The 2005 Tarapacá earthquake occurred on June 13 at 22:44:33
UTC (18:44:33 local time). Its
epicenter
The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Surface damage
Before the instrumental pe ...
was located near
Mamiña
Mamiña is a small village located east from Iquique at 2800 metres (9.340 ft.) above sea level in the foothills of Los Andes Mountain range in northern Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part o ...
, in northern
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
about 125 km east-northeast of
Iquique
Iquique () is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. It has a population of 191, ...
, affecting the
Tarapacá Region
The Tarapacá Region ( es, Región de Tarapacá, ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Iquique and Tamarugal. It borders the Chilean Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, Bolivia's Orur ...
and adjacent parts of
Bolivia. It had a magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum felt intensity of VII (''Very strong'') on the
Mercalli intensity scale.
Tectonic setting
Chile lies above the
destructive plate boundary, where the
Nazca Plate is being
subducted
Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries. Where the oceanic lithosphere of a tectonic plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of a second plate, the ...
beneath the
South American Plate. In the Tarapacá region the plates converge at a rate of 78 mm per year. This boundary is associated with many large earthquakes, both along the plate interface and within the downgoing slab (Nazca Plate).
Earthquake
The earthquake was an intermediate-depth event, with a
hypocentral depth of 115.6 km. The
focal mechanism shows that this was a normal fault event, within the subducted Nazca Plate. Finite-fault modelling of the earthquake suggests that the fault plane responsible dips to the west at about 15°.
Damage
![Iglesia de Tarapacá tras terremoto de 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Iglesia_de_Tarapac%C3%A1_tras_terremoto_de_2005.jpg)
The greatest damage occurred in northern Chile, although parts of southern Peru and western Bolivia were also affected. The earthquake triggered many
landslides, blocking roads and hindering relief efforts. 550 houses were completely destroyed, with at least a further 9,350 damaged.
Adobe houses on the plateau 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 ...
were particularly badly affected, with more than 80% destroyed in some villages. 11 people were killed and at least a further 200 injured.
Aftermath
Initial efforts concentrated on repairing infrastructure affected by the earthquake. By June 2006 the government reported that most of the repairs to roads and irrigation canals was complete, but that, although work had started on repairing houses and schools, more needed to be done.
The effects of this earthquake on pregnant women were used to investigate the effects of acute stress on child development. The results showed that amongst poorer families, children affected by the earthquake ''in utero'' were at least six months behind in cognitive development seven years later compared to their peers in a control group in areas unaffected by the earthquake.
See also
*
2007 Tocopilla earthquake
The 2007 Tocopilla earthquake occurred on November 14 at . Its epicenter was located between Quillagua and Tocopilla, affecting the Tarapacá and the Antofagasta regions in northern Chile. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 7.7 and lasted a ...
*
2007 Aysen Fjord earthquake
*
2007 Peru earthquake
The 2007 Peru earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale, hit the central coast of Peru on August 15 at 23:40:57 UTC (18:40:57 local time) and lasted two minutes. The epicenter was located south-southeast of Lima at a depth of ...
*
Great Chilean earthquake
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami ( es, link=no, Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake (''Gran terremoto de Chile'') on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Various studies have placed it at 9.4– ...
*
List of earthquakes in Chile __NOTOC__
Chile lay in a region which is adjacent to the fast-moving Nazca Plate, and has high tectonic activity. The records for earlier centuries are apparently incomplete.
Of the world's 46 known earthquakes with M ≥ 8.5 since the year 15 ...
*
List of earthquakes in Peru
Earthquakes in Peru are common occurrences as the country is located in a seismic zone. The interface between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates is located near the Peruvian coast. The South American Plate is moving over the Nazca Plate ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:2005 Tarapaca earthquake
Tarapaca
2005 Tarapacá
Tarapaca
History of Tarapacá Region
Tarapacá earthquake
Taracapa earthquake