The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake at a
depth of 257.4 km, in Azángaro Province, Peru, roughly 27 km
to the northeast of the town of Azángaro, at about 3.50 am local
time (about 8.50 am GMT) on Friday 1 March 2019. This
event was felt
across much of southern Peru, as well as parts of eastern Bolivia, though there
are no reports
of any damage or casualties. This is roughly what
would be expected
from an Earthquake of this size at this depth; the quake is big enough
to be felt over a wide area, but most of its energy has dissipated
before the shock-waves reach the surface.
The approximate location of the 1 March 2019 Azángaro Earthquake. USGS.
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, fuelling the volcanoes of Peru and neighbouring countries.
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
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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