2010 Baja California earthquake
The 2010 Baja California earthquake (also known as 2010 Easter earthquake, 2010 Sierra El Mayor earthquake, or 2010 El Mayor – Cucapah earthquake) occurred on April 4 (Easter Sunday) with a moment magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). The shock originated at 15:40:41 local time (3:40:41 PM PDT) south of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico.
USGS shake map for the mainshock | |
San Diego Ensenada | |
| UTC time | 2010-04-04 22:40:42 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 600257057 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | April 4, 2010 |
| Local time | 15:40:41 |
| Duration | 89 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.2 Mw |
| Depth | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Epicenter | 32.13°N 115.30°W |
| Type | Oblique-slip |
| Areas affected | Mexico United States |
| Total damage | $1.15 billion (2010 USD) |
| Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong) |
| Peak acceleration | 0.58 g |
| Peak velocity | 61 cm/s |
| Tsunami | No |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Aftershocks | Yes |
| Casualties | 2–4 dead 100–233 injured |
The 89-second quake was widely felt throughout northwest Mexico and southern California. It was also the strongest to rock southern California in at least 18 years (since the M 7.3 1992 Landers earthquake), if not longer: the next most recent comparable earthquake—the 1952 Kern County earthquake (M 7.3)—was 58 years earlier. Each of these earthquakes had a similar magnitude, and was also felt across a large swath of North America. Most of the damage occurred in the twin cities of Mexicali and Calexico on the Mexico–United States border.