Today, 20th September 2022, according to Swissinfo[1] Mexico has reported “minor damage” to cultural heritage due to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. In Colima, where one person was killed by the collapse of a roof, damage was reported to walls of the Regional Museum of History of Colima and the breakage of a dozen small pieces exhibited in its halls.
Earthquakes case not only a significant death toll and huge economic losses, but also damage to cultural heritage and museums. According to Mihran et al. (1991)[2], damage to fragile objects on display in museums during an earthquake is serious, even if the building remains intact. The protection of these objects in seismically active zones is of great concern. These authors have studied the importance of the specific support systems for the objects; for instance, sliding and swinging systems can impact neighbouring objects or walls, causing unfavourable damage.
Countries all around the work are subjected to earthquakes, especially with the predicted climate change[3], and museums must, be prepared.
[1] Swissinfo. Available at: https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/m%C3%A9xico-sismo_m%C3%A9xico-reporta–da%C3%B1os-menores–a-patrimonio-cultural-de-cuatro-entidades/47913758
[2] Mihran S. Agbabian, William S. Ginell, Sami F. Masri & Robert L. Nigbor (1991) Evaluation of-earthquake uamage mitigation methods for museum objects, Studies in Conservation, 36:2, 111-120, DOI: 10.1179/sic.1991.36.2.111
[3] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/16/climate-change-triggers-earthquakes-tsunamis-volcanoes
