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'Desert tsunami' hits Death Valley after Mexico quake

Monday's 7.7-magnitude quake left two people dead in western Mexico, damaged several thousand buildings and sparked panic more than 400 kilometres away in Mexico City.

AFP

Updated Sep 23, 2022, 04:53 IST

File picture: Death Valley, California

Photo : AP

A powerful earthquake that rattled Mexico this week was also felt further afield -- sparking a "desert tsunami" in the middle of Death Valley.

Waves up to four feet (1.2 meters) sloshed around Devils Hole, 22 minutes after the quake struck on Monday, in an episode captured on video.

The seismic energy had travelled 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometres) through the Earth's crust to the water-filled limestone cave in Nevada.

The phenomenon, which is known formally as a seiche, stirred sediment and rocks in the pool, likely giving the few dozen resident pupfish a bit of a surprise.

The pupfish -- a rare species that got its name from the apparent similarity between male mating behaviour and puppies playing -- feed on algae that grows on a shelf in the deep cavern but appeared to have escaped unscathed.

"The pupfish have survived several of these events in recent years," said Kevin Wilson, an aquatic ecologist for the National Park Service.

"We didn't find any dead fish after the waves stopped."

Monday's 7.7-magnitude quake left two people dead in western Mexico, damaged several thousand buildings and sparked panic more than 400 kilometres away in Mexico City.

It was followed by another quake on Thursday that also killed at least two people.

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