Danielle Husband
While Mexico is in a state of emergency after a deadly earthquake, tremors in North Texas are drawing attention to the clashing plates beneath the US and it’s neighbor to the south.
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A 2.6 magnitude earthquake shook Irving, Texas near Dallas-Fort Worth early on Sept. 14. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it was the second quake to shake the area in less than a month. On Aug. 25, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck Irving and the surrounding area.
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The latest quake struck near Luna Vista Golf Course and could be felt in nearby Dallas.
While the small quakes did not cause damage, quakes have become more noticeable in recent years as North Texas began experiencing increased incidences.
Mexico has not been as lucky as Texas.
On Monday, Sept. 19, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook central Mexico, destroying buildings and claiming lives. As the death toll rose to 217 on the morning after the quake, experts began wondering if the quakes would continue.
At least 217 people have died in the Mexico City earthquake. 22 children were killed when this school collapsed. pic.twitter.com/F3Jw1KlgdN
— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 20, 2017
Eleven days before, a deadly 8.1 magnitude quake struck off the coast of southern Mexico, killing at least 90 people and creating a state of emergency.
Both Mexican earthquakes happened along the Cocos tectonic plate, which runs along the western Mexico coastline.
The Cocos tectonic plate is sliding under the North American tectonic plate, which is under most of the US and nearby land masses, including Cuba and Greenland.
The Cocos plate continues to move northward each year, making additional tremors likely. As the plate moves under the North American plate, two fault lines have already formed.
While the quakes are related, the first did not cause the second; each quake was a separate incident.
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The latest Mexican quake came just hours after Mexico City participated in a mass earthquake drill in remembrance of a historic quake in 1985 that killed an estimated 9,500 people.
