KOLD Climate Community Blog

Quake near California/Mexico border shakes Yuma, San Diego, even Tucson

Updated by First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan - email

(Image source: U.S. Geological Survey)

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - A 5.8 magnitude earthquake (originally reported as a 5.9) struck the California/Mexico border at 10:48 AM California time, 11:48 AM Arizona time. 

Since then, there have been over two dozen aftershocks. 

The center of the quake was about 20 miles to the southeast of Mexicali, Mexico and about 50 miles west-southwest of Yuma. 

Mexicali is a city of 750,000 people.  Government offices were shut down after the earthquake.  Hospitals were briefly evacuated. Cell phone service was interrupted for about 20 minutes with reports of building damage at one phone company office.  Power was also interrupted for about 15 minutes to 90,000 customers. 

In Yuma, there is at least one report of a damaged home with the roof slipping slightly off the frame and large cracks in the walls.  No reports of injuries.

Buildings briefly swayed in San Diego, just over 100 miles away from the epicenter of the earthquake.  There was a report of City Hall shaking for 30 seconds with the building creaking the entire time and hanging lights swaying.  There are no reports of damage or injuries in San Diego.

There are at least two people who say they felt the shaking in Tucson, about 220 miles from the epicenter.  No damage or injuries are reported. 

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California Quake Rattles People Awake

In the early morning hours of Thursday...3:01 AM to be exact, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake hit about 7 miles south of Keeler, CA which is just to the west of Death Valley.  This about 150 miles west of Las Vegas and 180 miles northeast of Los Angeles.  There are shake reports even in  Arizona! One from Youngtown and one from Buckeye.  A 5.0 does minimal to no damage to well constructed buildings but a few people could be cleaning up broken knick-knacks that fell to the floor. At the time of this posting there have been about a dozen aftershocks of 2.5 magnitude or greater.  Click here for a list of recent earthquakes.  To check out Tucson's own seismograph click here.

Powerful Earthquake Hits America Samoa

A 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit just south off the coast of Samoa and American Samoa at 10:48 AM Arizona Time. For details on the earthquake from the U.S. Geological Survey click here. 

Initial reports from the island say there were 3 minutes of shaking.  A tsunami flowed about 100 yards inland leaving cars stuck in the mud.  At the time of this posting there are not reports of major damage or deaths, but that could change as more information comes out of the islands. 

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center continues to monitor sea levels closely.  The danger has passed for American Samoa but at the time of this posting a Tsunami Watch is in effect for Hawaii, thousands of miles away. If a tsunami has formed, it will hit Hawaii late tonight since it has to track halfway across the Pacific before reaching Hawaii.  However, there is quite a bit of variability with tsunamis.  The sea level could rise a few harmless inches to tens of feet, which would inundate coastal areas.  Tsunamis the size of the one that hit islands in the Indian Ocean in 2004 is extremely rare. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

6 PM Update 

Later in the day a Tsunami Advisory was issued for the west coast of the U.S. Check out the latest National Weather Service map for updates. 

However the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an bulletin containing the following statement. 

"NO TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS FOR OTHER COASTAL AREAS ALTHOUGH SOME MAY EXPERIENCE SMALL SEA LEVEL CHANGES. FOR ALL AREAS COVERED BY THIS CENTER...THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE CANCELED."

Read the entire bulletin by clicking here. 

There are also reports that at least 34 people are dead on the islands.  Damage is still being assessed.  

Six Story Condo Survives Quake More Powerful Than Any CA Has Seen...

The 1994 Northridge Earthquake rocked the Los Angeles area killing 72 people, injuring over 9000, and causing $20 billion in damage.  Out of this tragedy came a multi-year, multi-million dollar project funded by the National Science Foundation that aimed to create buildings that could withstand powerful earthquakes.  It is called the NEESwood Project. On Tuesday July 14, 2009, after years of research and experimentation, scientists and engineers put their findings and ideas to the test. Over the past few months they built a 6 story condo building on a shake-table, which recreates the movement of an earthquake. Then they programmed the shake-table to jolt the building with movement more powerful than any quake California has seen for over 2500 years.  The building had only minor damage, proving even simple changes in construction could lead to saving hundreds if not thousands of lives.  Check out this website for a taped webcast discussing the findings of this project. Just scroll down...it's at the bottom of the page. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Powerful Earthquake Rocks New Zealand!

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook New Zealand at 8:22 PM local time. Since the country is half way (or more!) across the world, our time here in Arizona was 2:22 AM.  This was the most powerful earthquake to hit the area in 78 years!  The epicenter was just offshore and 21 miles underneath the sea. The depth and the fact it occurred just offshore of a sparsely populated part of the island probably helped save New Zealand from some major damage. Only minor damage has been reported thus far.  The power of the quake did prompt a tsunami warning. However, after about an hour it became clear that this was not a danger and the warning was dropped.  A small increase in wave height was reported but nothing threatened the safety of the coastal villages.  For a list of earthquakes around the world click here.

7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Near Honduras

A 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake hit off the coast of Honduras in the Caribbean early Thursday Morning.  This is a powerful earthquake and at least six people are dead after a house collapsed.  Click here for more information on this quake that was felt as far away as the Virgin Islands.

For the latest earthquake list around the world click here. 

Los Angeles Earthquake Sunday Night

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck L.A. Sunday night.  The trembler hit at 8:39 PM.  It was deep in the earth, about 8 miles, so the motion was more of a roll rather than a quick jolt.  That still sent people running for cover; quickly evacuating shaking buildings.  Although no major damage was found, broken windows, fallen ceiling tiles, and a damaged light pole were reported.

For the latest earthquake list around the world click here. 

Italy Earthquake...Death Toll Rises

A major 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Italy hit at 3:32 AM (6:32 PM Sunday Arizona time) about 60 miles NE of Rome.  The city L'Aquila, near the epicenter, dates back to medieval times.  The death toll in this town and surrounding area is 200 people with over 1500 injured. 50,000 to 70,000 people are left homeless after 15,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged.  The death toll will likely climb in the next 24 hours.  Rescue dogs are on the scene helping people look for survivors buried in the rubble.  Check out the list of 2.5 and greater magnitude quakes from the USGS. 

To monitor the Tucson seismograph, visit this location.

Here is an example of it from Tuesday:

California Earthquake Felt Hundreds Of Miles Away!

A 4.3 magnitude earthquake jolted people 16 miles east of San Jose, CA at 10:40 AM this Monday morning.  This is not an especially powerful quake but it is enough to rattle some things of store and home shelves. No major damage has been reported as of this blog entry.  However, one person inL.A felt the shaking.  That's 454 miles away!  And there was a report of the ground shaking in Beaverton, OR 920 miles away!  Check out the latest earthquake list from the USGS.  You can follow the rumblings all across the world. Have a good day! -First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan