Earthquake in Chile: earthquake of magnitude 3.1

And earthquake of magnitude 3.1 shook for the town of Quillagua This Tuesday, February 14, this is indicated by data from the National Seismology Center (CSN).

According to the information published so far, the seismic activity began at 01:46 (local time), when the earth moved 106.0 kilometers deep.

The CNS reported that the exact location of the epicenter It was at -21.732 degrees latitude and -68.786 degrees longitude, i.e. 78.0 kilometers east of the city.

Remember that before any earthquake only follow information from official sources, avoid falling into the trap of rumors or fake news.

after a tremor, check your house to check for possible damage, only use your mobile phone in an emergency, avoid saturating telephone linesdo not light matches or candles before make sure there are no gas leaks. It is important to mention that after an important telluric movement, replies can be filedit is therefore important to be vigilant.

An earthquake can happen at any time, so it is important to be prepared with the following measures: prepare a civil protection plan, organize evacuation drills, find safe areas home, school or workplace and set up a emergency backpack.

during an earthquake stay calm and find a safe place, stay away from falling objects, do not use elevators, do not stay in the stairwell or doorway.

if you are drivingpark and stay clear of buildings, trees and poles; if you are on the coast, leave the beach and take refuge in high areas, before the possibility of a tsunami; And if you are in a wheelchair and you cannot move to a safe place, stop the wheels and protect your head and neck with your arms.

The most seismic zone in the world

Chile is one of the countries with the greatest seismic activity on the planetthis is due to its geographical and geotectonic location, since it is in one of the areas with increased energy releasein the permanent convergence of “Nazca Plate” and “South American Plate”in the so-called subdiction zone.

Additionally, the country is located in a region known as Ring of the Pacific or Ring of Fireconsidered the region with the highest number of volcanoes and earthquakes on the planet.

This area concentrates 75% of the volcanoes that exist in the world and includes more than 450 volcanic structures, not to mention that this is where they occur 90% of the world’s seismic activity and 81% of the strongest earthquakes of the planet.

The Pacific Ring of Fire reaches the entire Pacific Coast, starting from Chile, passing through Central America, Mexico, the United States, crossing the Aleutian Islands, later along the coasts of Russia, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, until reaching New Zealand.

Some volcanoes located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and which have generated significant eruptions with great damage on a global scale are: the Krakatoa In Indonesia, Mount Fuji In Japan, mont saint helene in the United States, the Chichon in Mexico and Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, among others.

Whenever an earthquake or a major eruption occurs in this region, the fear arises that the Pacific Ring of Fire “activates” leaving more natural disasters in its wake, however, It is not possiblesince each earthquake or volcanic activity is mostly independent of each other, i.e. they are not directly related.

Strongest earthquakes in Chile

Since 1570, a hundred great force tremors occurred in Chile, nearly thirty of which were of magnitude greater than 8.

According to the Department of Emergency and Disaster Risk Management, it occurs on average an earthquake of magnitude greater than 8 every decade. These are some of the strongest earthquakes recorded in Chile’s history.

The strongest earthquake in history

On the afternoon of May 22, 1960, a largest tremor ever recorded, of magnitude 9.5, had its epicenter in the city of Traiguén, in the province of Malleco. However, it is known as “Valdivia Earthquake” because that’s where the most damage was.

The telluric movement also caused a tsunami with waves up to 10 meters high which devastated much of the south of the country. The tsunami suffered beyond Chile, reaching Asia, in Japan for example, it was hit by waves six meters high, causing several deaths and significant damage in its wake.

The last great earthquake

The last major tremor that hit Chile was the one called “27F” which occurred on February 27, 2010, the second strongest earthquake in its history.

With 8.8 magnitudethe seismic activity had as its epicenter the coasts of the Maule region and surprised the population at dawn.

As in 1960, less than an hour after the earthquake, a tsunami hit the country, mainly in the Maule and Biobío regions. Outside Chile, the tsunami reached Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica, without major damage.

deadliest earthquake

On the night of January 24, 1939, a the deadliest earthquake in the history of Chile. An earthquake of magnitude 8.3 It shook from Valparaíso to Temuco, however, Concepción and Chillán suffered the most damage.

This seismic activity was known as the Chillán earthquake because that’s where most of the destruction was left, just to say that more than half of its buildings have collapsed.

The 1939 Chillán earthquake is Chile’s deadliest tragedy. The official death toll was 24,000, but some estimate it was close to 30,000, although only 5,685 have been identified.

Other earthquakes

In addition to the aforementioned shocks, there have been other important ones in the history of Chile.

For example, there was two other telluric movements of magnitude greater than 8.5however, it happened over 100 years ago -not counting the aforementioned earthquakes-, according to CSN records.

The early morning of July 8, 1730 felt an 8.7 magnitude earthquake in Valparaíso that killed around 3,000 people. Another earthquake, this time from 8.8 magnitude, it was recorded in Arica the night of September 16, 1615, which surprisingly no deaths.

On the other hand, there two other earthquakes that left a death toll of more than 2,000: on the night of May 9, 1877, in Iquique, a an earthquake of magnitude 8.5; and that of the morning of February 8, 1570, which had a magnitude of 8.3.