Little damage reported in Mexico earthquake

From staff and wire reports

MEXICO CITY -- A strong earthquake centered near Mexico's Pacific Ocean coast shook western and central Mexico early Wednesday, cracking walls, sending people racing out of their homes and injuring at least one person.

Only minor damage was reported.

Mexico's National Seismological Service put the tremor's magnitude at 7.0, but the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado, put the magnitude at 6.4.

Carolyn Bell of the USGS said the gap between its data and Mexico's data stems from different methods of analyzing information compiled by various organizations. More local data can show stronger magnitudes, Bell said.

MAGNITUDE GUIDE Below is an interactive guide to earthquake magnitude and severity: Magnitude: Less than 3.5 3.5 - 5.4 Under 6.0 6.1 - 6.9 7.0 - 7.9 8 or greater

At least one person was hurt when parts of a wall collapsed at a hotel under repair in the coastal city of Lazaro Cardenas, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the quake's epicenter, said Jesus Alonso Mondragon, a civil defense official.

The quake was centered about 240 miles (385 kilometers) west-southwest of Mexico City in the Pacific Ocean. Lazaro Cardenas is the closest city to the quake.

The earthquake was recorded at 6:41 a.m. and sent residents scrambling out of bed, but early reports indicated only minor damage, Mondragon said. Some parts of the town briefly lost power.

"There were only broken windows and cracks in some walls," he said.

The earthquake also knocked out power in Lazaro Cardenas and some neighborhoods in Mexico City.

Police and other workers surveying outlying communities even closer to the quake's center had found no serious damage.

A magnitude 6 quake can cause severe damage if it is centered under a populated area. Magnitude 7 indicates a major earthquake capable of widespread, heavy damage.

Mexico's worst killer quakes hit its Pacific coast, where continental plates clash. Among those was the 8.1-magnitude quake in 1985 that killed thousands in Mexico City. On average, Mexico has experienced three or four earthquakes yearly of magnitude 6 or greater over the past decade.

Mexico City's construction in a valley on an old lake bed tends to amplify distant quakes. The 1985 quake occurred 200 miles (320 kilometers) away but set the soil beneath Mexico City shifting like sand. Towns on solid ground closer to the epicenter suffered far less damage.

Local radio said the Wednesday quake was the strongest felt by the country since the 8.1-magnitude quake in 1985 was followed by a tremor that measured 7.9.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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