Peru is one of the Latin American countries where earthquakes are constantly recorded. (Infobae/Jovani Pérez)
An earthquake of magnitude 4 occurred this Saturday, June 3, in the city of Chala, in the province of Caraveli, in the department of Arequipa, according to the most recent information from the National Seismological Center (Censis) of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP). .
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According to reports obtained through the National Seismic Network, the movement began at 11:39 p.m. (local time) and originated 50 kilometers south of Chala.
The earthquake had a depth of 28 kilometers, an intensity of III; as well as a latitude and longitude of -16.28 and -74.1 degrees.
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Due to its magnitude, its alert range was green.
The green color range is used for earthquakes of magnitudes less than 4.4; yellow is assigned to movements whose magnitude ranges from 4.5 to 6.0; while the red color designates earthquakes greater than 6.1.
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In terms of intensity, the scales indicate the following:
I: it is a “no felt” movement that does not represent “any damage”.
II-III: This is a “weak” move that does “no damage”.
IV: This is a “light” movement that does “no damage”.
V: This is a “moderate” move that deals “very little damage”.
VI: This is a “strong” move that does “low damage”.
VII: it is a “very strong” movement that implies “moderate damage”.
VIII: it is a “severe” movement that involves “moderate or a lot of damage”.
IX: it is a “violent” movement that implies “a lot of damage”.
X+: This is an “extreme” movement that causes “heavy damage”.
The GPI CENSIS obtains its data from the National Seismic Network, made up and integrated by a series of velocity, acceleration and displacement sensors distributed throughout the country.
Peru is located in the area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region that concentrates 75% of the world’s volcanoes and where approximately 80% of the world’s strongest telluric movements occur.
The so-called Pacific Ring of Fire is made up of the mountainous area of western Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada, to later turn around the Aleutian Islands and down the coasts and islands of Russia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Brunei, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and New Zealand.
In the case of Peru, the country is located on the South American tectonic plate that collides head-on with the Nazca plate, being in friction they generate tension, which is released in the form of earthquakes; In addition, the region presents constant volcanic activity.
The Ring of Fire extends over 40 thousand kilometers and has the shape of a horseshoe, in addition, within this line there are 452 volcanoes and it houses most of the so-called “supervolcanoes”, whose eruptions are of VEI-8 levels, classified as catastrophic. .
Earthquake in Peru in 2016 (AP)
The South American nation has had to deal with various seismic events that have left hundreds dead, injured and innumerable material damages. Here is a list of the most relevant ones.
May 31, 1970
The magnitude 7.9 earthquake originated in the department of Áncash, followed by a flood that buried the city of Santo Domingo de Yungay at 3:23 p.m.
This event is considered the most destructive earthquake in the country’s history, not only because of its magnitude but also because of the number of fatalities it caused, estimated at 67,000, according to the document “The Ancash earthquake and the avalanche of the Nevado Huascaran”, written by the geophysicist and scientific adviser of the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci), Mateo Casaverde while there were also 150,000 injuries, equally affecting the departments of Huácamo, Lima and La Libertad.
Due to this catastrophe, in 1972 the Peruvian government founded the National Institute of Civil Defense, in charge of devising plans to deal with this type of accident and preparing national drills every May 31st.
October 3, 1974
An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 was registered in the capital, Lima, at 09:21, a movement that was also felt on the Peruvian coast to the south. The movement lasted around 90 seconds and left 252 dead and 3,600 injured.
May 29, 1990
Another earthquake of 6.4 caused the death of 77 people, left 1,680 injured, 58,835 homeless and 11,000 homes destroyed. The movement, which began at 9:34 a.m., left damage in the cities of San Martín, Amazonas, Cajamarca, Rioja, Moyobamba, Chachapoyas, Jaén and Bagua.
June 23, 2001
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 affected southern Peru in the regions of Moquegua, Tacna and Arequipa, leaving 74 people dead, 2,689 injured, more than 21,000 homeless, 64 people missing, 35,601 homes affected, of which 17,584 were destroyed.
The earthquake had several aftershocks and had an intensity of VIII, which generated a tsunami that also caused 26 other deaths. It was the most devastating tremor after the 1970 Ancash tremor and the largest worldwide after the Rat Islands.
August 15, 2007
Peru was hard hit by one of the most devastating earthquakes in its modern history. Occurred at 6:40 p.m., the Pisco earthquake of magnitude 8 lasted 3 minutes 50 seconds. It was one of the most violent earthquakes to occur in Peru in recent years, being surpassed by the Arequipa earthquake of 2001. This event left 596 people dead.
May 26, 2019
One of the last earthquakes registered in Peru was the one known as the “Loreto earthquake”, which had a magnitude of 8 and originated at 02:41 local time and consequently left one person dead and more than 2,500 people affected.
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