Earthquake of magnitude 3.0 is felt in the city of Calama

The earthquake was registered in the city of Calama (Infobae)

An earthquake of magnitude 3.0 and with a depth of 118.0 kilometers alerted the residents of the city of Calama.

The movement had as its epicenter the coordinates -68.593 degrees of longitude and -21.942 degrees of latitude, that is, 68.0 kilometers northeast of said population, according to the National Seismological Center (CSN).

The information so far obtained from the CNS indicates that the earthquake began at 06:14 (local time) on Friday, January 27.

Remember that in case of any earthquake follow information only from official sources, avoid falling for rumors or false news.

After an earthquake, check your home in search of possible effects, use your cell phone only in an emergency, do not saturate the telephone lines, do not light matches or candles until you are sure that there is no gas leak. It is important to mention that after a significant seismic activity, aftershocks can occur, so it is important to be alert.

An earthquake can occur at any moment, so it is important to be prepared with the following measures: prepare a civil protection plan, organize evacuation drills, find safety zones at home, school or workplace and prepare a backpack emergency.

During an earthquake, stay calm and find a safe place, stay away from objects that could fall, do not use the elevators, do not stay in the stairwell, or in the doorway.

If you’re in a car, park and move away from buildings, trees, and utility poles; if you are on the coast, leave the beach and take refuge in high areas, in case of a tsunami; and if you are in a wheelchair and cannot move to a safe place, brake the wheels and protect your head and neck with your arms.

The Ring of Fire: what it is and where it is located

Chile is one of the countries with the most seismic activity on the planet, this is due to its geographical and geotectonic location, since it is within one of the areas with the greatest release of energy, in the permanent convergence of the “Nazca Plate” and the “South American Plate”, in the so-called subdiction zone.

In addition, the country is located in a region known as the Pacific Ring or Ring of Fire, considered the region with the largest number of volcanoes and tremors on the planet.

This area gathers 75% of the volcanoes that exist in the world and includes more than 450 volcanic structures, in addition, it is where 90% of the seismic activity occurs worldwide and 81% of the strongest earthquakes on the planet.

The Pacific Ring of Fire, the region with the most seismic and volcanic activity in the world (File)

The Pacific Ring of Fire covers the entire Pacific coast, starting in Chile, passing through Central America, Mexico, the United States, touring the Aleutian Islands, then down the coasts of Russia, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, until it reaches New Zealand.

Some volcanoes that are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and that have produced important eruptions with great damage on a global scale are: Krakatoa in Indonesia, Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Santa Elena in the United States, El Chichón in Mexico and the Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, among others.

Every time a significant earthquake or eruption occurs in this area, fear arises that the Pacific Ring of Fire will “activate” causing more natural disasters, however, this is not possible, since each tremor or volcanic activity is in most of them are independent of each other, that is, they have no direct relationship.

The strongest, deadliest and most recent earthquakes in Chile

Since 1570, around 100 very strong earthquakes have occurred in Chile, of which almost 30 were of magnitude greater than 8.

According to the Department of Risk Management in Emergencies and Disasters, on average, an earthquake of more than 8 magnitude occurs every decade. These are some of the strongest earthquakes recorded in the history of Chile.

The strongest earthquake in history

On the afternoon of May 22, 1960, the strongest earthquake on record occurred, with a magnitude of 9.5. Its epicenter was the city of Traiguén, in the province of Malleco. However, it is known as the “Valdivia earthquake” because it was where the most damage occurred.

The telluric movement also caused a tsunami with waves up to 10 meters high that devastated a good part of the south of the country. The tsunami suffered beyond Chile, reaching Asia, in Japan, for example, it was hit by waves six meters high, leaving several deaths and significant damage in its wake.

Chile has the strongest earthquake on record (File)

The last great earthquake

The last major earthquake to hit Chile was the one known as “27F” that occurred on February 27, 2010, the second strongest earthquake in its history.

With a magnitude of 8.8, the seismic activity had as its epicenter the coasts of the Maule region and took the population by surprise during the early hours of the morning.

As in 1960, about half an hour after the tremor, a tsunami hit the country, mainly in the Maule and Biobío regions. Outside of Chile, the tsunami reached Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica, without major damage.

The most recent strong earthquake in Chile occurred in 2010 (Photographic and Digital Archive of the National Library of Chile)

deadliest earthquake

On the night of January 24, 1939, the deadliest earthquake in the history of Chile occurred. An 8.3-magnitude earthquake was felt from Valparaíso to Temuco, however, it was in Concepción and Chillán where there was more damage.

This seismic activity was known as the Chillán earthquake because it was right there where it caused the most destruction, just to say that more than half of its buildings collapsed.

Although around 30,000 people died from the earthquake, only a little more than 5,000 victims were identified (Photographic and Digital Archive of the National Library of Chile).

The 1939 Chillán earthquake is the tragedy that has claimed the most fatalities in Chile. The official death toll was 24,000, but some estimate that it was close to 30,000, although only 5,685 were identified.

Other earthquakes

In addition to the aforementioned earthquakes, there have been other important ones in the history of Chile.

For example, two other telluric movements with a magnitude greater than 8.5 have been recorded, however, these have occurred more than 100 years ago -not counting the tremors already mentioned-, according to CSN records.

In the early morning of July 8, 1730, an earthquake of 8.7 magnitude was felt in Valparaíso, which left around 3,000 dead. Another tremor, this time of 8.8 magnitude, was felt in Arica on the night of September 16, 1615, which surprisingly left no victims.

On the other hand, there are two more earthquakes that left a balance of more than 2,000 deaths: on the night of May 9, 1877, in Iquique, an 8.5 magnitude earthquake was recorded; and the one on the morning of February 8, 1570, which had a magnitude of 8.3.

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