Strong Quake Hits Off Mexico Coast, No Damage Reported

LONDON — A strong earthquake hit the Gulf of California off the Mexican coast on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of damage, the U.S. Geological Survey Web site said.

It said the quake struck at 0832 GMT (0332 EST) 89 km (56 miles) from Santa Rosalia on the east coast of the Baja California peninsula. It said it was 1,620 km (1,010 miles) northwest of Mexico City.

The USGS described it as a "strong" quake but said "there have been no reports of damage."

The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California peninsula from the northern Mexican mainland. The nearby coastal area in Mexico is relatively unpopulated.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said on its Web site "no destructive Pacific-wide tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data."

It gave the quake’s magnitude as 7 and warned that earthquakes of that size "sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 km (60 miles) of the earthquake epicentre."

Markets in Europe moved on reports of the quake. It boosted demand for safe-haven government bonds, lifting U.S, euro zone bond futures and the Swiss franc sharply higher.

European shares also trimmed gains. "There is no panic reaction at all, but this news has made people a bit cautious," said one trader.

In September 1985, between 6,000 and 12,000 people were killed and thousands injured when an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale, hit Mexico City and the adjoining region.

The ground in the region is so unsound that Mexico City is regularly rattled by tiny tremors that elsewhere would have passed unnoticed. A Pacific coast earthquake of magnitude 6 or more is often felt in the capital, a five-hour drive away.