Big Mexico quake hit in seismically active region


LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Scientists say the stretch of Mexican coast where a major earthquake struck has seen strong shaking in the past.

Tuesday’s magnitude-7.4 quake was centered along the coast roughly halfway between the resort town of Acapulco and colonial city of Oaxaca (wuh-HAH’-kah). It was felt in Mexico City about 180 miles away. High-rises swayed, a pedestrian bridge buckled, but there was no major damage reported.

Since 1973, the U.S. Geological Survey has counted 15 quakes with a magnitude-7.0 or larger that have struck the region.

Mexico City was severely damaged during a 1985 magnitude-8 earthquake, which was centered off the Pacific coast just north of Tuesday’s quake. Experts say the capital did not see the same destruction this time because Tuesday’s earthquake was smaller and released less energy.