1985 Mexico City earthquake

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/1985-mexico-city-earthquake

1. What is the location?
2. What is the date of main shock?
3. What caused the 1985 Mexico City earthquake to feel so strong even though the epicenter was far away?
4. Why did some buildings in Mexico City collapse while others stayed standing?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Greater Mexico City area, Mexico
2. What is the date of main shock?September 19, 1985
3. What caused the 1985 Mexico City earthquake to feel so strong even though the epicenter was far away?Mexico City sits on soft clay from an old lake, which amplifies shaking. This makes moderate waves from far away feel much stronger and last longer.
4. Why did some buildings in Mexico City collapse while others stayed standing?Buildings built on the soft lake bed were hit harder by the amplified shaking. Those on firmer volcanic ground were safer and stayed standing.

Site Amplification: The phenomenon where soft soil layers intensify earthquake shaking.
Mercalli Intensity Scale: A scale measuring the intensity of an earthquake based on observed effects.
Seismic Codes: Regulations dictating building design and construction for earthquake resistance.
Lacustrine Deposits: Sediments deposited in or by a lake, often soft and prone to amplification.