View source for 2003 Colima earthquake

{{Short description|Earthquake in southwestern Mexico}}
{{Infobox earthquake
| name = 2003 Colima earthquake
| native_name = {{Lang|es|Terremoto de Colima de 2003}}
| native_name_lang = es
| timestamp = 2003-01-22 02:06:34
| anss-url = usp000bnyr
| isc-event = 6541364
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| map = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = 
| map2 = {{Location map+| Mexico
 |places=
 {{Location map~|Mexico|lat=18.770|long=-104.104|mark=Bullseye1.png|marksize=50}}
 {{Location map~|Mexico|lat=20.6752|long=-103.3473|mark=Red pog.svg|label=[[Guadalajara]]|position=top}}
 {{Location map~|Mexico|lat=19.26|long=-99.8|mark=Red pog.svg|label=[[Mexico City]]}}
{{Location map~|Mexico|lat=29.7601|long=-95.3701|mark=Red pog.svg|label=[[Houston]]}}
 |relief = yes
 |width = 260
 |float = center
 |border = none
 |caption =}}
| local-date = {{Start date|2003|1|21}}
| local-time = 20:06:34 [[Central Time Zone|CST]] [[UTC-5]]
| duration = 20 seconds
| magnitude = {{M|w|link=y}} 7.5 
| depth = {{convert|23.9|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} 
| location = {{coord|18.770|-104.104|region:MX_type:event|display=inline,title}} 
| type = [[Fault (geology)#Dip-slip faults|Thrust]] 
| affected = [[Pacific Coast of Mexico|Pacific Coast]] of [[Mexico]]
| damages = US$119&nbsp;million {{small|(equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|119|2003|r=1|fmt=c}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}})}}<ref name=NGDC/>
| fault = [[Middle America Trench]]
| intensity = {{MMI|VIII}} 
| pga = 0.045 ''[[Peak ground acceleration|g]]'' 
| tsunami = {{cvt|1.2|m|ft}} 
| landslide = 
| foreshocks = 
| aftershocks = 33+ recorded<br>{{M|wc|link=y}} 5.9 on 22 January at 14:41 CST
| casualties = 29 fatalities, 1,073 injuries
}}

An [[earthquake]] struck the [[Pacific Coast of Mexico]] on 21 January 2003 with a [[Moment magnitude scale|moment magnitude]] of 7.5. It had a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of VIII (''Severe''). The epicenter was located on the [[Pacific coast]] near the [[Mexican state]] of [[Colima]]. The earthquake killed 29 people, injured 1,073 others and damaged over 43,300 homes across five states, with minor damage also occurring in [[Mexico City]]. The earthquake was felt as far away as the states of [[Texas]] and [[Louisiana]].

==Tectonic setting==
This shallow earthquake occurred in a seismically active zone near the coast of central Mexico. The earthquake occurred near the juncture of three [[Plate techtonics|tectonic plates]]: the North American plate to the northeast, the Rivera plate to the northwest, and the Cocos plate to the south. Both the Rivera plate and the Cocos plate are being subsumed beneath the North American plate. The slower subducting Rivera plate is moving northwest at about 2&nbsp;cm per year relative to the North American plate and the faster Cocos plate is moving in a similar direction at a rate of about 4.5&nbsp;cm per year.

Several significant earthquakes have occurred near the 2003 event. In 1932, [[1932 Jalisco earthquake|a magnitude 8.4 thrust earthquake]] struck about 100&nbsp;km to the north-northwest. On 9 October 1995, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck about 50&nbsp;km to the northwest killed at least 49 people and left 1,000 homeless. The most deadly earthquake in the region occurred about 170&nbsp;km to the south-east on 19 September 1985. [[1985 Mexico City earthquake|This magnitude 8.0 earthquake]] killed at least 9,500 people, injured about 30,000, and left 100,000 people homeless.<ref name="neic.usgs.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2003/eq_030122/ |title=USGS NEIC: Earthquake Bulletin: COLIMA, MEXICO |access-date=2008-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511234709/http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eq_depot/2003/eq_030122/ |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Earthquake==
[[File:ShakeMap 7.5 Colima, Mexico.jpg|250px|thumb|right|USGS [[ShakeMap]]]]
Striking at 02:06:34 UTC on 22 January (or 20:06 [[Central Time Zone|CST]] on 21 January), the earthquake had a magnitude of {{M|w}} 7.5 according to the [[International Seismological Centre]],<ref name=ISC-GEM/> or {{M|wb}} 7.6 according to the [[United States Geological Survey]].<ref name=USGS/> The offshore [[epicenter]] was located {{cvt|16|km|mi}} south-southwest of [[Cuyutlán]] in the [[States of Mexico|state]] of [[Colima]],<ref name=USGS/> with a [[hypocenter]] {{convert|23.9|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} beneath the surface.<ref name=ISC-GEM/> 

