The 1927 Mendoza earthquake took place in
Mendoza Province, in the Republic of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, on 14 April at 06:23:28 UTC.
It registered a magnitude of 7.1 on the
Richter magnitude scale
The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
.
The earthquake was located at a depth of .
Location
The epicenter was located in a zone of instability towards the north of
Aconcagua, in the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
, from
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
. From there the
seismic waves spread on one side from west to east, destroying the Andean city, and on the other side towards the west where it reached the
Chilean Longitudinal Valley and continued along its length to Santiago. The epicenter was farther west than common for seismic movements in Mendoza.
Damage and casualties
The destructive force of the 1927 Mendoza earthquake was measured at VIII on the
Mercalli intensity scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
.
It caused 3 deaths and several injuries.
Localities in both Argentina and Chile were affected by the earthquake, including the cities of
Mendoza and
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
.
The earthquake was felt as far as the provinces of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
,
La Rioja,
Córdoba and
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
.
Most of the damage in Argentina was concentrated in the Mendozan city of
Las Heras.
Here buildings and walls collapsed and fissures were formed in the land.
The community of Resbalón in the city of
Las Heras.
Multiple cracks in the earth were noticed in the community of Resguardo and wells were surging water.
In the city of Mendoza the earthquake destroyed the government building as well as several schools.
Several buildings were damaged in San Juan.
Following the tremors ground water emitted from previously dry areas, forming marshes and affecting the flow of traffic in western and eastern sections of the province.
See also
*
List of earthquakes in 1927
This is a list of earthquakes in 1927. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on this list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury, or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from t ...
*
List of earthquakes in Argentina
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza earthquake, 1927
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
* ...
1927 earthquakes
1927 in Argentina