California Earthquake

viking · 08-03-2009, 07:56 PM

Anyone heard about this?...

Earthquake Hits Gulf Of California

An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale has struck the Gulf of California off Mexico.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck inside the Sea of Cortez, 76 miles from the town of Santa Isabel on the Baja California peninsula and was 6.2 miles deep.

There were no initial reports of injuries or serious damage.

The quake was felt strongly in San Diego just across the border from Mexico.

"It felt very calm, there was barely a vibration," said hotel receptionist Graciela Alvarado at a motel in the town of Caborca, in the Mexican state of Sonora.

Local authorities warned there was a risk of a small, localised tsunami in the area but no official tsunami warning for the main Pacific coastline.

The strong quake came minutes after two others calculated at magnitudes 5.8 and 5.0, according to the earthquake centre.

They were in the middle of the narrow slice of sea between the Baja peninsula and Mexico's mainland, which should help cut down on its chances of causing major damage, said Don Blakeman, an analyst at the centre.

"It's going to be felt extremely widely and it's possible there may be some damage but there's no way to speculate at this point," he said.

Baja California is home to desert and mountains, and is sparsely populated.

Viking

08-03-2009, 07:56 PM	#1
viking Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 1,709	California Earthquake Anyone heard about this?... Earthquake Hits Gulf Of California An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale has struck the Gulf of California off Mexico. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck inside the Sea of Cortez, 76 miles from the town of Santa Isabel on the Baja California peninsula and was 6.2 miles deep. There were no initial reports of injuries or serious damage. The quake was felt strongly in San Diego just across the border from Mexico. "It felt very calm, there was barely a vibration," said hotel receptionist Graciela Alvarado at a motel in the town of Caborca, in the Mexican state of Sonora. Local authorities warned there was a risk of a small, localised tsunami in the area but no official tsunami warning for the main Pacific coastline. The strong quake came minutes after two others calculated at magnitudes 5.8 and 5.0, according to the earthquake centre. They were in the middle of the narrow slice of sea between the Baja peninsula and Mexico's mainland, which should help cut down on its chances of causing major damage, said Don Blakeman, an analyst at the centre. "It's going to be felt extremely widely and it's possible there may be some damage but there's no way to speculate at this point," he said. Baja California is home to desert and mountains, and is sparsely populated. Viking