The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake at a depth of 17.1 km in eastern Coronel Portillo Province, close to the border with Brazil, at about 5.50 am local time (about 10.50 am GMT) on Sunday 13 October 2013. There are no reports of any damage or casualties arising from this event, though it is likely to have been felt locally.
The approximate location of the 13 October 2013 Coronel Portillo Province Earthquake. Google Maps.
Peru is on the west coast of South America and the western margin of the South American Plate, close to where the Nazca Plate, which underlies part of the east Pacific, is being subducted along the Peru-Chile Trench. The Nazca Plate passes under the South American Plate as it sinks into the Earth, this is not a smooth process and the plates repeatedly stick together then break apart as the pressure builds up, causing Earthquakes. As the Nazca Plate sinks further it is partially melted by the friction and the heat of the Earth's interior. Some of this melted material then rises through the overlying South American Plate, fueling the volcanoes of Peru and neighboring countries.
See also Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake in the Madre de Dios Region of Peru, Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake off the coast of Peru, Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake in northeast Peru, Small eruptions on Mount Ubinas, Peru and Eruptive activity on Mount Sabancaya.
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