Reconnaissance Reports

2017 Central Mexico Earthquake CAEE Reconnaissance Report 2019.

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred in central Mexico on September 19, 2017 at 1:14 pm local time, causing widespread geotechnical and structural damage in the states of Morelos and Puebla, includingparts of Mexico City, resulting in 369 casualties. The epicentre of the quake was 120 km southeast of Mexico City, 12 km southeast of the city of Axochiapan, Morelos on the boundary between Puebla and Guerrero. It occurred only 11 days after the Mw 8.1 September 8, 2017 Mexico Earthquake, located furthersoutheast, offshore Chiapas, Mexico. The September 19 event coincided with the 32nd anniversary of the tragic Mw 8.1 Michoacan earthquake of 1985, reported to have resulted in over 10,000 deaths and 30,000 injuries. The Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering sent a team of geotechnical and structural engineers to investigate the effects of the earthquake from Canadian seismic design perspective. The team conducted its investigation between October 15 and 21, 2017, during which period they also met with their colleagues at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Centre responsible for the Mexican earthquake early warning system, the Centro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES) and gathered valuable background information. This report provides a summary of their findings. Read More

Report on earthquakearthquake reconnaissance of the M7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake on april 25, 2015 and it’s aftersocks. 

The devastating Gorkha Earthquake and aftershocks which struck Nepal in April of 2015 caused tragic loss of life, serious injuries and disastrous damage. More than 9,000 people were killed, over 22,000 were injured and at least thousands of people were left homeless. Many more suffered great hardships. Overall, 2,649 public buildings and 510,762 private dwellings collapsed, while 3,617 public buildings and 291,707 private dwellings suffered partial damage. More than 7,000 school buildings and 1,085 healthcare facilities suffered damage (GON, 2015 B). The earthquake also affected approximately 2,900 structures with cultural and heritage values.Read More.

Reconnaissance Report: Members of CAEE return from visits to Thailand and Indonesia.

A devastating earthquake and a resulting tsunami hit coastal areas of Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The quake was the second strongest ever recorded since 1900, with a Richter magnitude of 9.3 according to Northwestern University, though the USGS suggested a magnitude of 9.0. The epicenter was 155 km west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The earthquake resulted from the rupturing of the subduction zone between the India plate and the overriding Burma microplate with a vertical uplift of 7.0 to 10 m at the ocean floor. This created a massive tsunami with wave heights reaching up to 24 meters. The casualties from the disaster were in excess of 310,000. The tsunami affected Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Malaysia, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya, as well as other countries around the Indian Ocean. Read More.