(Updated 3:15 EST) Details are sketchy so far, but the United States Geological Survey reports a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the region of southwestern Mexico, about 100 miles east of Acapulco, at midday on Tuesday. ()Just as a point of comparison, the earthquake that nearly destroyed the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince was a 7.0. The epicenter near the town of Ometepec, 11 miles under the surface. And while the shaking was strong -- ABC described it as a "strong, long rumbler" -- Mexico seems to have been spared from a major catastrophe. There was no tsunami warning and President Calderon said a few minutes after the quake that there was no serious damage, though the tremors could be felt as far away as Mexico City. And though she was staying in nearby Oaxaca, Malia Obama was "never in danger," the White House said after the quake struck.

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Adam Clark Estes