It occurred as the result of shallow [[Fault (geology)#Thrust faults|thrust faulting]] along a section of the [[Middle America Trench]]. The [[earthquake rupture]] had an area of {{cvt|145|km|mi}} x {{cvt|110|km|mi}}, with a maximum slip of {{cvt|2.852|m|ft}} in [[Armería Municipality|Armería]]; detectible slip was estimated in much of [[Colima]], along with parts of [[Michoacán]] and [[Jalisco]]. The observed source time function gives a 20 second duration for the earthquake, with the greatest phase of seismic moment release occurring about 10 seconds after initiation.<ref name=USGS/> The earthquake ruptured a [[seismic gap]] located between the [[1995 Colima–Jalisco earthquake|1995]] and [[1973 Colima earthquake|1973]] ruptures.<ref name=gom>{{cite web|title=El sismo de 2003 en Tecomán, Colima|trans-title=The 2003 earthquake in Tecomán, Colima|url=https://www.gob.mx/cenapred/articulos/el-sismo-de-2003-en-tecoman-colima|lang=es|date=20 January 2021|access-date=29 May 2025|publisher=[[Federal government of Mexico|Gobierno de México]]}}</ref> There were 33 aftershocks exceeding {{M|w}}4.0 by April 27, with the strongest event measuring {{M|w}} 5.9.<ref>{{Cite web|title=USGS earthquake catalog|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=17.73564,-105.73242&extent=19.50546,-102.39258&range=search&sort=largest&timeZone=utc&search=%7B%22name%22:%22Search%20Results%22,%22params%22:%7B%22endtime%22:%222003-12-31T23:59:59.610Z%22,%22latitude%22:18.77,%22longitude%22:-104.104,%22maxradiuskm%22:75,%22minmagnitude%22:4,%22starttime%22:%222003-01-01T02:06:34.610Z%22%7D%7D}}</ref>

The earthquake had a maximum [[Modified Mercalli intensity]] of VIII (''Severe'') in [[Colima (city)|Colima]] and [[Tecomán]], and VI (''Strong'') in [[Mexico City]]; in the latter location, a [[peak ground acceleration]] of 0.045 ''g''. Tremors in Mexico were felt as far away as the states of [[Nayarit]], [[San Luis Potosí]], [[Puebla]] and [[Tlaxcala]]. Shaking was also felt in parts of [[Texas]], including [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]], [[Dallas]], [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] and [[Houston]]. The earthquake triggered a moderate tsunami, with wave heights of {{cvt|1.2|m|ft}} at [[Manzanillo, Colima|Manzanillo]], {{cvt|70|cm|ft}} at [[Zihuatanejo]] and {{cvt|25|cm|ft}} at [[Lazaro Cardenas]]. A seiche was observed on [[Lake Pontchartrain]] and [[sediment]] was stirred up in wells in [[Louisiana]].<ref name=USGS/>

==Impact==
Most of the 29 fatalities occurred in Colima.<ref name=USGS/> Another 1,073 others were injured and 177,530 people were affected. At least 43,300 homes were damaged, of which 2,942 collapsed, including 1,208 in [[Colima (city)|Colima City]], 603 in [[Villa de Álvarez]], 307 in [[Coquimatlán]], 214 in [[Comala]], 203 in [[Tecomán]], 125 in [[Armería]], 111 in [[Manzanillo, Colima|Manzanillo]] and 80 in [[Cuauhtémoc, Colima|Cuauhtémoc]].<ref name=ifrc>{{Cite web|title=Mexico: Earthquake - Information Bulletin n° 5|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/mexico/mexico-earthquake-information-bulletin-n-5|date=6 February 2003|publisher=[[ReliefWeb]]|author=IFRC}}</ref> [[Adobe]] and [[unreinforced masonry building]]s were the most significantly damaged.<ref name=gom/> Over 100 injuries were reported in [[Colima (city)|Colima City]], where 6,801 buildings were damaged<ref name=ifrc/> and a furniture shop caught fire.<ref name=rw23/> The nearby town of [[Villa de Álvarez]] was also severely damaged, partly due to widespread [[ground subsidence]] and [[fissure]]s.<ref name=gom/> In [[Manzanillo, Colima|Manzanillo]], 2,609 homes were damaged or destroyed<ref name=ifrc/> and [[soil liquefaction]] occurred.<ref name=gom/> Landslides blocked a segment of [[Mexican Federal Highway 54D]] and the [[Port of Manzanillo]].<ref name=USGS/>

