Force of nature - Strong quakes shake Peru's coast
The Pacific Coast of Peru remains restless after the heavy earthquake on Friday night. Another powerful quake, with a magnitude of 6.4 according to Peru's Geophysical Institute (IGP), shook the region during the night on Saturday (local time). Several small aftershocks had already occurred in the southern Peruvian region of Arequipa during the course of Friday.
The first major quake, around midnight, according to reports from the US Geological Survey (USGS), had a magnitude of 7.2 and prompted the local maritime authority to issue a tsunami warning for the coast of the South American country. There were reports of some structural damage and up to 14 lightly injured people, indicating that the quake was also felt in the major cities of Ica and Lima.
The earth shakes frequently in this country because several tectonic plates collide in the region. Peru, along with its neighbors Chile and Ecuador, lies along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, the most seismically active zone on earth. In the past century, Peru has experienced a series of devastating earthquakes, with magnitudes around 8.0, the last one being in the year 2007.
A particularly heavy quake in the region occurred off the coast of Chile in September 2015. The magnitude 8.3 quake triggered a tsunami, leading to the evacuation of around one million residents. Later, a tsunami wave over 4 meters high reached the coastal city of Coquimbo. The strongest earthquake ever recorded worldwide, with a magnitude of 9.5, also struck Chile in May 1960.
The next earthquake warning issued by the US earthquake observatory USGS was for a potential tsunami along Peru's Pacific coast, following a force of nature similarly powerful to the 7.2 magnitude quake experienced in Arequipa. The region near Chile, sharing geographical proximity and tectonic plate interactions with Peru, has also witnessed its fair share of quakes, including a 2015 event of magnitude 8.3 which resulted in significant tsunami warnings and damages. The aftermath of these earthquakes in Peru and Chile underscores the dramatic impact and recurrence of seismic activity along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where Arequipa lies.
