The Séisme of August 15th, 2007 in Peru was a very strong Earthquake which shook the central coast of the Peru the August 15th 2007 with 18:40 min 58 S (local time), during two minutes. The epicentre was localized to 169 km in the South-east of Lima. The hearth is located at a 47 km depth.

Epicentre and intensity

The epicentre was located on the coasts of the center of Peru, in the west of the town of Pisco and to 150 km in the South-east of the capital, Lima. The hearth (hypocentre) is to 39 km of depth.

The Geophysical Institute of Peru recorded a magnitude of 8.0 on the scale of Richter (ml) and 8.0 on the scale “magnitude of the moment” (MW). This last was localized to 60 km in the west of the locality of Pisco, i.e. in the Pacific Ocean. The seism had its origin in the surface of friction between the Plaque of Nazca and the South American Plaque. These last have, on a world level, more high speed of convergence (10 cm/an). The maximum intensity evaluated in the scale of Mercalli Modifiée (MM) was of VIII affecting a radius of 250 km around the epicentre. The seism felt with intensities of VI (MM) in Lima capital and II-III (MM) in the towns of Chiclayo and Arequipa.

Counterparts:

As it is often the case at the time of a strong seism, it had many seismic counterparts. The Geophysical Institute of Peru has register 422 counterparts, including 12 a magnitude ranging between 5 and 6 on the scale of Richter in various provinces of the country.

Alarms with the tsunami

Alarm with the Tsunami was started for Peru, Chile and Colombia, following the earth tremors, but it was raised thereafter. However floods at the seaside occurred on the coasts of the capital, the specialists on the spot indicate that the strong tides of the sea were not caused by the seism but by a climatic phenomenon located off the coasts. Alarms were also made for Panama and Costa Rica, and a warning statement was sent for Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras.

Assessment

The towns of Pisco, Ica and Chincha Alta in the Area of Ica, and San Vicente de Cañete in the Région of Lima were touched, but the seism affected also many other Peruvian cities, of which Pucallpa, Iquitos, Contamana, Trujillo, Cajamarca, just like the capital Lima.

Nearly 85.000 hearths were destroyed.

A counterpart of 5,8 MW occurred with 19:02 local time, centered to 113 km in the North-East of Chincha Alta. With 19:19 local time, another counterpart occurred, centered to 48 km in the South-east of Ica. At least two counterparts of 5,0Mw ont summer recorded. Experts declared that this type of seism occurs every 100 years and is caused by the Plaque of Nazca which plunges under the South American Plaque.

Answers to the seism

International assistances were announced by several countries of which the Argentine, the Brésil, the Canada, the Colombia, the Ecuador, the Spain, the the United States, the France and the Venezuela. The Bolivia was nevertheless the first country to bring its assistance, in remembering the assistance that the Peru had offered to him at the time of similar cataclysms. The pope Benoît XVI asked that there be an international solidarity to come to assistance of wounded and with endeuillés.

Notes in relation to the earthquake

Visual phenomenon:

During the earthquake, on several occasions, occurred very strong illuminations of the sky, whose origin was localized at broad coast of the capital. This phenomenon increased panic and the confusion of the population because there forever were flashes in this zone. In certain coastal districts, like that of Callao, the emitted light was as strong as that emitted by the light during the day. The Peruvians explain it either by the collapse of electric infrastructures, or by the shock between the continental plates of Nazca and Sud-Américaine, or by the emission of electromagnetic waves.

Random links:

Proverville | Ricardo Oliveira | Famicom Tantei Club: Kieta Koukeisha | Gift Drysdale | Baccalaureat techniques of the music and the dance