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2021 Northern Peru earthquake

Coordinates: 4°29′24″S 76°50′46″W / 4.490°S 76.846°W / -4.490; -76.846
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2021 Northern Peru earthquake
2021 Northern Peru earthquake is located in Peru
2021 Northern Peru earthquake
UTC time2021-11-28 10:52:13
ISC event621480794
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateNovember 28, 2021
Local time05:52:13 UTC-5
Magnitude7.5 Mw
7.6 Mwpd[1]
Depth112.5 km (69.9 mi)
Epicenter4°29′24″S 76°50′46″W / 4.490°S 76.846°W / -4.490; -76.846
TypeNormal fault
Areas affectedPeru, Ecuador
Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)[2]
Casualties12 dead,[note 1] 136 injured, 1 missing

A major earthquake struck northern Peru on November 28, 2021, 5:52 a.m. local time with a magnitude of 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale between the Amazonas and Loreto departments of Peru.[3] A maximum Modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) of VII (Very Strong) was reported in the town of Santa Maria de Nieva according to the Geological Institute of Peru.[4][3]

Serious damage occurred in Peru, and some damage was reported in Ecuador. One person died of a heart attack, another from falling wood, and 126 others were injured.[5][6] Ten additional deaths occurred the following day when a bus crashed on the damaged Fernando Belaunde Terry Highway.

Tectonic setting

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Peru lies above the convergent plate boundary where the Nazca Plate is subducting beneath the South American Plate, along the line of the Peru–Chile Trench. In northern Peru the rate of convergence between the plates is about 70 mm/yr. Almost all of the seismicity that affects western South America is a result of this ongoing subduction, either directly or indirectly. Earthquakes occur on the megathrust interface between the two plates, or within either the subducting or over-riding plates. At this latitude, the Nazca plate is seismically active to depths of about 650 km. This earthquake occurred in a segment of the subducted plate that has produced frequent intermediate-depth earthquakes with focal depths of 100 to 150 km, such as the 2005 and 2019 Peru earthquakes.[3]

Earthquake

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The earthquake had a preliminary magnitudes of 7.4 however upgraded to 7.5 by the United States Geological Survey. The hypocentral depth was at 112.5 km (69.9 mi).[3] The earthquake was felt throughout northern Peru and was also strongly felt in Ecuador. The shock was a result of normal faulting within the descending Nazca Plate, according to the Geophysics Institute of Peru and U.S. Geological Survey.[7] Two similarly sized normal-faulting earthquakes struck the Peruvian Amazon in 2005 and 2019. The 2019 earthquake was located in the same department and measured 8.0 magnitude, killing at least two people. Such earthquakes are known as intermediate-depth events due to their depth of focus. Earthquakes of these types occur within the subducted slab rather than at the plate boundary, known as intraslab earthquakes.[8]

Other events

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Earlier in that day, Lima was struck by a magnitude 5.1 quake offshore at 64.5 km depth.[9] That event occurred due to convergence along the Peru-Chile subduction zone at the plate boundary, hence are unrelated.[8]

On February 3, 2022, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the same region. This earthquake may have been an aftershock, as it occurred 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the mainshock. It also had a maximum MMI of VI (Strong).[10] No casualties were reported, but eighty houses and eight public buildings were damaged in the Barranca District, while two buildings suffered minor damage in Zamora-Chinchipe Province, Ecuador.[10]

Impact

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Severe damage caused by the earthquake.

A total of 4,189 people became homeless when the quake damaged many homes.[11] Some 4,429 homes were damaged, including 1,976 totally destroyed.[12][13] Seven churches also collapsed.[14] The National Institute of Civil Defence of Peru confirmed one fatality and at least 126 injuries.[15] The fatality was caused by a heart attack.[16] A second fatality was reported on 29 November. The three-year-old child was killed by falling wood in Bongará Province. An elderly person is also missing.[17]

In the Valera District, at least 30 residents were affected. Another 12 people became homeless in the Cajaruro District. In the provinces of Alto Amazonas and Chachapoyas Provinces, 35 people were affected. The Fernando Belaúnde Terry highway was partially buried by a landslide.[18] Three people were injured in the La Jalca District, and 70% of the homes were damaged, according to the district's mayor. Many of the homes damaged were constructed of mud and stone.[13] Thirteen schools in the Amazonas, Loreto, and Piura departments were damaged. Many of the schools suffered cracks and collapsed walls. Doors and windows were knocked down. Cracks in the ceiling and floor were also reported.[19]

A 14-meter (46 ft) tower in a protected four-century-old church collapsed shortly after the earthquake, according to local media and witness accounts. Video footage showed the historic tower, part of a 16th-century complex that was considered the oldest Catholic church in the Amazonas region, reduced to a pile of stones, although the main atrium appeared to be still standing.[20] Several buildings, including another church were damaged in neighbouring Ecuador.[21]

