The city of Calama feels an earthquake of magnitude 2.8

Chile is one of the countries with the most seismic and volcanic activity in the world (Infobae)

A 2.8-magnitude tremor took the inhabitants of the Chilean city of Calama by surprise, according to official information from the National Seismological Center (CSN).

The updated information indicates that the telluric movement began at 07:56 (local time) on this Saturday, March 4.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located 41.0 kilometers northeast of the city, at -22.141 degrees latitude and -68.754 degrees longitud, and had a depth of 134.0 kilometers.

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

After an earthquake, check your home for possible damage, use your cell phone only in an emergency, avoid saturating telephone lines, do not light matches or candles until you are sure 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 time, 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, keep 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 a 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.

Chile is one of the countries with the most seismic activity in the world, 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 concentrates 75% of the volcanoes that exist in the world and includes more than 450 volcanic structures, not to mention that it is where 90% of the seismic activity occurs worldwide and 81% of the strongest earthquakes on the planet.

Only in Chile have occurred 50% of the tsunamis of which there are records in the world, according to information from the Department of Risk Management in Emergencies and Disasters.

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 generated important eruptions with extensive 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 an earthquake or major eruption occurs in this region, fear arises that the Pacific Ring of Fire will “activate” generating 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 are not directly related.

Since 1570, around a hundred strong earthquakes have been recorded in Chile, of which almost thirty were of magnitude greater than 8.

According to the Department of Emergency and Disaster Risk Management, on average, an earthquake of more than 8 magnitude occurs every 10 years. 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.

The official death toll is not precise, it is only known that there were more than 2 thousand victims.

The strongest earthquake in history occurred in Chile (File)

The last great earthquake

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

With a magnitude 8.8, the seismic activity had as its epicenter the coasts of the Maule region and surprised the population 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.

Because of the earthquake, more than 500 people died and there were around fifty people missing.

The most recent strong earthquake in Chile was 8.8 magnitude (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 tremor was felt from Valparaíso to Temuco, however, it was in Concepción and Chillán where the most damage was concentrated.

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 fell.

As a result of the tremor, electricity, telephone and telegraph services were interrupted, there was no transportation, the railway station was left on the ground and the disaster caused shortages of food and water.

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 tremors, there have been other important ones in the history of Chile.

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

In the early morning of July 8, 1730, an 8.7-magnitude earthquake was felt in Valparaíso, which left around 3,000 victims. Another earthquake, this time of 8.8 magnitude, was reported in Arica on the night of September 16, 1615, which surprisingly did not leave anyone dead.

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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