2014 Iquique earthquake
Earthquake near Chile
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The 2014 Iquique earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on 1 April, with a moment magnitude of 8.1–8.2, at 20:46 local time (23:46 UTC).[4][5] The epicenter of the earthquake was approximately 95 kilometres (59 mi) northwest of Iquique.[1] The mainshock was preceded by a number of moderate to large shocks and was followed by a large number of moderate to very large aftershocks, including a M7.7 event on 3 April. The megathrust earthquake triggered a tsunami of up to 2.11 metres (6.9 ft) that hit Iquique at 21:05 local time (00:05 UTC, 2 April).[6] Similar-sized tsunamis were also reported to have hit the coasts of Pisagua and Arica.[7]
USGS ShakeMap for the earthquake | |
  Location within South America | |
| UTC time |
|
|---|---|
| ISC event | |
| USGS-ANSS | |
| Local date |
|
| Local time | |
| Duration | 3 minutes |
| Magnitude |
|
| Depth |
|
| Epicenter | 19.610°S 70.769°W[1] |
| Type | Megathrust |
| Areas affected | Chile, Peru |
| Total damage | 8,300 homes damaged[2] |
| Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe) |
| Peak acceleration | 1.05 g[3] |
| Tsunami | 4.6 m (15 ft) |
| Casualties | 11 dead, 209 injured |
Geology
A number of mid-sized quakes struck the same area in the preceding weeks. These quakes and the main tremor are associated with the boundary of the Nazca plate and the South American plate.[1]
Earthquake
There was a cluster of earthquakes starting from the one occurring on 16 March with a magnitude of Mw 6.7, and a large earthquake had been expected.[8][9] The mainshock measured a moment magnitude of 8.1, according to the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT),[10][11] although the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude at Mww 8.2.[1] This earthquake was smaller than what was expected, with a rupture of 200 km (120 mi) in length instead of the expected 600 km (370 mi) rupture.[12] The earthquake was felt in Chile, Peru, and Bolivia.[4] The intensity reached intensity VIII (Severe) in the city of Iquique.[13]
Aftershocks
There were several significant aftershocks above 6.0 magnitude and many more of lower magnitude over subsequent days.
| Time (local) | M | I | Depth | Epicenter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April at 20:57:58 | 6.9 | VI | 28.4 km (17.6 mi) | 91 km (57 mi) WNW of Iquique | [14] |
| 2 April at 22:58:30 | 6.5 | VI | 24.1 km (15.0 mi) | 46 km (29 mi) WSW of Iquique | [15] |
| 2 April at 23:43:13 | 7.7 | IX | 22.4 km (13.9 mi) | 53 km (33 mi) SW of Iquique | [16] |
| 3 April at 02:26:15 | 6.4 | VI | 25 km (16 mi) | 78 km (48 mi) SW of Iquique | [17] |
Under advice from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, tsunami warnings were issued for the Latin American Pacific coastlines of Chile, Peru, and Ecuador shortly after the earthquake occurred.[18][4][19] Chile was subsequently hit by a large tsunami in its northern territories, with a maximum height of 4.63 m (15.2 ft) in Arica.[20][6]
The tsunami warning was later canceled for all countries except Chile and Peru within a few hours of the earthquake.[21] The tsunami warning was canceled for both Chile and Peru at around 4:58 UTC on 2 April. Hawaii was under a tsunami advisory for over 13 hours.[22][23] On 3 April local time, tsunamis were observed in Japan.[24] The tsunami reached 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) high in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.[25]
Impact
Chile
Five people died of indirect causes[2] and one woman was reportedly crushed to death when a wall collapsed. A loader was crushed by a falling metal structure and died of the injuries afterwards.[26] An additional three people were killed due to landslides and on April 4, a six-day-old infant died due to hypothermia, after she and her mother sought refuge in a tent.[2]
In Iquique, over 200 people were hospitalized and an airport's control tower was damaged. Houses also collapsed in Arica.[2] Electricity and water services were interrupted in the regions of Arica y Parinacota and Tarapacá.[27]
During the aftermath of the earthquake, 293 prisoners escaped from a women's prison in Iquique when a wall collapsed. Many returned voluntarily a short time later, while Chilean soldiers searched for the rest.[28]
Peru
In southern Peru, nine people were injured, four structures, including two temples collapsed and 81 houses, three schools, four clinics, three public buildings and a temple were damaged.[2]
