An earthquake struck Peru at 04:18:45
PET
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...
(09:18:45
UTC) on 14 January 2018. It had a magnitude of 7.1 with a maximum perceived intensity of VII (''very strong'') on the
Mercalli intensity scale. Two deaths have been reported, with a further 139 people injured. Widespread damage to
adobe houses was reported with 443 homes being destroyed.
An initial
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
warning was later rescinded.
Background
Earthquakes are common in Peru, especially in the Arequipa coastal area of Peru. This particular
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
was a result of
thrust fault
A thrust fault is a break in the Earth's crust, across which older rocks are pushed above younger rocks.
Thrust geometry and nomenclature
Reverse faults
A thrust fault is a type of reverse fault that has a dip of 45 degrees or less.
If ...
ing on the
destructive boundary between the
Nazca Plate and the
South American Plate.
As evidenced by the
2007 earthquake, many homes are not built to any type of standard making them prone to significant damage. Earthquakes can threaten industry as well as the population. Many of the copper mines are vulnerable to quakes, but there were no reports of damage to them.
Earthquake
On Sunday, 14 January at 04:18 local time, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Peru. The earthquake was positioned in the Pacific Ocean near the coast at a depth of around , about south-southwest of Acari.
There was no danger of a tsunami to the coastal area. Residents of Lomas, a town on the cost, were evacuated after feeling an aftershock.
The earthquake left two dead, and over a hundred and twenty injured. The earthquake caused some homes and roads in remote areas to collapse. Damage to roads delayed the arrival of help to the affected rural zones. Several boroughs were without electricity.
A tsunami was observed with heights of 15 cm in San Juan.
Aftermath
A 55-year-old man was fatally crushed by a rock in the city of Yauca located in the region of Arequipa. No information was released on the second victim except that they were in the same region as the first victim.
See also
*
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 ...
References
External links
*
{{Earthquakes in Peru
2018 earthquakes
2018 in Peru
Earthquakes in Peru
January 2018 events in South America
2018 disasters in Peru