A major earthquake of 7.2 magnitude which struck at forty seconds after 3:40 p.m. PDT on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 was centered 39 miles (63 kilometers) SSE of Calexico, CA in the upper Baja California peninsula of Mexico, near the town of Guadalupe Victoria. There are reports of extensive damage to buildings in Mexicali and elsewhere within the northern Baja California peninsula of Mexico. Tremors from the quake lasted about forty seconds, rattling windows, knocking objects from shelves, and causing water main breaks and building cracks in San Diego, 140 miles to the north and west. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seismologist Lucy Jones, over 20 million people in the U.S. and Mexico felt the quake.
Terminal 2 of San Diego International Airport (SAN) was briefly evacuated as a precation to give
building engineers time to evaluate possible structural damage, after acoustic ceiling tiles came loose. Passengers who had already cleared TSA checkpoints were directed outside, a safe distance from the terminal, and later screened through security again. Some flights were delayed by as much as two hours, including a Southwest Airlines (WN) flight to San Jose, even though the airline uses the nearby Terminal 1, which was not cleared. There are 15 carriers served by Terminal 2, including American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, US Airways, Virgin America, and others. Only a small number of them had scheduled flights that were affected by the terminal evacuation.
CAPTIONS: (ABOVE LEFT) Shake map of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurring at Baja California, Mexico on April 4, 2010. Epicenter marked at star. Realized by USGS on April 4, 2010; (ABOVE RIGHT) San Diego International Airport west end of Terminal 2 (Photo by Joel Siegfried); (BELOW RIGHT) Mexico relief map showing quake location (Wikipedia/Creative Commons); (BELOW LEFT) Structural damage to the Escomex business school building after an earthquake in Mexicali, Mexico, Sunday, April 4, 2010. The 7.2-magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (AP Photo/Jorge Rivera); (BELOW RIGHT BOTTOM) Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina (Photo courtesy Starwood Hotels)
A slide show and two videos follow this article with additional earthquake information.
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According to the Earthquake Data Center at Caltech in Pasadena, CA, the quake occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km) beneath the earth's surface. It was originally labelled a 6.9 on the Richter magnitude scale, but has been upgraded by seismologists to a 7.2. Residents as far away as Phoenix, AZ, some 360 miles to the northeast of the epicenter felt the effects of the temblor.
As of 10:45 P.M. PDT, on April 4 there have been 141 aftershocks reported by the Caltech Earthquake Data Center, many of them weaker tremors, but some as strong as 5.4.
Guests at the nearby Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel & Marina, across from the Airport and less than half
a mile away, were briefly evacuated. A hotel reservations agent indicated in a telephone interview that guests above the eleventh floor were moved as a precaution. Inquiries to the front desk reported that the hotel is functioning normally.
The Courtyard by Marriott at Liberty Station, less than a mile from the airport was not impacted by the earthquake.
Minor earthquake damage has occurred throughout San Diego including shattered glass panels at the San Diego Sports Arena, and water main breaks in Mission Valley at Nordstrom department store. There have been elevator outages in some high rise buildings, as well as wall cracks and minor structural damage. There were also several power outages throughout Southern California, and the Coronado Bridge was briefly closed by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as a precaution.
On a personal note, having lived in San Diego for almost 40 years and experiencing a number of previous tremors, this ranks among the worst for duration and intensity. It can best be described as riding in an outdated railway car on a poorly maintained stretch of track, reminiscent of trips from college on the old Erie Lackawanna Railway, but much more bone rattling.
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Comments
Wow. Joel, I hope you and other residents of San Diego are all okay. I worry about earthquakes, as I write this from over the fault line on which I live in Oakland, CA. I think people who live in areas that are prone should start making plans and know how they will handle keeping safe during earthquakes. I hope that all can open and go back to normal today for San Diego/Southern California.
The quake shook our home here in San Diego. It was the strongest quake most people here remember feeling. Your article covered all the pertinent information for us here in San Diego. Good job and thanks!
Joel, Glad you were "shaken" but not "stirred!" Sounds like damage overall was minor, thanks no doubt to the building codes, etc., in your part of the country where earthquakes are somewhat expected from time to time. Do you have your "earthquake survival kit" ready and waiting? I remember that is what we were told to do in the Midwest years ago when a major earthquake from the fault line that runs through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana was predicted. It didn't happen, thankfully. Hope you don't get big aftershocks!
Good personal coverage on the quake. Glad to hear you are safe and sound in San Diego.
I was visiting from the Bay Area. That was the most powerful quake I have felt since '89. It was so long and strong we actually got under the door jams. Rock 'n roll.
omgeeeeeeeeee i felt it i thought i was juss dizzy ahah
OMG IT SCARE THE CRPA OUTT ME I THOPUGHT I WAS JUSS DIZZY IT LASTED FOREVER
I can't believe all these earthquakes and disasters. What the heck????
We were at that Nordstroms Fridat night. Really glad we got out of San Diego before the quake- I would have FREAKED!!!
Informative article and great pictures as always.
Great coverage and slideshow. Glad people weren't hurt at the San Diego airport.
No matter what you do, where you are and what you believe in. When it's your time, it's your time.
Great article and thank God nothing happened to us here in San Diego though that was the strongest and longest earthquake I have had ever felt. I wasn't scared but always said Jesus Christ please SAVE US. Prayers are more powerful than anything else.
Thanks for the important info.
earthquakes are a fact of life in calif.
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