At least three people have died and several dozen more have been injured, following an Earthquake in the southeast of the Mexican state of Chiapas slightly after 6.20 am local time (slightly after 11.20 am GMT) on Monday 7 July 2014.. The quake was recorded as a Magnitude 6.9 event at a depth of 60 km by the United States Geological Survey, and was felt across the Mexican States of Chiapas, Veracruz, Tobasco and Compeche as well as in neighbouring Belize. The worst of the damage, however, is reported to have occurred in Guatemala, where the event triggered a series of landslides and building collapses. The dead are reported to include a newborn baby killed by a collapsing ceiling at a hospital in San Marcos, Guatemala.
A resident of San Pedro, Guatemala, begins clearing debris away from his home. Oliver de Ros/Associated Press.
Southern Mexico is located on the southernmost part of the North American Plate. To the south, along the Middle American Trench, which lies off the southern coast off Mexico, the Cocos Plate is being subducted under the North American Plate, passing under southern Mexico as it sinks into the Earth. This is not a smooth process, and the plates frequently stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up, causing Earthquakes on the process.
The approximate location of the 7 July 2014 Chiapas Earthquake. Google Maps.
See also...
The United States Geological Survey Recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 74.2 km in the east of Esculinta...
The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake at a depth of 24 km, roughly 15 km to the north of the...
The Middle American Trench, in which the Cocos Plate is subducted beneath the North American Plate, runs parallel to the south coast of Mexico. Like many subduction zones, this feeds a chain of...
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