2014 Iquique earthquake explained

2014 Iquique earthquake
Timestamp:2014-04-01 23:46:47
Anss-Url:usc000nzvd
Isc-Event:610102185
Local-Time:20:46 CST
Magnitude:8.2 Mw[1]
Pga:1.05 g[2]
Depth:25km (16miles)
Location:-19.61°N -70.769°W
Countries Affected:Chile, Peru
Duration:3 minutes
Tsunami:4.6m (15.1feet)
Casualties:11 dead, 209 injured
Damage:8,300 homes damaged

The 2014 Iquique earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on 1 April, with a moment magnitude of 8.2, at 20:46 local time (23:46 UTC).[3] [4] The epicenter of the earthquake was approximately 95km (59miles) northwest of Iquique.[1] The mainshock was preceded by a number of moderate to large shocks and was followed by a large number of moderate to very large aftershocks, including a M7.7 event on 3 April. The megathrust earthquake triggered a tsunami of up to 2.11m (06.92feet) that hit Iquique at 21:05 local time (00:05 UTC, 2 April). Similar-sized tsunamis were also reported to have hit the coasts of Pisagua and Arica.[5]

Geology

See also: Peru–Chile Trench.

A number of mid-sized quakes struck the same area in the preceding weeks. These quakes and the main tremor are associated with the boundary of the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.[1]

Earthquake

See also: List of earthquakes in Chile.

There was a cluster of earthquakes starting from the one occurring on 16 March with a magnitude of 6.7, and a large earthquake had been expected.[6] [7] The 8.2 earthquake was smaller than what was expected, with a rupture of 200km (100miles) in length instead of the expected 600km (400miles) rupture.[8] The earthquake was felt in Chile, Peru, and Bolivia.[9] The intensity reached intensity VIII (Severe) in Iquique, Chile.[10]

Aftershocks

There were several significant aftershocks above 6.0 magnitude and many more of lower magnitude over subsequent days.

Time (local) M I Depth Epicenter
1 April at 20:57:586.9VI28.4km (17.6miles)91km (57miles) WNW of Iquique[11]
2 April at 22:58:306.5VI24.1km (15miles)46km (29miles) WSW of Iquique[12]
2 April at 23:43:137.7IX22.4km (13.9miles)53km (33miles) SW of Iquique[13]
3 April at 02:26:156.4VI25km (16miles)78km (48miles) SW of Iquique[14]

Associated events

Such large earthquakes can have effects far away other than tsunamis.[15] A megathrust quake can shake the entire earth, but causes stronger movement and strain on the entire associated oceanic plate, beyond the few hundred kilometer rupture zone. Though too far to be an aftershock, a 6.0 quake on a thin protruding wedge of the Nazca Plate (Iquique quake shoved this plate) was reported off Panama within 12 hours of the main shock.[16]

Tsunami

Under advice from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, tsunami warnings were issued for the Latin American Pacific coastlines of Chile, Peru, and Ecuador shortly after the earthquake occurred.[17] [3] [18] Chile was subsequently hit by a large tsunami in its northern territories, with a maximum height of 4.63m (15.19feet) in Arica.[19] [20]

The tsunami warning was later canceled for all countries except Chile and Peru within a few hours of the earthquake.[21] The tsunami warning was canceled for both Chile and Peru at around 4:58 UTC on 2 April. Hawaii was under a tsunami advisory for over 13 hours.[22] [23] On 3 April local time, tsunamis were observed in Japan.[24] The tsunami reached 60cm (20inches) high in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.[25]

Impact

Chile

Five people died of indirect causes and one woman was reportedly crushed to death when a wall collapsed. A loader was crushed by a falling metal structure and died of the injuries afterwards.[26] An additional three people were killed due to landslides and on April 4, a six-day-old infant died due to hypothermia, after she and her mother sought refuge in a tent.

In Iquique, over 200 people were hospitalized and an airport's control tower was damaged. Houses also collapsed in Arica. Electricity and water services were interrupted in the regions of Arica y Parinacota and Tarapacá.[27]

During the aftermath of the earthquake, 293 prisoners escaped from a women's prison in Iquique when a wall collapsed. Many returned voluntarily a short time later, while Chilean soldiers searched for the rest.[28]

