April 1, 2014 Earthquake: Iquique, Alto Hospicio, Northern, Chile

Ref #13456:

Three people killed, another 3 died of heart attacks and at least 2,600 buildings and 150 boats damaged in the Iquique area. Landslides and power outages occurred in the epicentral area. Felt (VIII) at Arica, Codpa and Cuya; (VII) at Alto Hospicio and Iquique. Felt from Arequipa, Peru east to Cochabamba, Bolivia and south to Santiago, Chile.

Tectonic Summary

The April 1, 2014 M8.2 earthquake in N Chile resulted from shallow thrust faulting near the Chilean coast. The location and mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with slip on the primary plate boundary interface, or megathrust, between the Nazca and South America plates. At the latitude of the earthquake, the Nazca plate subducts E beneath the South America plate at 65 mm/yr. Subduction along the Peru-Chile Trench to the W of Chile has produced some of the largest earthquakes in the world.

The 4/1 earthquake occurred in a region of historic seismic quiescence - termed the N Chile or Iquique seismic gap.

A recent increase in seismicity rates has occurred in the vicinity of the 4/1 earthquake. An M6.7 earthquake with similar faulting mechanism occurred on 3/16/2004 and was followed by 60+ earthquake of M4+, and 26 earthquakes of M5+. The March 16 earthquake was also followed by three M6.2 events on 3/17, 3/22, and 3/23.

Seismotectonics of South America (Nazca Plate Region)

The South American arc extends over 7,000 km, from the Chilean margin triple junction offshore of S Chile to its intersection with the Panama fracture zone, offshore of the S coast of Panama in Central America. It marks the plate boundary between the subducting Nazca plate and the South America plate, where the oceanic crust and lithosphere of the Nazca plate begin their descent into the mantle beneath South America. Relative to a fixed South America plate, the Nazca plate moves slightly NE at a rate between 80 mm/yr in the S to approximately 65 mm/yr in the N.

Ref #10880:

The death toll rose to at least six Wednesday morning, the Chilean office of national emergency said. Among the deaths are four men and a woman - two who suffered heart attacks and three who were crushed in the late Tuesday quake, which triggered small landslides, caused power outages and generated a tsunami, officials said. More than 2500 homes sustained serious structural damage, including cracks in the foundations, in the region around Iquique, the mayor of Alto Hospicio, Ramon Galleguillos, told reporters Wednesday. Most of the homes were built with poor workmanship through government subsidies.

Ref #10901:

Police reported that a 6-day old baby died here of hypothermia on Friday afternoon, the quake's seventh victim. She had been sleeping in a tent in the middle of the street with her mother. About 2,600 homes were also damaged and the main road connecting it to Iquique has been blocked by debris after massive landslides.

Ref #10969:

The great tremor left five dead in the provinces, four men died of heart attack and a woman was crushed by a wall in Alto Hospicio. One man suffered a seizure and a woman and an infant were crushed by a wall.

In addition, there were landslides and floods in the center of the city

Ref #10970:

In Arica, it was reported that walls fell in some homes.

Ref #10971:

There was damage of the road to Colchane and a landslide in the Morro de Arica. In Arica, there were issues with the electrical system. In Huara, all interior roads were cut and the municipal building suffered structural damage. The fall of the dome of the Parish of the Holy Redeemer was also reported. In Alto Hospicio, structural damage was reported to homes and to two residential buildings, a product of a gas leak after the quake.