DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Mexico created a desert tsunami with waves up to four feet high in Death Valley National Park’s Devils Hole and it was all caught on camera.
The earthquake struck in Mexico – 1,500 miles away – at 11:05 am Pacific Daylight Time. Five minutes later, water started stirring in Devils Hole.
The September 19, 2022 geologic event is called a “seiche.” That’s when water sloshes back and forth in an enclosed or semi-enclosed body of water. In this case, the waves got up to 4 feet tall within the partially water-filled limestone cave.
The water stirred up the sediment and rocks on a shallow shelf, which is home to one of the rarest fish on earth, the endangered Devils Hole pupfish. They are only found in that little body of water and rely on algae that builds up on the shelf for food. This seiche removed much of the algae growth, which could prove challenging for the pupfish population in the short term. But experts are optimistic.
“The pupfish have survived several of these events in recent years,” said Kevin Wilson, National Park Service aquatic ecologist. “We didn’t find any dead fish after the waves stopped.”
The pupfish population was last counted at 175 fish, up from only 35 fish nine years ago.
NATIONAL PARK NEWS
