LOS ANGELES – 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 1.2m sloshed around Devils Hole, 22 minutes after the quake struck on Monday, in an episode captured on video.
The seismic energy had travelled 2,400km 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 behavior and puppies playing – feed on algae that grow 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 400km away in Mexico City.
It was followed by another quake yesterday that also killed at least two people. – AFP, September 23, 2022
