Duck and cover. Hang on. Be prepared, because some are preparing for a mega earthquake to hit the US-Mexico Pacific Coast.
Or is it all just a rumor?
The European Union Times reported Wednesday that a megaquake warning had been issued for the US-Mexico Pacific Coast, measuring at least 7.5-magnitude to 8.3-magnitude on the Richter scale. The earthquake is reportedly going to occur in a “fortnight,” according to the article.
“Important to note about this region, this IPE (Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth in Moscow) report says, fears were heightened after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit on 4 April 2010, and was the first big earthquake to occur on this particular fault system since 1892, links Mexico’s seismic zone to California’s massive fault system, and points to a ‘reawakening’ of this area’s potential for catastrophic seismic/volcanic occurrences,” read the article in the Union Times.
The Russian-based report couldn’t be independently confirmed.
Concerns had been raised after a 4.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the Baja California peninsula on Jan. 18, according to the report.
But the earthquake that sparked this discussion happened far away from this area, said Kate Hutton, staff seismologist with the California Institute of Technology. The 4.1-magnitude quake was closer to Guatemala than here.
Predicting an earthquake within a small time period like that is impossible, though there are always rumors out there about the next big quake, she said. This area, though, isn’t really prone to megaearthquakes.
“I don’t think it’s likely at all,” she said.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
Or is it all just a rumor?
The European Union Times reported Wednesday that a megaquake warning had been issued for the US-Mexico Pacific Coast, measuring at least 7.5-magnitude to 8.3-magnitude on the Richter scale. The earthquake is reportedly going to occur in a “fortnight,” according to the article.
“Important to note about this region, this IPE (Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth in Moscow) report says, fears were heightened after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit on 4 April 2010, and was the first big earthquake to occur on this particular fault system since 1892, links Mexico’s seismic zone to California’s massive fault system, and points to a ‘reawakening’ of this area’s potential for catastrophic seismic/volcanic occurrences,” read the article in the Union Times.
The Russian-based report couldn’t be independently confirmed.
Concerns had been raised after a 4.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the Baja California peninsula on Jan. 18, according to the report.
But the earthquake that sparked this discussion happened far away from this area, said Kate Hutton, staff seismologist with the California Institute of Technology. The 4.1-magnitude quake was closer to Guatemala than here.
Predicting an earthquake within a small time period like that is impossible, though there are always rumors out there about the next big quake, she said. This area, though, isn’t really prone to megaearthquakes.
“I don’t think it’s likely at all,” she said.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
