ ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 9.1, International Seismological Centre, 27 June 2022
  5. ^ a b c d Langridge, Robert Max; Weldon II, Ray J.; Moya, Juan Carlos; Suárez, Gerardo (2000). "Paleoseismology of the 1912 Acambay earthquake and the Acambay‐Tixmadejé fault, Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 105 (B2): 3019–3037. doi:10.1029/1999JB900239.
  6. ^ a b Suter, Max; Quintero-Legorreta, Odranoel; López-Martinez, Margarita; Aguirre-Díaz, Gerardo; Farrar, Edward (1995). "The Acambay graben: Active intraarc extension in the trans-Mexican volcanic belt, Mexico". Tectonics. 14 (6): 1245–1262. doi:10.1029/95TC01930.
  7. ^ Sismos Históricos: Sismo de 1912 en Acambay, Edo. de Mex. (M~6.9) [Sismos Históricos: Sismo de 1912 en Acambay, Edo. de Mex. (M~6.9)] (PDF) (report) (in Spanish), National Seismological Service, retrieved 4 December 2024
  8. ^ "A 108 años del sismo de Acambay" [108 years after the Acambay earthquake]. Gobierno de México (in Spanish). 19 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  9. ^ "1,200 were killed by earthquake". The Meriden Daily Journal. 22 November 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Whole Mexican town destroyed by earthquake". Calgary Daily Herald. No. 3247. 22 November 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Thousands dead in earthquake". Warsaw Daily Times. 30 November 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Earthquake victims starving". Warsaw Daily Times. 1 January 1913. p. 4. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  13. ^ a b "1000 died in Mexico earthquake". United Press. Portsmouth Daily Times. 22 November 1912. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  14. ^ "1,200 may have lost lives in Mexican quake". Evening Independent. Vol. 6, no. 17. 22 November 1912. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Thousands die in earthquake". Greensburg Daily Tribune. 30 November 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  16. ^ "One hundred dead by earthquake". The Evening News. Vol. 42, no. 19. 21 November 1912. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Earthquake in Mexico". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Severe earthquake". The Montreal Gazette. Vol. 142, no. 279. 20 November 1912. p. 16. Retrieved 4 December 2024.