The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake at a depth of 358.3 km in Germán Jordán Province, Bolivia, at about 11.15 pm local time
on Thursday 14 March 2019 (about 3.15 am on Friday 15 March GMT). Quakes at this depth are
seldom dangerous, but are
often felt over a wide area, and this one was reportedly felt across much of western Bolivia. as well as southern Peru and northern Chile.
The approximate location of the 14 March 2019 Germán Jordán Earthquake. USGS.
Bolivia is located close to 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, fuelling the
volcanoes of the Bolivian Andes.
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...
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