The blow had the force of a 50-meter-thick meteorite has happened before Chile, the world’s strongest quake of the year, the extent of the damage is unclear. The jerk occurred in a geologically special region.
The world’s most violent earthquake of the year has shaken the north-west coast of Chile. Several people lost their lives. All consequences of the shocks but only become clear in brightness. Smaller tsunamis were washed up on the coast; previously had been warned of the waves.
The quake of magnitude 8.2 geological surveys that 20 bis 30 kilometers occurred under the ocean floor. It was about the force of the impact of a 50-meter-thick meteorites. Quakes of this strength occur usually worldwide to just once a year. Up to Ecuador and Colombia to the north of South America noticeably shaking the earth, the quake waves crossed the globe.
National authorities ordered the evacuation of several villages along the coast. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected. President Bachelet sent an elite unit of the armed forces in the region. For weeks threaten violent aftershocks.
Chile Earthquake:Seismic gap
The quake had been long expected, and it took place in a famous geological region: the so-called seismic gap of Iquique. For nearly 150 years, there were approximately 700 kilometers in length no more strong quakes.
During this time, the voltage in the ground has risen steadily: With more than a half inch per month, the Pacific floor jerky under the South American continent. Both tectonic plates interlock. To 1.46 German clock time (20.46 clock time) broke the tension 95 km before the village Iquique – it shook.
“With other quake vibrations take more than 40 seconds – but this quake felt as if it would last two minutes,” said Patrick Moore, who lives about 420 kilometers from Iquique to journalists. Fortunately, the quake occurred in greater depth so that its waves were buffered in the rock.
Chile Earthquake:Unrest since early March
In mid-March the earth began to be restless . Several earthquakes of magnitude 6 shook the seabed. In retrospect it can be seen that both tectonic plates began to separate from each other with the bucking. As an alarm signal, the quake would not have been good : Never can say whether a stronger quake will follow.
Along the 7000 km long undersea trench off the west coast of South America to shift the tectonic plates over each other for millions of years – it rose the volcanic mountains of the Andes : Under pressure from the depth of the rock of the subducting plate loses its water. The water rises and lowers the melting point of the overlying rock that melts partly to Magma – like road salt lowers the melting point of ice , so that it thaws . The magma feeding volcanoes.
At the crumple zone of tectonic plates , the west coast of South America is repeatedly shaken by fatal quake. Recently , hundreds of people died there four years ago at one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded . On 22 May 1960 the hitherto strongest quake off Chile was measured, more than 1,600 people lost their lives.
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