Week3: Earthquakes, Argentina

The map below is a South America seismic hazard map with an estimated El Tigre Fault Location inset. The western part of Argentina not only shows a high hazard level but also contains the El Tigre Fault. The further you go east in Argentina, the less hazardous level there is with very low levels on the eastern edge.




Argentina is in an active area of the South American plate, containing multiple faults. The El Tigre Fault is currently seismically active. The Gastre Fault Zone is an NW-SE striking dextral Jurassic Gastre fault system in central Patagonia, Argentina. The Huincul Fault Zone is an east-to-west oriented, continental scale fault that extends from the Neuquen Basin eastwards into the Argentine Shelf. The Magallanes-Fagnano Fault is a continental transform fault. The fault marks a transform boundary between the Scotia Plate and the South American Plate, cutting across the continental crust. The Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault is a second-order geological fault located in the Chilean and Argentine Andes.



In Argentina, there are partly large earthquakes with strengths of more than 7.0, which cause damage within a radius of over 100 kilometers. Measured against the size of the country, earthquakes occur very rarely. 81 people died since 1950 from the direct consequences of earthquakes. As shown in the map below, in Argentina, earthquake hazard is classified as high according to the information that is currently available. This means that there is more than a 20% chance of potentially damaging earthquake shaking in your project area in the next 50 years. Based on this information, the impact of an earthquake must be considered in all phases of a project, in particular during design and construction. Project planning decisions, project design, and construction methods should take into account the level of earthquake hazard.


References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Tigre_Fault

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastre_Fault

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huincul_Fault

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magallanes-Fagnano_Fault

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reigolil-Pirihueico_Fault

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Seismic_faults_of_Argentina

https://temblor.net/earthquake-insights/strong-shaking-from-a-deep-earthquake-in-central-coastal-chile-what-clues-does-it-reveal-about-failure-of-the-megathrust-8225/

https://www.worlddata.info/america/argentina/earthquakes.php

https://thinkhazard.org/en/report/12-argentina/EQ



Comments

  1. Portuguese Natural HazardsSeptember 11, 2022 at 8:40 PM

    That is very interesting to see that the west side of South America is affected but the east side is not affected or minimally affected. I'm glad to see that they have already noticed some activity that might occur within the next 50 years, that can save a lot of lives by preparing them early.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Calista GasbarriSeptember 11, 2022 at 9:16 PM

    Wow, you included a lot of information in this post. It's interesting how many earthquakes they deal with in Argentina, I had no idea. 7.0 earthquakes are massive, too- I can't imagine what dealing with that is like!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sam McCarthyOctober 28, 2022 at 1:57 PM

    I thought the use of your research was well put in your blog. Including a seismic hazard map was extremely helpful to give the readers a visual of what you are talking about and referring to. Overall really clear and interesting!

    ReplyDelete

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