The 27 May 1937 catastrophic flow failure of gold tailings at Tlalpujahua, Michoacán, Mexico

Macías, J. L.; Corona-Chávez, P.; Sanchéz-Núñez, J. M.; Martínez-Medina, M.; Garduño-Monroy, V. H.; Capra, L.; García-Tenorio, F.; Cisneros-Máximo, G.

doi:10.5194/nhess-15-1069-2015

Articles | Volume 15, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-1069-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-1069-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 15, issue 5

Research article

|

27 May 2015

Research article |

| 27 May 2015

The 27 May 1937 catastrophic flow failure of gold tailings at Tlalpujahua, Michoacán, Mexico

J. L. Macías, P. Corona-Chávez, J. M. Sanchéz-Núñez, M. Martínez-Medina, V. H. Garduño-Monroy, L. Capra, F. García-Tenorio, and G. Cisneros-Máximo

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Jan 2015	7	1	6	14
Feb 2015	2	4	1	7
Mar 2015	7	7	0	14
Apr 2015	8	1	6	15
May 2015	36	25	2	63
Jun 2015	47	23	2	72
Jul 2015	38	11	12	61
Aug 2015	33	14	24	71
Sep 2015	78	17	21	116
Oct 2015	33	14	18	65
Nov 2015	74	17	23	114
Dec 2015	31	9	25	65
Jan 2016	23	7	14	44
Feb 2016	31	11	27	69
Mar 2016	44	11	34	89
Apr 2016	7	4	3	14
May 2016	3	5	3	11
Jun 2016	6	2	5	13
Jul 2016	6	2	5	13
Aug 2016	6	1	4	11
Sep 2016	6	3	2	11
Oct 2016	5	4	3	12
Nov 2016	6	6	2	14
Dec 2016	3	4	3	10
Jan 2017	13	5	3	21
Feb 2017	4	4	3	11
Mar 2017	13	9	3	25
Apr 2017	14	10	7	31
May 2017	15	10	6	31
Jun 2017	15	9	5	29
Jul 2017	14	13	5	32
Aug 2017	10	14	6	30
Sep 2017	13	12	5	30
Oct 2017	6	5	3	14
Nov 2017	7	11	4	22
Dec 2017	8	13	5	26
Jan 2018	7	12	4	23
Feb 2018	5	6	5	16
Mar 2018	6	10	5	21
Apr 2018	6	9	5	20
May 2018	7	7	7	21
Jun 2018	13	16	4	33
Jul 2018	18	16	8	42
Aug 2018	15	21	10	46
Sep 2018	14	17	9	40
Oct 2018	13	22	4	39
Nov 2018	10	17	8	35
Dec 2018	35	24	6	65
Jan 2019	38	29	4	71
Feb 2019	8	19	3	30
Mar 2019	5	12	7	24
Apr 2019	1	14	2	17
May 2019	9	7	3	19
Jun 2019	7	11	5	23
Jul 2019	10	10	4	24
Aug 2019	12	11	3	26
Sep 2019	4	6	1	11
Oct 2019	11	12	5	28
Nov 2019	9	9	0	18
Dec 2019	8	4	6	18
Jan 2020	6	8	3	17
Feb 2020	7	4	3	14
Mar 2020	2	5	1	8
Apr 2020	5	7	0	12
May 2020	5	8	1	14
Jun 2020	23	4	1	28
Jul 2020	30	22	17	69
Aug 2020	7	12	10	29
Sep 2020	9	2	5	16
Oct 2020	6	3	3	12
Nov 2020	15	5	2	22
Dec 2020	7	11	2	20
Jan 2021	17	12	5	34
Feb 2021	8	8	3	19
Mar 2021	9	7	6	22
Apr 2021	6	12	3	21
May 2021	9	9	2	20
Jun 2021	4	5	2	11
Jul 2021	9	8	3	20
Aug 2021	14	18	4	36
Sep 2021	10	13	3	26
Oct 2021	4	34	0	38
Nov 2021	11	26	1	38
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Jan 2022	7	16	0	23
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Mar 2022	28	15	1	44
Apr 2022	18	10	2	30
May 2022	10	6	5	21
Jun 2022	11	6	0	17
Jul 2022	9	6	1	16
Aug 2022	10	2	1	13
Sep 2022	12	12	0	24
Oct 2022	8	7	2	17
Nov 2022	12	15	0	27
Dec 2022	5	6	2	13
Jan 2023	8	9	2	19
Feb 2023	8	6	0	14
Mar 2023	13	12	4	29
Apr 2023	3	4	0	7
May 2023	5	10	3	18
Jun 2023	7	7	0	14
Jul 2023	10	7	2	19
Aug 2023	9	11	3	23
Sep 2023	5	8	0	13
Oct 2023	9	4	1	14
Nov 2023	6	4	0	10
Dec 2023	19	3	2	24
Jan 2024	18	5	2	25
Feb 2024	11	11	0	22
Mar 2024	8	22	0	30
Apr 2024	20	6	5	31
May 2024	19	10	3	32
Jun 2024	17	12	2	31
Jul 2024	14	9	4	27
Aug 2024	18	5	5	28
Sep 2024	12	9	1	22
Oct 2024	14	5	0	19
Nov 2024	11	13	0	24
Dec 2024	17	8	1	26
Jan 2025	20	5	0	25
Feb 2025	28	8	1	37
Mar 2025	16	11	1	28
Apr 2025	14	19	1	34
May 2025	20	7	1	28
Jun 2025	57	26	0	83
Jul 2025	34	13	2	49
Aug 2025	25	17	0	42
Sep 2025	34	25	1	60
Oct 2025	50	21	1	72
Nov 2025	33	31	3	67
Dec 2025	8	3	0	11

Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 20 Aug 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Aug 2014	30	17	2	49
Sep 2014	16	6	2	24
Oct 2014	18	9	4	31
Nov 2014	7	6	4	17
Dec 2014	5	13	1	19
Jan 2015	7	1	6	14
Feb 2015	2	4	1	7
Mar 2015	7	7	0	14
Apr 2015	8	1	6	15
May 2015	36	25	2	63
Jun 2015	47	23	2	72
Jul 2015	38	11	12	61
Aug 2015	33	14	24	71
Sep 2015	78	17	21	116
Oct 2015	33	14	18	65
Nov 2015	74	17	23	114
Dec 2015	31	9	25	65
Jan 2016	23	7	14	44
Feb 2016	31	11	27	69
Mar 2016	44	11	34	89
Apr 2016	7	4	3	14
May 2016	3	5	3	11
Jun 2016	6	2	5	13
Jul 2016	6	2	5	13
Aug 2016	6	1	4	11
Sep 2016	6	3	2	11
Oct 2016	5	4	3	12
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Dec 2016	3	4	3	10
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Feb 2017	4	4	3	11
Mar 2017	13	9	3	25
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Sep 2017	13	12	5	30
Oct 2017	6	5	3	14
Nov 2017	7	11	4	22
Dec 2017	8	13	5	26
Jan 2018	7	12	4	23
Feb 2018	5	6	5	16
Mar 2018	6	10	5	21
Apr 2018	6	9	5	20
May 2018	7	7	7	21
Jun 2018	13	16	4	33
Jul 2018	18	16	8	42
Aug 2018	15	21	10	46
Sep 2018	14	17	9	40
Oct 2018	13	22	4	39
Nov 2018	10	17	8	35
Dec 2018	35	24	6	65
Jan 2019	38	29	4	71
Feb 2019	8	19	3	30
Mar 2019	5	12	7	24
Apr 2019	1	14	2	17
May 2019	9	7	3	19
Jun 2019	7	11	5	23
Jul 2019	10	10	4	24
Aug 2019	12	11	3	26
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Oct 2019	11	12	5	28
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May 2020	5	8	1	14
Jun 2020	23	4	1	28
Jul 2020	30	22	17	69
Aug 2020	7	12	10	29
Sep 2020	9	2	5	16
Oct 2020	6	3	3	12
Nov 2020	15	5	2	22
Dec 2020	7	11	2	20
Jan 2021	17	12	5	34
Feb 2021	8	8	3	19
Mar 2021	9	7	6	22
Apr 2021	6	12	3	21
May 2021	9	9	2	20
Jun 2021	4	5	2	11
Jul 2021	9	8	3	20
Aug 2021	14	18	4	36
Sep 2021	10	13	3	26
Oct 2021	4	34	0	38
Nov 2021	11	26	1	38
Dec 2021	8	6	1	15
Jan 2022	7	16	0	23
Feb 2022	6	10	2	18
Mar 2022	28	15	1	44
Apr 2022	18	10	2	30
May 2022	10	6	5	21
Jun 2022	11	6	0	17
Jul 2022	9	6	1	16
Aug 2022	10	2	1	13
Sep 2022	12	12	0	24
Oct 2022	8	7	2	17
Nov 2022	12	15	0	27
Dec 2022	5	6	2	13
Jan 2023	8	9	2	19
Feb 2023	8	6	0	14
Mar 2023	13	12	4	29
Apr 2023	3	4	0	7
May 2023	5	10	3	18
Jun 2023	7	7	0	14
Jul 2023	10	7	2	19
Aug 2023	9	11	3	23
Sep 2023	5	8	0	13
Oct 2023	9	4	1	14
Nov 2023	6	4	0	10
Dec 2023	19	3	2	24
Jan 2024	18	5	2	25
Feb 2024	11	11	0	22
Mar 2024	8	22	0	30
Apr 2024	20	6	5	31
May 2024	19	10	3	32
Jun 2024	17	12	2	31
Jul 2024	14	9	4	27
Aug 2024	18	5	5	28
Sep 2024	12	9	1	22
Oct 2024	14	5	0	19
Nov 2024	11	13	0	24
Dec 2024	17	8	1	26
Jan 2025	20	5	0	25
Feb 2025	28	8	1	37
Mar 2025	16	11	1	28
Apr 2025	14	19	1	34
May 2025	20	7	1	28
Jun 2025	57	26	0	83
Jul 2025	34	13	2	49
Aug 2025	25	17	0	42
Sep 2025	34	25	1	60
Oct 2025	50	21	1	72
Nov 2025	33	31	3	67
Dec 2025	8	3	0	11

Latest update: 06 Dec 2025

Short summary

On 27 May 1937, a voluminous flood caused the death of at least 300 people in the mining region of Tlalpujahua, Michoacán, central Mexico. The flood was triggered by the breaching of the impoundment of the Los Cedros tailings. The flood reached maximum speeds of ~25 m/s and deposited 1.5 x 10^6 m3 of material. The FLO-2D hydraulic model reproduced the breached flow (0.5 sediment concentration) with a maximum flow discharge of 8000 m3/sec and a total outflow volume of 2.5 x 106 m3.