1946 Ancash earthquake

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1946 Ancash earthquake
Peru physical map.svg
Bullseye1.png
UTC  time1946-11-10 17:42:56
ISC  event 898660
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local dateNovember 10, 1946 (1946-11-10)
Magnitude7.0 Ms
6.8–7.0 Mw
Depth15–17 km (9.3–10.6 mi) km
Epicenter 8°24′36″S77°32′06″W / 8.410°S 77.535°W / -8.410; -77.535
Type Dip-slip
Areas affectedCentral Peru
Max. intensity MMI XI (Extreme)
LandslidesNumerous
Casualties~1,400 killed [1]

The 1946 Ancash earthquake in the Andes Mountains of central Peru occurred on November 10 at 17:43 UTC. The earthquake had a surface-wave magnitude of 7.0, [2] and achieved a maximum Mercalli intensity scale rating of XI (Extreme). [3] About 1,400 people are thought to have died from the event. [1]

Contents

Tectonic setting

The west coast of Peru lies a convergent boundary where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate. Despite being located in a zone of compression, shallow continental extension occur beneath the Andes mountains, within the overriding South American Plate. Some of these normal faults are dated to the Quaternary and are considered young. The 1946 event is the only recorded normal faulting earthquake within the Andes mountains. [4]

Earthquake

The earthquake was triggered by slippage along a shallow-angle normal fault at a depth of ~17 km (11 mi), as suggested by the focal mechanism. A surface-wave magnitude of 7.0 was assigned by the ISC while the calculated moment magnitude was 7.0 ± 0.1 or 6.8. [1] The fault was a shallow crustal structure on the South American Plate, as surface ruptures were observed with a maximum offset of 3.5 m (11 ft). Surface rupture associated with the earthquake was the first on a large-scale ever observed in South America. [5] It had a length of 28 km (17 mi). This event also reactivated several older thrust faults. [6] These faults are part of the Marańón fold and thrust belt, which formed in the Tertiary. The associated surface rupture of this event had a length of 21 km (13 mi) on the Quiches Fault, an active normal fault named after the town which suffered extensively during the earthquake. [1] [4] The surface rupture was considered a pioneering instance of a major one being well-documented in South America. Due to the highly inaccessible nature of the affected area and road closures due to landslides and fractures, surveyors who documented the surface rupture said it may be more extensive than observed. [7] Shallow intraplate earthquakes within the South American Plate are rare due to the long recurrence intervals on faults. The Quiches Fault have an average recurrence interval of 13,000 years. [8]

Impact

Shaking was felt over a 600,000 km2 (230,000 sq mi) area, being most severe in the departments of Ancash and La Libertad. At least 45 landslides were triggered by the strong ground motions which was the reason for the high death toll and destruction. One of these slides completely buried the village of Acobamba in Suytucocha Valley. [8] At least 217 people died in Acobamba and the town was buried under 20 m (66 ft) of debris. [7] Three of the largest landslides had volumes of 36,550,546 m3 (1.2907704×109 cu ft), 13,503,994 m3 (476,889,000 cu ft) and 10,582,563 m3 (373,719,700 cu ft), respectively.

The earthquake was felt over a 450,000 km2 (170,000 sq mi) area. Shaking was reportedly so strong that residents in the village of Mayas were unable to stand. A resident described first hearing a blast followed by shocks in the ground that caused him to fall twice, injuring his knee in the second occassion. The maximum Modified Mercalli intensity, X–XI, was felt in a thin strip of area from Cerro Pelagatos to the villages of Mayas and Quiches. Intensity IX was assigned a northwest–southeast elliptical-shaped area measuring 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi). [1] Large landslides were reported within the isoseismal VIII–IX. Many fatalities were the result of poor construction practices. Villages experienced amplified shaking on soft alluvial deposits. In the village of Quiches, 677 people were killed. Hundreds of deaths were recorded in Acobamba, Sihuas, Conchucos and Pampas. [8] [7]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bellier, O.; Dumont, J. F.; Sebrier, M.; Mercier, J. L. (1991). "Geological constraints on the kinematics and fault-plane solution of the Quiches Fault Zone reactivated during the 10 November 1946 Ancash earthquake, northern Peru". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 81: 468–490. doi:10.1785/BSSA0810020468 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)
  2. ↑ "Search publication for ISC event 898660". International Seismological Centre Online Event Bibliography. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Significant Earthquake Information PERU: JOCAIBAMBA,CERRO ANGASCHAJ,CERRO SILLAPATA". NGDC. Retrieved 12 Dec 2020.
  4. 1 2 José Macharé; Clark H. Fenton; Michael N. Machette; Alain Lavenu; Carlos Costa; Richard L. Dart (2003). "Database and Map of Quaternary Faults and Folds in Perú and its Offshore Region" (Open-File Report 03-451). U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Richter, Charles F., 1958, Elementary seismology: San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Company, 768 p
  6. ↑ Diane I. Doser (October 1987). "The Ancash, Peru, earthquake of 1946 November 10: evidence for low-angle normal faulting in the high Andes of northern Peru". Geophysical Journal International. 91 (1): 57–71. Bibcode:1987GeoJ...91...57D. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1987.tb05213.x .
  7. 1 2 3 Ferro, Enrique Silgado (1978). Historia de los sismos mas notables ocurridos en el Perú (1513-1970): Geofísica Panamericana (PDF). Vol. 2. Boletín del Instituto de Geología y Minería.
  8. 1 2 3 Kampherm, Tanya Sandra. Landslides triggered by the 1946 Ancash Earthquake (Peru) and geologic controls on the mechanisms of initial rock slope failure (Dissertation). OCLC   827757776.
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