The MW 6.2 Punta Santa Elena (Coahuila-Zacatecas) earthquake of 28 April 1841, the largest documented pre-instrumental event and its implications on seismic hazard in Northeastern Mexico

• Published in: Journal of seismology 2021-04, Vol.25 (2), p.477-485
• Main Authors: Sosa-Ramírez, Rocío L., Paz-Martínez, Edgar G., Montalvo-Arrieta, Juan C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attenuation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earthquakes; Geological hazards; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydrogeology; Original Article; Seismic activity; Seismic hazard; Seismology; Structural Geology
• ISSN: 1383-4649; 1573-157X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10950-021-09991-2

In this study, we compiled reports from different catalogs and newspapers about the greatest earthquake documented in Northeastern Mexico. From these descriptions, we located the 28 April 1841 earthquake using the Bakun and Wentworth ( 1997 ) attenuation model for the Basin and Range region. From 13 observations with an intensity range of III–VII, we calculated a M w 6.2 and the central intensity SW from Punta Santa Elena, Coahuila (24.65° N, 101.60° W). This earthquake could represent the fourth biggest event in the Mexican Basin and Range province after the events of Bavispe, Sonora, of 1887 ( M w 7.5), Parral, Chihuahua, of 1928 ( M w 6.5), and Valentine, Texas in the Texas-Chihuahua border, of 1931 ( M w 6.4). Finally, this study provides new insights on earthquake potential in the region to be considered for enhanced hazard quantification and shows that the region is seismically active and prone to events up to M > 6.