PLANETARY TREMORS: Strong 5.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off The Coast Of Mexico - USGS! [MAPS + TECTONIC SUMMARY]

USGS earthquake location.

March 5, 2016 - MEXICO - A 5.0-magnitude earthquake occurred on Saturday near the Mexican coast, in the southeastern part of the country, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located 46 kilometers (28.6 miles) southwest of the town of Tres Picos in Chiapas.

It struck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) deep, according to the seismologists. There were neither immediate reports of damage or casualties, nor a tsunami threat.

The last relatively deep earthquake occured near of Tres Picos in mid-December.

The seismologists initially measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.4 but later upgraded it to a significantly stronger 6.6 magnitude. - Sputnik.

Seismotectonics of Mexico

Located atop three of the large tectonic plates, Mexico is one of the world's most seismically active regions. The relative motion of these crustal plates causes frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions. Most of the Mexican landmass is on the westward moving North American plate. The Pacific Ocean floor south of Mexico is being carried northeastward by the underlying Cocos plate. Because oceanic crust is relatively dense, when the Pacific Ocean floor encounters the lighter continental crust of the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor is subducted beneath the North American plate creating the deep Middle American trench along Mexico's southern coast. Also as a result of this convergence, the westward moving Mexico landmass is slowed and crumpled creating the mountain ranges of southern Mexico and earthquakes near Mexico's southern coast. As the oceanic crust is pulled downward, it melts; the molten material is then forced upward through weaknesses in the overlying continental crust. This process has created a region of volcanoes across south-central Mexico known as the Cordillera Neovolcánica.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

The area west of the Gulf of California, including Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, is moving northwestward with the Pacific plate at about 50 mm per year. Here, the Pacific and North American plates grind past each other creating strike-slip faulting, the southern extension of California's San Andreas fault. In the past, this relative plate motion pulled Baja California away from the coast forming the Gulf of California and is the cause of earthquakes in the Gulf of California region today.

Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In September 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City. In southern Mexico, Volcán de Colima and El Chichón erupted in 2005 and 1982, respectively. Paricutín volcano, west of Mexico City, began venting smoke in a cornfield in 1943; a decade later this new volcano had grown to a height of 424 meters. Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanos ("smoking mountain" and "white lady", respectively), southeast of Mexico City, occasionally vent gas that can be clearly seen from the City, a reminder that volcanic activity is ongoing. In 1994 and 2000 Popocatépetl renewed its activity forcing the evacuation of nearby towns, causing seismologists and government officials to be concerned about the effect a large-scale eruption might have on the heavily populated region. Popocatépetl volcano last erupted in 2010.

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

- USGS.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Very Strong 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Off Jalisco, Mexico Coast - USGS! [MAPS + TECTONIC SUMMARY]

USGS earthquake location.

January 21, 2016 - MEXICO - A magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck well off the Pacific coast of Jalisco, Mexico on Thursday morning.

The quake initially registered at 6.9 in magnitude but was later downgraded to 6.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake struck at 10:07 a.m. PT and was centered 134 miles southwest of Tomatlan and 158 miles west of Cihuatlan, USGS said.

USGS shakemap intensity.

Jalisco's Civil Protection agency said via Twitter that it was monitoring the state's 125 municipalities to rule out any damage.

The U.S. National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was not forecast to cause a tsunami. - ABC7.

Seismotectonics of Mexico

Located atop three of the large tectonic plates, Mexico is one of the world's most seismically active regions. The relative motion of these crustal plates causes frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions. Most of the Mexican landmass is on the westward moving North American plate. The Pacific Ocean floor south of Mexico is being carried northeastward by the underlying Cocos plate. Because oceanic crust is relatively dense, when the Pacific Ocean floor encounters the lighter continental crust of the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor is subducted beneath the North American plate creating the deep Middle American trench along Mexico's southern coast. Also as a result of this convergence, the westward moving Mexico landmass is slowed and crumpled creating the mountain ranges of southern Mexico and earthquakes near Mexico's southern coast. As the oceanic crust is pulled downward, it melts; the molten material is then forced upward through weaknesses in the overlying continental crust. This process has created a region of volcanoes across south-central Mexico known as the Cordillera Neovolcánica.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

The area west of the Gulf of California, including Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, is moving northwestward with the Pacific plate at about 50 mm per year. Here, the Pacific and North American plates grind past each other creating strike-slip faulting, the southern extension of California's San Andreas fault. In the past, this relative plate motion pulled Baja California away from the coast forming the Gulf of California and is the cause of earthquakes in the Gulf of California region today.

Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In September 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City. In southern Mexico, Volcán de Colima and El Chichón erupted in 2005 and 1982, respectively. Paricutín volcano, west of Mexico City, began venting smoke in a cornfield in 1943; a decade later this new volcano had grown to a height of 424 meters. Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanos ("smoking mountain" and "white lady", respectively), southeast of Mexico City, occasionally vent gas that can be clearly seen from the City, a reminder that volcanic activity is ongoing. In 1994 and 2000 Popocatépetl renewed its activity forcing the evacuation of nearby towns, causing seismologists and government officials to be concerned about the effect a large-scale eruption might have on the heavily populated region. Popocatépetl volcano last erupted in 2010.

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

- USGS.

STORM ALERT: Hurricane Bud Heading For Area Near Puerto Vallarta - Very Dangerous With 110mph Winds; Jalisco State Prepares Shelters!

Hurricane Bud lost some strength as it moved closer to Mexico's Pacific Coast and was forecast to hit land south of the popular tourist town of Puerto Vallarta Friday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.  Bud weakened overnight from a powerful Category 3 storm, but it's dangerous as a Category 2 with 110 mph winds.

And it's expected to dump heavy rains in several states in western Mexico, threatening floods and landslides.  The government of Jalisco state prepared hundreds of cots and dozens of heavy vehicles like bulldozers that could be needed to move debris. Officials in Puerto Vallarta said they were in close contact with managers of the hundreds of hotels in the city in case tourists needed to move to eight emergency shelters. It said the sea along the city's famous beachfront was calm, but swimming had been temporarily banned as a precaution.  At Mexico's largest Pacific port of Manzanillo, skies were overcast and rainy before the forecast landfall.  The hurricane is the Pacific's first of the 2012 season.  "Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the hurricane warning area this afternoon," the center said in an advisory.

Located about 105 miles southwest of Manzanillo, the hurricane was moving north-northeast at around 8 mph and Mexico's government issued a hurricane watch along the coast from Punta San Telmo to Cabo Corrientes.  Bud is expected to soak the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco and southern Nayarit with around 6 to 8 inches of rain. Advertise | AdChoices  In some places, the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain.  "These rainfall amounts could produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the center said. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."  Most of Mexico's oil platforms and exporting ports are in the Gulf of Mexico and affected by storms in the Atlantic, where forecasters are expecting a "near normal" hurricane season this year with up to 15 tropical storms and four to eight hurricanes. - MSNBC.

WATCH: Projected path of Hurricane Bud.

PLANETARY TREMORS: 6.5 Quake Jolts Revilla Gigedo Region!

USGS Map of the earthquake.

An initial earthquake magnitude of 6.5 struck the Revilla Gigedo Islands Region, Mexico at a depth of 5 km ( 3.1 miles). The quake hit at 12:32:02 UTC Tuesday 1st November 2011 and was located at 19.891°N, 109.216°W. The epicentre was 227 km ( 141 miles) northeast of Socorro, Mexico; 333 km (206 miles) southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja Calif. Sur, Mexico; 419 km (260 miles) west of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico; and 1050 km (652 miles) west of Mexico City, D.F., Mexico.

EMSC Seismicity of the region.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale (MMS) with a Green Alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. As the epicentre was far from land, there were no reports of damage or casualties. No tsunami warning was issued. "No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

Strangely enough, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) measured the quake at a magnitude of 5.6 and all of the relevant and related station scientific data corroborates this.

EMSC scientific data from the earthquake stations.

The USGS is renown for lowering magnitudes, surely this must constitute a highly unusual registration.