Peru

In southern Peru, nine people were injured, four structures, including two temples collapsed and 81 houses, three schools, four clinics, three public buildings and a temple were damaged.[29]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: M8.2 - 95km NW of Iquique, Chile. United States Geological Survey. 2 April 2014.
  2. Web site: Registros instrumentales evento del 2014-04-01 23:46:45 . Centro Sismológico Nacional (CSN) . 19 January 2023.
  3. Web site: Tsunami alert after 8.2 quake strikes off Chile. 1 April 2014. 2 April 2014. BBC.
  4. Web site: 8.2-Magnitude Earthquake Off Chile Triggers Tsunami. 1 April 2014. 1 April 2014. ABC News. Shabner. Dean.
  5. http://www.tsunami.gov/product.php?id=TSUHWX.20140402.0346.006 Tsunami Message Number 6
  6. News: Magnitude-6.7 quake hits Chile, 100,000 evacuated. USA Today.
  7. Web site: Earthquake Report (Informe de Sismo Sensible) . Sismologia.cl . 16 March 2014 . 4 April 2014 . Spanish.
  8. http://www.estrellaiquique.cl/impresa/2014/04/02/papel/ "La estrella de Iquique", 2 April 2014, page 5
  9. News: Tsunami alert after 8.2 quake strikes off Chile . BBC News . 2 April 2014 . 4 April 2014.
  10. Web site: M8.2 - 95km NW of Iquique, Chile 2014-04-01 23:46:46 UTC . U.S. Geological Survey . 4 April 2014 . 4 April 2014.
  11. Web site: M6.9 - 91km WNW of Iquique, Chile. USGS. United States Geological Survey.
  12. Web site: M6.5 - 46km WSW of Iquique, Chile. USGS. United States Geological Survey.
  13. Web site: M7.7 - 53km SW of Iquique, Chile. USGS. United States Geological Survey.
  14. Web site: M6.4 - 78km SW of Iquique, Chile. USGS. United States Geological Survey.
  15. Lubick . Naomi . Triggered Swarms: How Big Quakes Can Cause Small Quakes Far Away . Scientific American . March 2003 . 4 April 2014.
  16. Web site: M6.0 - 52km S of Pedregal, Panama 2014-04-02 16:13:27 UTC . U.S. Geological Survey . 3 April 2014 . 4 April 2014.
  17. Five Dead After Huge Quake Hits off Coast of Chile. 1 April 2014. 2 April 2014. Time. Stout. David. Winograd. David.
  18. Web site: Tsunami Warning and Warch for Latin American Pacific coastline . . 1 April 2014 . 2 April 2014 . 2 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140402005014/http://ptwc.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=pacific.TSUPAC.2014.04.01.2355 . dead .
  19. Web site: Tsunami Event:IQUIQUE, CHILE. NGDC.
  20. Web site: Pacific Tsunami Waves hit Chile after an Earthquake measuring 8.3. Indo-Asian News Service. news.biharprabha.com. 2 April 2014.
  21. Web site: Tsunami Warning and Watch Cancellation . Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . 2 April 2014 . 2 April 2014 . 2 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140402044628/http://ptwc.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=pacific.TSUPAC.2014.04.02.0443 . dead .
  22. Web site: Hawai'ian Islands Tsumani Advisory . Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . 2 April 2014 . 2 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140402035225/http://ptwc.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=hawaii.TSUHWX.2014.04.02.0346 . 2 April 2014 . dead .
  23. Web site: Hawai'ian Islands Tsunami Advisory Cancellation . Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . 2 April 2014 . 2 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140402174627/http://ptwc.weather.gov/ptwc/text.php?id=hawaii.TSUHWX.2014.04.02.1726 . 2 April 2014 . dead .
  24. Web site: Japan hit by Tsunami waves on 3 April after Chilean Earthquake. Indo-Asian News Service. news.biharprabha.com. 3 April 2014.
  25. News: 60 cm Tsunami Observed in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture; Caused by Chile Quake (岩手県久慈市で津波６０センチ観測 チリ地震) . Asahi Shimbun Company (朝日新聞) . 3 April 2014 . 4 April 2014 . Japanese.
  26. http://www.estrellaiquique.cl/impresa/2014/04/04/full/10/ "La estralla de Iquique", April 4, 2014, page 10
  27. News: Génesis . Moreno . María . Paz Núñez . Replenishment of basic services has been slower in communes of Iquique and Alto Hospicio (Reposición de servicios básicos ha sido más lenta en comunas de Iquique y Alto Hospicio) . La Tercera . 2 April 2014 . 4 April 2014 . Spanish . 3 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140403013014/http://www.latercera.com/noticia/nacional/2014/04/680-572311-9-reposicion-de-servicios-basicos-ha-sido-mas-lenta-en-comunas-de-iquique-y-alto.shtml . dead .
  28. News: Chile soldiers hunt escaped inmates in quake-hit Iquique . 2 April 2014 . Amos . Jonathan . BBC News.
  29. News: Massive earthquake and tsunami at the Tarapaca coast, Northern Chile – The full story from the very beginning . Earthquake-Report.com . 7 April 2014 . 7 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140607234852/http://earthquake-report.com/2014/04/01/massive-earthquake-offshore-tarapaca-chile-on-april-1-2014/ . dead .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2014 Iquique earthquake".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.