Column: Mexico City residents have to deal with two of these natural hazards

The Soufriere eruption in St. Vincent put more than 100,000 people in the Caribbean at risk. A much larger crowd lives in the shadow of two volcanoes, along with a history of earthquakes, in a city on the American continent. Including its suburbs and satellite cities, Mexico City has an estimated population of 22 million. This is similar to the urban giants like Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Shanghai, China. What is lacking in Sao Paulo and Shanghai are frequent volcanoes and earthquakes. Mexico City got it. There is not a single volcano, but rather two active volcanoes looming over the densely populated towns.

Think of two of them, for example: Atlautla and Amecameca. The Popocatepetl crater is located only 10 miles from downtown Atlautla. From Amecameca to the top of Iztaccihuatl volcano is only 9 miles away. When we look back at Mt. The 1991 eruption of Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines, we see that its hot ash burned 154 square miles. That’s more than the two cities plus many other cities combined. The most widespread total ash fall from the event in the Philippines was larger than the area of ​​Rhode Island. The eruption of Popocatepetl or Iztaccihuatl volcano, which produces lava and ash of Pinatubo dimensions, will cover most of the 3,000 square miles that make up Greater Mexico City.

But more important than volcanoes and cities with complex names are earthquake drills. They are held regularly in Mexico City, as one of my students and my family pointed out in that area. Much of the city is built on a smooth, unstable ground. This is a property it shares with some parts of San Francisco, California. Unlike hard rocks, soft and swampy soils withstand earthquake vibrations and vibrate over long distances. The large 1985 earthquake originated 235 miles away in Michoacan. But with a magnitude of 7.5, it caused major buildings in the city to collapse, including the Benito Juarez Hospital.

Recently, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck in Atningo, Puebla. In Mexico City, 75 miles away, it caused the collapse of Enrique Repsamen Elementary School, killing 32 children and 5 adults. The most recent large earthquake, measuring 4.7, was on April 8, with its epicenter in Guerrero state, 130 miles away. Dangerous earthquakes happen almost every day somewhere in Mexico. But its capital, with two volcanoes and a devastating earthquake history, embodies the phrase “living in harm’s way.”

Rudi Kiefer, Ph.D., professor at the University of Brenau, teaches physical and health sciences at the Brenau campus in Georgia and in China. His column appears on Sunday and on Gainesvilletimes.com.

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