Earthquake in Chile: 2.5 magnitude earthquake in the city of El Tabo

The city of El Tabo was the epicenter of a 2.5 magnitude earthquake which was recorded at 00:55 (local time) this Saturday, March 4.

The seismic activity occurred 32.0 kilometers from the city and had a depth of 29.0 kilometersaccording to initial information from the National Seismology Center (CSN).

The CNS also clarified that the coordinates of the epicenter of the quake were recorded at -33.596 degrees latitude and -71.967 degrees longitude.

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

After an earthquake, check your house to check for possible damage, only use your mobile phone in an emergency, do not saturate telephone linesdo not light matches or candles before make sure there are no gas leaks. It is important to mention that after a major seismic activity, 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 a tremor stay calm and stay in a safe place, stay away from falling objects, do not use elevators, do not stay in the stairwell or in a 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.

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 brings together 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 earthquake activity and 81% of the strongest tremors of the planet.

Only in Chile took place 50% of the tsunamis of which there are records in the worldaccording to information from the Department of Emergency and Disaster Risk Management.

The Pacific Ring of Fire encompasses 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 which are in the Pacific Ring of Fire and which have produced significant eruptions with enormous 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 a major tremor or eruption occurs in this region, the fear arises that the Pacific Ring of Fire is “activated” 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. there is no direct relationship.

Since 1570, there have been a hundred earthquakes of great force 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 ten years. 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 strongest earthquake 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 official death toll is not accurate, just we know that there were more than 2,000 victims.

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 telluric movement had as its epicenter the coasts of the Maule region and surprised the population at dawn.

Just like in 1960, about half 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.

because of the tremor more than 500 people died and there were around 50 people missing.

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.

As a result of the tremor, electricity, telephone and telegraph services were interrupted, there was no transport, the station was abandoned and the disaster caused a lack of food and water .

The 1939 Chillán earthquake is Chile’s deadliest tragedy. The official death toll was 24,000, but some estimate it was closer 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 activities of magnitude greater than 8.5however, it happened over 100 years ago -not counting the aforementioned earthquakes-, according to CSN records.

On the morning of July 8, 1730, he was seen 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 more quakes 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.