The United States Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 6 km approximately 60 km off the west coast of Colombia, at slightly after 4.05 -m local time (slightly
after 11.05 am GMT) on Thursday 12 January 2017. There are no reports of
any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people
reported feeling the event in parts of Panama.
The approximate location of the 12 January 2016 Colombia Earthquake. USGS.
Colombia
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, fuelling the volcanoes of Colombia and neighbouring countries.
The subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate, and how it causes Earthquakes and volcanoes. SIO SEARCH.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation 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...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
