Full Answer
What happened in the Ancash earthquake of 1970?
Ancash earthquake of 1970. Written By: Ancash earthquake of 1970, also called Great Peruvian Earthquake, earthquake that originated off the coast of Peru on May 31, 1970, and caused massive landslides. Approximately 70,000 people died.
How many people died in the Great Peruvian earthquake of 1970?
Written By: Ancash earthquake of 1970, also called Great Peruvian Earthquake, earthquake that originated off the coast of Peru on May 31, 1970, and caused massive landslides. Approximately 70,000 people died.
Where was the epicenter of the earthquake in Peru?
The shock affected the Peruvian regions of Ancash and La Libertad. The epicenter was located 35 km (22 mi) off the coast of Casma and Chimbote in the Pacific Ocean, where the Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the South American Plate. It had a moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII ( Severe ).
How many people were affected by the earthquake in Mexico?
In Chimbote, Carhuaz and Recuay, about 80% to 90% of buildings were destroyed, affecting about three million people. The Pan-American highway was also damaged, which made the arrival of humanitarian aid difficult.
What year did the Ancash earthquake happen?
The 1970 Ancash earthquake (also known as the Great Peruvian earthquake) occurred on 31 May off the coast of Peru in the Pacific Ocean at 15:23:29 local time. Combined with a resultant landslide, it is the most catastrophic natural disaster in the history of Peru.
What cities were hit hardest by the earthquake?
Areas hard hit were the coastal towns and cities of Chimbote (the largest city in Ancash), Casma, Supe and Huarmey; but the Andean valley known as the Callejón de Huaylas suffered the most intense and sweeping damage, with the regional capital, Huaraz, and Caraz and Aija being partially destroyed.
Where is the Nazca Plate located?
The epicenter was located 35 km (22 mi) off the coast of Casma and Chimbote in the Pacific Ocean, where the Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the South American Plate. It had a moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII ( Severe ).
What happened in 1970?
Main article: 1970 Huascarán debris avalanche. The northern wall of Mount Huascarán was destabilized, causing a rock, ice and snow avalanche and burying the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca. The avalanche started as a sliding mass of glacial ice and rock about 910 metres (2,990 ft) wide and 1.6 km (1 mile) long.
Overview
Earthquake
The undersea earthquake struck on a Sunday afternoon and lasted about 45 seconds. The shock affected the Peruvian regions of Ancash and La Libertad. The epicenter was located 35 km (22 mi) off the coast of Casma and Chimbote in the Pacific Ocean, where the Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath the South American Plate. It had a moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The focal mechanism and hypocentral depth of the earthquake show tha…
Tectonic setting
Damage
See also
External links
The earthquake was triggered by slippage along a shallog-angle normal fault at a depth of ~17.0 km, as suggested by the focal mechanism. A surface-wave magnitude of 7.0 was assigned by the ISC while the calculated moment magnitude was 7.0 ± 0.1 or 6.8. The fault was a shallow crustal structure on the South American Plate, as surface ruptures were observed with a maximum offset of 3.5 meters. It had a length of 28 km (17 mi). This event also reactivated several older thrust fa…