Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake in central Chile.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake at a depth of 14 km in western Limari Province in central Chile slightly after 4.30 am local time (slightly after 7.30 am GMT) on Friday 7 November 2015. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it as far away as Santiago, 300 km to the South, and some areas did suffer temporary power outages following the event.

The approximate location of the 7 November 2015 Limari Province 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 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.

 

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

 

See also...

 

Eruption on Mount Lascar, northern Chile. The Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería reported a small eruption on Mount Lascar, an active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes in the Antofagasta Region of Chile, occurring slightly after 9.30 am on Friday 30 October 2015. The eruption produced a plume which rose about 2.5 km above the summit...

Eruption on Mount Copahue.

The Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center reported plume over Mount Copahue, an active volcano on the border between Chile and Argentina roughly 500 km to the south of the Chilean capitol Santiago, on Sunday 11 October 2015. The plume rose 6.1-7.6 km over the volcano, and drifted to...

 

Fourteen confirmed deaths after Magnitude 8.3 Earthquake off the coast of Chile.

Fourteen people have now been confirmed dead following an Earthquake off the west coast of Chile on Wednesday 16 September 2015. The event...

 

 

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