The earthquake that shook Mexico this week was also felt in distant lands, triggering “a tsunami in the desert” in the middle of Death Valley, in the United States.
Waves of up to 1.2 meters formed in the Olho do Diabo cave 22 minutes after the earthquake was felt in Mexico on Monday in a camera-captured episode.
The seismic energy traveled 2,400 kilometers through the Earth’s crust until it reached this limestone cave in the state of Nevada, which is home to a geothermal pool. The phenomenon set in motion sediment and rocks, surprising local residents, the small fish Cyprinodon diabolis.
The specimens of this rare species feed on the algae that grow in the depths of the cave and appear to have emerged unharmed. “Cyprinodon diabolis has survived some of these events in recent years,” said Kevin Wilson, an aquatic ecologist with the National Park Service. “We didn’t find any dead fish after the waves stopped.”
Monday’s earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale killed two people in western Mexico, damaged thousands of buildings and caused terror more than 400 km away in Mexico City. It was followed the next day by another earthquake, which also killed two people.
Source: DN