Ecuadorian authorities reported some buildings were damaged in the Saraguro Canton of Loja Province. Collapsed masonry, a church, and one house was documented. A house and education facility also collapsed in Centinela del Cóndor Canton. In the Chordeleg Canton, an old concrete building was destroyed. Road damage was reported in Cuenca Canton, caused by a rockslide.[22]

On the Fernando Belaunde Terry highway near the epicenter, ten people died and seven were injured when a minibus drove off a cliff and plunged 300 meters down a valley. The accident occurred in Bongará Province between the cities Chachapoyas and Moyobamba along the highway.[23]

Response

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President Pedro Castillo visited areas affected by the earthquake

The Prime Minister of Peru, Mirtha Vásquez, announced that her government is considering declaring a state of emergency in some of the affected regions. President Pedro Castillo immediately visited the affected area in the aftermath.[6]

A village near the Utcubamba River has been evacuated after an overflowing risk was found. The water level in the river rose higher after a landslide dammed the river channel.[24]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Only two fatalities were directly related to the earthquake. The other ten were from a bus crash that occurred a day after the earthquake.

References

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  1. ^ "Earthquake with magnitude of Mwpd 7.6 on date 28-11-2021". INGV.
  2. ^ Government of Peru (28 November 2021). "Sismo de 7.5 ocasiona daños en 3 distritos del departamento de Amazonas" [7.5 earthquake causes damage in 3 districts of the department of Amazonas]. gob.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "M 7.5 - 42 km NNW of Barranca, Peru - Impact". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  4. ^ Espinosa, Carlos (2021-11-28). "Sismo de magnitud 7.5 en Perú fue sentido en Ecuador y Colombia". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  5. ^ de 2021, 28 de Noviembre. "Terremoto en Amazonas de 7.5: Un muerto, 10 heridos, 580 damnificados y más de 100 viviendas dañadas". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "El Gobierno de Perú considera la declaración de emergencia en "determinados lugares" afectados por el terremoto" [The Government of Peru considers the declaration of emergency in "certain places" affected by the earthquake] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes northern Peru - USGS". Reuters. 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  8. ^ a b "Terremoto de Perú se debió a una deformación interna de la placa de Nazca" [Peru earthquake was due to an internal deformation of the Nazca plate] (in Spanish). El Universo. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  9. ^ "M 5.1 - 28 km W of Callao, Peru". earthquake.usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b "M 6.5 - 49 km NW of Barranca, Peru". earthquake.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  11. ^ "Sismo en Amazonas: aumenta a 2,202 el número de afectados y a 636 la cifra de damnificados" [Earthquake in Amazonas: the number of affected increases to 2,202 and the number of victims to 636] (in Spanish). apnoticias.pe. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Risklayer Explorer". risklayer.com.
  13. ^ a b "Terremoto en Amazonas: Reportan tres heridos y viviendas afectadas en varias provincias y zonas del Perú" [Earthquake in Amazonas: Three injured and affected homes are reported in several provinces and areas of Peru] (in Spanish). Infobae. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Al menos 4 heridos y casi 900 damnificados dejó el fuerte sismo que sacudió Perú este 28nov" [At least 4 injured and almost 900 victims left by the strong earthquake that shook Peru this 28th November]. Caraota Digital. 28 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Sismo en Amazonas: se eleva a 1 223 las personas damnificadas y a 1 977 las afectadas" (in Spanish). RPP Noticias. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Terremoto en Amazonas de 7.5: Un muerto, 10 heridos, 580 damnificados y más de 100 viviendas dañadas" [Earthquake in the Amazon of 7.5: One dead, 10 injured, 580 victims and more than 100 homes damaged].[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ "Niño de 3 años murió en Condorcanqui tras fuerte sismo que se registró en Amazonas" [3-year-old boy died in Condorcanqui after a strong earthquake that struck the Amazon] (in Spanish). Diario Correo. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Sismo en Amazonas: carretera a Jalca Grande quedó bloqueada tras derrumbe de cerro" (in Spanish). RPP Nocitas. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Trece colegios de Amazonas, Loreto y Piura resultaron con daños por fuerte sismo" [Thirteen schools in Amazonas, Loreto and Piura were damaged by a strong earthquake] (in Spanish). El Peruano. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  20. ^ "USGS: Magnitude-7.5 earthquake strikes northern Peru". wave3.com. 28 November 2021.
  21. ^ "USGS: Magnitude-7.5 earthquake strikes northern Peru". tt.loopnews.com.
  22. ^ "Terremoto de magnitud 7,5 con epicentro en Amazonas también se sintió con fuerza en Ecuador" [Earthquake of magnitude 7.5 with an epicenter in the Amazon was also felt strongly in Ecuador] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Amazonas: diez muertos dejó caída de combi a un abismo en la carretera Fernando Belaunde Terry" [Amazonas: ten dead left combi fall into an abyss on the highway Fernando Belaunde Terry] (in Spanish). Diario Correo. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Evacúan a decenas de personas por el embalsamiento del río Utcubamba tras terremoto" [Dozens of people evacuated due to the damming of the Utcubamba river after earthquake] (in Spanish). La República. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
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