DEATH VALLEY, Cal. (KTNV) — A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Mexico triggered four-foot-tall waves in Devils Hole in Death Valley National Park on Monday.
The earthquake shook the Mexican states of Colima and Michoacán at approximately 11:05 a.m. Five minutes later, park officials say water started sloshing 1,500 miles away in Devils Hole, with waves reaching 4 feet around 11:35 a.m.
Devils Hole is a partially water-filled limestone cave in a Nye County, Nevada unit of Death Valley National Park. The cave is hundreds of feet deep, but park officials say the endangered Devils Hole pupfish depend upon algae that grow on a shallow, sunlit shelf.
Monday’s waves, technically known as a “seiche,” or a disturbance in water levels, stirred the sediment and rocks on the shallow shelf, removing much of the algae growth and reducing the food available to the pupfish.
“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 Devils Hole pupfish population has been on an upswing lately. Nine years ago, there were only 35 fish in their natural habitat. In March, the population shot up to 175 fish. The annual fall pupfish count is planned for this weekend.
