Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 14 March 1980:
Vol. 207. no. 4436, pp. 1211 - 1213
DOI: 10.1126/science.207.4436.1211
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

The Oaxaca, Mexico, Earthquake of 29 November 1978: A Preliminary Report on Aftershocks

S. K. SINGH 1, J. HAVSKOV 2, K. McNALLY 3, L. PONCE 4, T. HEARN 5, and M. VASSILIOU 5

1 Institutos de Geofísica e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, México 20, D.F.
2 Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
3 Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125
4 Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
5 Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Aftershocks of the 29 November 1978 Oaxaca, Mexico, earthquake (surface-wave magnitude Ms = 7.8) define a rupture area of about 6000 square kilometers along the boundary of the Cocos sea-plate subduction. This area had not ruptured in a large (Ms ge 7), shallow earthquake since the years 1928 and 1931 and had been designated a seismic "gap." The region has also been seismically quiet for small to moderate (M ge 4), shallow (depth le 60 kilometers) earthquakes since 1966; this quiet zone became about six times larger in 1973. A major earthquake (Ms = 7.5 ± 0.25) was forecast at this location on the basis of the quiescence that began in 1973. The aftershock data indicate that an area approximately equivalent in size to the seismic gap has now broken.

Revised on November 13, 1979


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Space-Time Clustering of Large Thrust Earthquakes along the Mexican Subduction Zone: An Evidence of Source Stress Interaction.
M. A. Santoyo, S. K. Singh, T. Mikumo, and M. Ordaz (2005)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 95, 1856-1864
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Seismicity changes prior to several great earthquakes in the circum-Pacific area.
H. ACHARYA (1984)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 74, 943-955
   Abstract »    PDF »
Playa Azul, Michoacan, Mexico, earthquake of 25 October 1981 (Ms = 7.3).
J. HAVSKOV, S. K. SINGH, E. NAVA, T. DOMINGUEZ, and M. RODRIGUEZ (1983)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 73, 449-457
   Abstract »    PDF »
Variations in seismicity as a fundamental tool in earthquake prediction.
K. C. MCNALLY (1982)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 72, S351-S366
   Abstract »    PDF »
Seismic gaps and recurrence periods of large earthquakes along the Mexican subduction zone: A reexamination.
S. K. SINGH, L. ASTIZ, and J. HAVSKOV (1981)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 71, 827-843
   Abstract »    PDF »
Expected earthquake magnitude from a fault.
S. K. SINGH, E. BAZAN, and L. ESTEVA (1980)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 70, 903-914
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)