The National Seismological Center (Censis) of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) recorded this Monday, December 8th, an earthquake of magnitude 4.4, the epicenter of which was in the town of Lomas. in the Caravelí province of the Arequipa department.
According to a report from the National Seismic Network, the movement began at 11:34 p.m. (local time) and originated at a distance of 46 kilometers south of Lomas, with a depth of 24 kilometers, an intensity of II-III and a latitude and longitude of -15.98, -74.89 degrees.
Due to the magnitude of the earthquake, the alert area issued was green.
The green color range is used for earthquakes Magnitudes less than 4.4; Yellow is associated with movements that fluctuate in size between 4.5 and 6.0; while the color red indicates earthquakes greater than 6.1.
Speaking of which the intensitythe scales indicate the following:
Me: It’s a movement “Nonsense” which means “no harm.”
II-III: It’s a movement “weak” which means “no harm.”
IV: It’s a movement “Light” which means “no harm.”
V: It’s a movement “moderate” which represents “very minor damage.”
VI: It’s a movement “strong” which constitutes “minor damage.”
VII: It’s a movement “very strong” which implies “moderate damage.”
VIII: It’s a movement “difficult” which implies “moderate or major damage.”
IX: It’s a movement “violent” which means “great damage.”
X+: This is a movement “extreme” this causes “significant harm.”
The GPI CENSIS obtains its data from the National Seismic Networkconsisting of and integrating a series of speed, acceleration and displacement sensors distributed throughout the country.
Peru lies in the area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.a region in which about 75% of the world’s existing volcanoes are concentrated 80% of the strongest shocks of the world.
The Pacific Ring of Fire, also called the Pacific Ring of Fire, consists of the mountainous area in the west of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada, then circles the Aleutian Islands and runs along the coasts and islands of Russia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, East Timor, Brunei, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Tonga, Tuvalu and New Zealand.
In the case of Peru, the country is located in the South American tectonic plate colliding head-on with the Nazca PlateWhen they rub, they create tensions that are released in the form of earthquakes; In addition, there is constant volcanic activity in the region.
The Ring of Fire stretches over 40,000 kilometers and is shaped like a horseshoe. There are 452 volcanoes within this line and is home to most of the so-called “supervolcanoes”, whose eruptions are at the VEI-8 level and are considered catastrophic.
The Latin American country faced various seismic events that caused hundreds of deaths and injuries, as well as countless 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 landslide that buried the city of Santo Domingo de Yungay at 3:23 p.m.
This fact It is considered the most destructive earthquake in the country’s historynot just because of the size, but also because of the The resulting death toll is estimated at 67,000According to the document “The Ancash earthquake and the snowy Huascaran avalanche”, written by geophysicist and scientific advisor to the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci), Mateo Casaverde, there were also 150,000 injured, equally affecting the departments of Huácamo, Lima and La Libertad.
Due to this disaster, in 1972 the Peruvian government created the National Institute of Civil Defense, which is responsible for drawing up plans to deal with this type of accident and preparing national exercises on May 31st.
October 3, 1974
A 8.0 magnitude earthquake It occurred at 9:21 a.m. in the capital Lima, a movement that was also felt on the Peruvian coast to the south. The movement lasted about 90 seconds and resulted in 252 deaths and 3,600 injuries.
May 29, 1990
Another magnitude 6.4 earthquake caused the death of 77 people, left 1,680 injured, 58,835 homeless and 11,000 houses 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
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the southern part of Peru in the Moquegua, Tacna and Arequipa regions, leaving 74 dead, 2,689 injured, more than 21,000 affected, 64 missing. 35,601 houses affected, of which 17,584 were destroyed.
The earthquake had several aftershocks and had an intensity of VIII, which triggered a tsunami which also caused another 26 deaths. It was the most devastating earthquake since the 1970 Ancash earthquake and the largest in the world after the Rata Islands.
August 15, 2007
Peru was badly damaged one of the most violent earthquakes in modern history. The Pisco earthquake occurred at 6:40 p.m. Strength 8 lasted 3 minutes and 50 seconds. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes to occur in Peru in recent years, surpassed by the 2001 Arequipa earthquake. This fact remained 596 people died.
May 26, 2019
One of the last earthquakes recorded in Peru was the so-called “Loreto earthquake” with a magnitude of Magnitude of 8 The accident occurred at 2:41 a.m. local time and resulted in one person being killed and more than 2,500 people affected.
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