The states of [[Jalisco]] and [[Michoacán]] also reported deaths and significant damage to buildings and facilities;<ref name=USGS/><ref name=gom/> Two people, an elderly woman and an infant, were killed by falling debris in Jalisco,<ref name=rw27>{{Cite web|title=Coffins in streets after Mexico quake kills 27|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/mexico/coffins-streets-after-mexico-quake-kills-27|access-date=29 May 2025|date=23 January 2003|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> while liquefaction occurred in [[Coahuayana]], Michoacán. In [[Mexico City]], dozens of people were hospitalized due to stress and panic, brief power outages occurred and multiple buildings suffered minor damage, including two 20-story buildings, the Sevilla Palace Hotel and a government building.<ref name=rw23>{{Cite web|title=Strong earthquake kills at least 23 in Mexico|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/mexico/strong-earthquake-kills-least-23-mexico|access-date=29 May 2025|date=22 January 2003|publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> A few buildings were also damaged in [[Guanajuato]] and [[Morelos]].<ref name=USGS/>

==See also==
*[[List of earthquakes in 2003]]
*[[List of earthquakes in Mexico]]
*[[2022 Michoacán earthquake]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=ISC-GEM>{{citation|title=ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009)|url=http://www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php|author=ISC|year=2014|publisher=[[International Seismological Centre]]|series=Version 1.05}}</ref>
<ref name=NGDC>{{citation|title=Significant Earthquake Database|url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/form?t=101650&s=1&d=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929000601/http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/form?t=101650&s=1&d=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2006|author=National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS)|publisher=[[National Geophysical Data Center]], [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]|doi=10.7289/V5TD9V7K|year = 1972|type = Data Set}}</ref>
<ref name=USGS>{{cite anss|M 7.6 - 16 km SSW of Cuyutlán, Mexico|2003|usp000bnyr}}</ref>
}}

'''Sources'''
{{refbegin}}

* {{citation|title=A Preliminary Report on the Tecomán, Mexico Earthquake of 22 January 2003 (Mw 7.4) and Its Effects|url=http://srl.geoscienceworld.org/content/74/3/279.extract|first1=S. K.|last1=Singh|first2=J. F.|last2=Pacheco|first3=L.|last3=Alcántara|first4=G.|last4=Reyes|first5=M.|last5=Ordaz|first6=A.|last6=Iglesias|first7=S. M.|last7=Alcocer|first8=G.|last8=Gutierrez|first9=C.|last9=Valdés|first10=V.|last10=Kostoglodov|first11=C.|last11=Reyes|first12=T.|last12=Mikumo|first13=R.|last13=Quaas|first14=J. G.|last14=Anderson|authorlink14=John G. Anderson|year=2003|journal=Seismological Research Letters|volume=74|number=3|pages=279–289|doi=10.1785/gssrl.74.3.279|bibcode=2003SeiRL..74..279S |url-access=subscription}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{citation|title=Kinematic source analysis of the 2003 Tecomán, México, earthquake (Mw 7.6) using teleseismic body waves|last1=Gómez-González|first1=Juan Martín|last2=Mendoza|first2=Carlos|last3=Sladen|first3=Anthony|last4=Guzmán-Speziale|first4=Marco|journal=Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana|year=2010|volume=62|issue=2|pages=249–262|doi=10.18268/BSGM2010v62n2a5|jstor=24921179|doi-access=free}}

==External links==
*{{EQ-isc-link|6541364}}

{{Earthquakes in 2003}}
{{Earthquakes in Mexico}}

{{USGS}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colima}}
[[Category:2003 disasters in Mexico]]
[[Category:Earthquakes in Mexico]]
[[Category:2003 earthquakes]]
[[Category:2003 tsunamis]]
[[Category:History of Colima]]
[[Category:2003 in Mexico]]
[[Category:Tsunamis in Mexico]]
[[Category:January 2003 in Mexico]]