Located in South America, Chile is a country with a territorial extension of 756,945 square kilometers, where 16,970,265 inhabitants reside. Chilean territory occupies one of the most seismic areas on the planet, as it is in a zone of tectonic instability, that is, an area of convergence between the Nazca tectonic plates and the South American. According to the Institute of Geophysics at the University of Chile, the meeting of these two plates produces a large earthquake every ten years in the country.
Chile is very vulnerable to earthquakes, the occurrence of this phenomenon in the country is frequent. On May 22, 1960, the city of Valdivia suffered the biggest earthquake in Chilean history, the earthquake had a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale, leaving 1,655 people dead and more than 2 million homeless.
On February 27, 2010, an 8.8-degree earthquake struck central-southern Chile, making it the biggest earthquake in the country since 1960. According to the Geological Institute of the United States, the earthquake had its hypocenter 35 kilometers below sea level, in the region of Bio Bio, about 320 kilometers from Santiago, capital of Chile, and 91 kilometers from Concepción, the second most populous city in Chile. parents. Then, other tremors were recorded – with magnitudes ranging between 5.2 and 6.9 degrees on the Richter scale. The earthquake triggered a tsunami, which caused waves that invaded up to 300 meters of land.
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Rescue teams looking for survivors
A large part of the population complains about the government's action, as there is a lack of food and even drinking water. The city of Concepción, one of the hardest hit, has received little aid, a fact that is causing a wave of looting of stores and supermarkets.
According to Chile's National Emergency Agency, as of March 3, 800 deaths had been recorded as a result of the earthquake, the majority in the Maule region. Approximately 1.5 million homes were damaged, bridges and roads were destroyed, significantly disrupting the country's infrastructure. The economic loss could reach 30 billion dollars.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
See too
earthquakes - Phenomenon that produces high financial and human losses.
Earthquakes in Brazil - Did you know that small tremors have already occurred in Brazil?
Earthquakes and the man - Human coexistence with earthquakes.
Risks of earthquakes in Brazil - The possibilities of the occurrence of earthquakes in Brazil.
Chile - countries - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira e. "The Earthquake in Chile"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/o-terremoto-no-chile.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
