Massive earth crack appears in Tamaulipas, Mexico

A very large earth crack appeared in Congregación El Carmen in the municipality of Tula, Mexico’s state of Tamaulipas, during heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm “Alberto” from June 19 to 21, 2024.

• The fissure is still growing and is estimated to be from 1 to 3 m (3.3 x 9.8 feet) wide, up to 4 m (13 feet) deep, and up to 7 km (4.3 miles) long.
• Residents in Congregación El Carmen, Ejido Vázquez Gómez, and Ejido San Juan are reporting damaged homes, some of which are cracked from floor to ceiling.

According to local media reports, the situation worsened when heavy rains began, resulting in a loud bang that frightened the inhabitants of Congregación El Carmen. By dawn, residents discovered a large, several-meter-deep crack, with subsequent reports indicating the fissure ranges from 3 km to 7 km (1.9 miles to 4.3 miles).

Residents of Congregación El Carmen are reporting cracked homes from floor to ceiling. “I’m afraid that the house will fall and cost me my life,” one resident said.

In addition to threatening homes, cracks have also appeared on the road connecting these ejidos with the municipal capital, jeopardizing infrastructure and potentially isolating the communities if urgent measures are not taken.

The mayor of Tula, alongside a civil protection team, has requested support from state and federal authorities to address the situation immediately and prevent a possible tragedy. “We need a quick and effective intervention to safeguard the lives and property of our people,” the mayor at a press conference.

State authorities, led by the Secretary of Public Works Pedro Cepeda Anaya, have begun studies to determine the severity of the failure in Tula.

Cepeda Anaya explained that the cracks are caused by cyclical underground drainage. “We went to the crack that appeared in Tula. It is underground runoff, a group of geologists went there. It was determined that it is an underground runoff that is cyclical. Every so many years, after certain droughts, it appears, however, this time there is also a state highway that cracked,” he said.

Cepeda Anaya said about plans to conduct a geophysical study in the coming days to determine the exact depths and lengths of the crack and the extent of the subsoil damage.

Referring to cracks that have affected State Highway Route 136 (Tula-Santana de Nahola), Cepeda Anaya said they plan to build ‘a structure on the state highway, a bridge, with a culvert to prevent further damage to the structure of the highway below.’

Technical data indicates that the crack has a varying width of 1 m to 3 m (3.3 feet to 9.8 feet) and a depth of 1 m to 4 m (3.3 feet to 13.1 feet) at certain points, running from north to south.

Geologists cautioned that the underground runoff will continue due to upcoming rains.

In the San Juan area, the fault is said to be superficial, damaging the pavement structure and continuing its course southward.

References:

¹ Se abre la tierra en Tula; aparecen grietas de más de tres kilómetros de longitud – El Manana – June 23, 2024

² Temor en Tamaulipas: Grietas de Tula preocupan a vecinos por daños en viviendas – El Universal – June 30, 2024

Featured image credit: Tamaulipas Government (stillshot)