M7.7 - ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE
Magnitude | 7.7 - Richter scale |
|---|---|
Depth | 40 km (24.9 miles) set by location program Km |
Location | ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE LAT -22.204, LON -69.869 |
Date-Time | Nov 14, 2007 15:40:50 UTC |
Source | USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) |
Event ID(s) | us2007jsat |
Distances from major cities | |
|---|---|
35 km (25 miles) ESE of Tocopilla, Chile |
Tectonic Summary
The earthquake near Antofagasta, Chile of November 14th 2007 results from the release of stresses generated by the subduction of the oceanic Nazca plate beneath the South American plate. In this region, known as the Peru-Chile subduction zone, the Nazca Plate thrusts beneath South America at a rate of approximately 79mm/year in an east-north-east direction. This earthquake indicates subduction-related thrusting, likely on the interface between these two plates.
This earthquake occurred near (and within) the southern end of the rupture area of the great magnitude 8.8 earthquake of 1877, which produced a destructive tsunami and whose source region has since the late 1970’s been recognized as a potentially dangerous seismic gap. In 1995, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake thrust-fault occurred in the same subduction zone approximately 200km further south of the November 14th event.
Earthquake Information for Chile
Earthquake Information for South America
