The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake at a depth of 51 km roughly 35 km to the west of Ovalle in the Coquimbo Region of Chile, slightly before 4.50 pm local time (slightly before 8.50 pm GMT) on Friday 5 September 2014. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, though people have reported feeling it in Coquimbo City, 80 km to the north.
The approximate location of the 5 September 2014 Coquimbo Earthquake. Google Maps.
Chile is located on the west coast of South America, which is also the convergent margin between the Nazca and South American Plates. The Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the South American Plate and is sinking beneath the South American Plate. This is not a smooth process, the rocks of the two plates continuously stick together then, as the pressure builds up, break apart again, causing Earthquakes. As the Nazca Plate sinks deeper it is partially melted by the friction and the heat of the Earth's interior. Some of the melted material then rises up through the overlying South American Plate as magma, fueling the volcanoes of the Chilean Andes.
The subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, and how it causes Earthquakes and volcanoes. Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center.
See also...
The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake at a depth of 22.6 km...
The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 8.2 Earthquake at a depth of 20.1 km roughly 70 km off the coast of northern Chile and 95 km to the...
The United States Geological Survey recorded a total of nine Earthquake with Magnitudes of between 4.0 and...
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