The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, off the coast
of Ica Province in southern Peru, slightly after 2.00 pm local
time (slightly after 7.00 pm GMT) on Monday 8 August 2016. There are
no reports of any damage or casualties relating to this quake, however people have reported feeling it as far away as Quito in Ecuador.
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.
Seven confirmed deaths after Peruvian landslide. Seven people have been confirmed dead and six are still missing after a
massive landslide hit the town of Chosica in Lima Province, Peru, on
Tuesday 24...
Eight killed by Earthquake in Peruvian Andes. The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake at a depth of 43.2 km...
The approximate location of the 8 August 2016 Ica Earthquake. Google.
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
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...
Seven confirmed deaths after Peruvian landslide. Seven people have been confirmed dead and six are still missing after a
massive landslide hit the town of Chosica in Lima Province, Peru, on
Tuesday 24...
Three people have been killed by a landslide close to the town of Bagua in Chachapoyas Province on...
Eight killed by Earthquake in Peruvian Andes. The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake at a depth of 43.2 km...
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