The Quake That Drained the Desert
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Pub Date Oct 1 2026 | Archive Date Sep 30 2026
University of Nebraska Press | Bison Books
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Description
On May 3, 1887, an earthquake struck near the U.S.-Mexico border. Forty-three people died in Bavispe, Mexico; sixty miles north in Arizona, buildings swayed and a few collapsed, but no one was killed. Today, every person in southern Arizona lives with the underground aftermath of this earthquake: a drained aquifer.
The estimated 7.4 magnitude earthquake created a sixty-two-mile rupture, the longest known surface rupture by a normal fault. The Quake That Drained the Desert tells the story of the men who investigated the earthquake: a doctor and photographer from Tombstone and an engineer from Mexico. Reynolds retells the terror of the survivors while exploring the ways the earthquake continues to shape water use and legacies in the greater Southwest.
In this rigorous and gripping narrative, Reynolds unearths the aftermath of the quake, showing how it dramatically altered aquifers in southern Arizona and changed rivers that ensured the prosperity of two Mormon communities in southern Arizona and Mexico. With an eye to the present, this book asks us to consider how this underexamined quake marked the beginning of the water crisis in the region today, compacted by a century of groundwater pumping for agriculture, mining, and urban uses. As local governments and nonprofit organizations on both sides of the border now work to restore streams for wildlife habitat and flood control, they also hope to preserve water supplies for future generations.
Advance Praise
“What if the land moved us to hear its stories? Through intimate research, Mary Reynolds reveals the 1887 rupture that dried rivers, rang church bells, and reordered lives—unearthing memory and warnings that still move through us.”—Melani Martinez, author of The Molino: A Memoir
“Mary Reynolds delivers a vivid, haunting chronicle of the 1887 Sonora earthquake. Blending meticulous research with searing testimony, and lyrical storytelling, Reynolds follows a doctor, photographer, and engineer through the footprints of devastation and discovery. It is a journey that exposes the quake’s enduring reshaping of Arizona and Sonora’s waters—and renders an unforgettable testament to nature’s power and resilience.”—Tim Z. Hernandez, author of They Call You Back
“Riven through with eye-opening archival research, Reynolds’s book unites seismology and hydrology into a holistic vision of how life in the Sonoran Desert has been disrupted in equal measure by human intervention and the unimaginable power of the earth itself.”—Kyle Paoletta, author of American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest
“The phrase ‘hidden history’ is thrown around a lot, but one truly concealed history of a region is what lies under the ground. Mary Reynolds excavates the story of an 1887 earthquake in the Sonoran Desert to throw illumination on current events and the way the land appears today.”—Tom Zoellner, author of Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781496240415 |
| PRICE | $26.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 272 |