April 7, 1845 Earthquake: Mexico City

April 7, 1845, 15:30 [local time]. At Acapulco, there was an earthquake and then a tsunami. The earthquake began with oscillations, whose intensity gradually increased until they became very strong. In half an hour, an enormous wave appeared at sea. It penetrated approximately 40 m (50 vara) inland; then the water rapidly retreated, exposing the bottom for 35 m (42 vara), after which the oscillations in sea level abated little by little. This earthquake was observed at many places in the states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Puebla, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Colima, VeraCruz, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, Jalisco and Oaxaca, and also in Mexico City, where homes and arcades of the water main were damaged. The cupola of Saint Theresa Cathedral collapsed. (reference #415)

April 7, 1845. Mexico, Acapulco, Nochitmilco in (Mexico), Puebla, Taxacalla, Vera Cruz, Queretaro, San Luis Posti, and in the west, central coast of Acapulco or S. Marcos, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)

April 7, 1845. Destructive: Mexico, D.F., and felt in Guerrero, Veracruz, Morelos. (reference #1195)

April 7, 1845. In Acapulco, the motion initially was light, then increased in intensity and became very strong. Tsunami in Acapulco half hour later, sea penetrated in land up to 40 m, very strongly felt in Chilpancingo Tixtla, Iguala, Teloloapan, Ayutla, Tlapa, Coyuca, Ometepec, and Chilapa. In all these towns of Guerrero, the buildings suffered damage. Based on isoseismic maps and comparing with maps for other events. Singh (personal communication), has assigned a magnitude of 8.0 and epicenter at 17.0 N and 100.6 W within 100 km radius. (reference #82)

April 7, 1845. 16.8 N 100 W, magnitude 8.3 Mw. The Santa Teresa earthquake. This was one of the most destructive earthquakes in México City and was felt in half of the Mexican Republic and along the Pacific coast from Guerrero to Jalisco; a tsunami was reported in Acapulco. The local governor of Autlan, Jalisco (AGN, 1845), reported that the earthquake “was felt at the coast accompanied by an ocean roar” and the newspaper El Siglo XIX (1845) mentioned that many people mentioned that “the water seemed to boil….”(reference #13627)

April 7, 1845, 15:47 local time, magnitude >8. (reference #13024)