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2019 Coquimbo Earthquake
The 2019 Coquimbo earthquake occurred 10 km south southwest of Coquimbo in Chile, on January 19, 2019 at 22:32 (local time). The epicenter was located off the coast of the Coquimbo Region at a depth of 63.0 km,) and had a moment magnitude of 6.7. On the Mercalli scale, the earthquake reached an intensity of VIII. Tectonic setting Chile lies above the convergent plate boundary where the Nazca Plate is subducting beneath the South American Plate, at a location where they converge at a rate of seventy millimeters a year. This quake was an oceanic interplate type, occurred in the downgoing slab of the Nazca Plate and not on the interface between the two plates. This event took place under the area of Chile, between 27° and 33° S, where the slab is nearly horizontal and there is a high degree of mechanical coupling between the plates. Damage and casualties One hundred and eighty houses collapsed and moderate damage occurred in almost 500 structures in the historic center of Coquimbo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Our Lady Of Mercy Cathedral, La Serena
The Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral ( es, Catedral de la Merced) also called La Serena Cathedral It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of La Serena. It is the largest temple in the city, and one of the cathedrals of Chile and is located in the northeastern corner of the Plaza de Armas in La Serena, at the intersection of Los Carrera street with the Cordovez street. The church is built on the site of the former parish church La Matriz-El Sagrario, which was erected in 1549 as part of the construction of the foundational buildings of the city. In 1741, the church was described as a single-nave building measuring 50 meters long by 10 meters wide, with 7 altars and a mid-rise tower to the right of the main entrance. Its walls were made of limestone slabs cemented with lime mortar. In 1840 the Parish of the Matrix was demolished, and the construction of the present Cathedral was begun in 1844 reusing many of the old building materials. The architect responsible was the French Juan Herbage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Higuera, Chile
La Higuera is a town and commune in Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, Chile. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the Atacama Region, and the south by the communes of Vicuña and La Serena. Punta de Choros is famous for its beaches and a colony of bottlenose dolphins, the southernmost colony of that species. Of the total commune population, 1,080 live in urban zones and 2,641 live in rural zones. The islands of Choros and Damas are also part of the commune, which form the National Reserve of the Humboldt Penguin, administered by the Corporación Nacional Forestal. On the island of Damas, the beach La Tijera is found at the extreme south. Las Campanas Observatory and La Silla Observatory are also found in the territory of the commune. History The territory of La Higuera was well known historically for its mineral resources, and was greatly developed between 1855 and 1880. This encouraged immigration to the area, though when it got exhausted, m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Illapel
Illapel () is a Chilean city, which is the capital of the Choapa Province, Coquimbo Region. It lies along the Illapel River and marks the country's narrowest point along a parallel (94 km). It is located to the east of Los Vilos. Administration As a commune, Illapel is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008–2012 alcalde was Denis Cortés Vargas ( IND/ JPM). Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Illapel is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Adriana Muñoz (PDC) and Luis Lemus ( Ind.) as part of the 9th electoral district, (together with Combarbalá, Punitaqui, Monte Patria, Salamanca, Los Vilos, Canela). The commune is represented in the Senate by Evelyn Matthei Fornet ( UDI) and Jorge Pizarro Soto (PDC) as part of the 4th senatorial constituency (Coquimbo Region). Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vallenar
Vallenar is a city and commune in Atacama Region, Chile. It is the capital of the Huasco Province and is located in the valley of the Huasco River. Vallenar has 52,000 inhabitants. Its main activities are farming and mining. It was founded as San Ambrosio de Ballenary by Ambrose O'Higgins in 1789, after his birthplace in Ballynary in County Sligo, Ireland. Llanos de Challe National Park is located northwest of the city of Vallenar. Demographics According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, Vallenar had 48,040 inhabitants (23,284 men and 24,756 women). Of these, 43,750 (91.1%) lived in urban areas and 4,290 (8.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 1.7% (792 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Administration As a commune, Vallenar is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Cristian Tapia Ramos. Within the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huasco
Huasco () is a Chilean city and commune, in the Huasco Province, Atacama Region. The port city of Huasco is located 50 km west of Vallenar and close to the town of ''Huasco Bajo'', which lies on the southern bank of the Huasco River and only a few km from its mouth. The coastal route between Huasco Bajo and Carrizal Bajo provides one of the two accesses to Llanos de Challe National Park. The port was used between 1851 and 1873 to ship copper ore, copper regulus, alpaca wool and hides round Cape Horn to Swansea, Glamorgan and Wales. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Huasco had 7,945 inhabitants (3,999 men and 3,946 women). Of these, 6,445 (81.1%) lived in urban areas and 1,500 (18.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 5.7% (429 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Administration As a commune, Huasco is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freirina
Freirina is a Chilean commune and town in Huasco Province, Atacama Region. The commune spans an area of . Demographics According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, Freirina had 5,666 inhabitants; of these, 3,469 (61.2%) lived in urban areas and 2,107 (38.8%) in rural areas. At that time, there were 2,800 men and 2,866 women. The population grew by 8.5% (445 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Administration As a commune, Freirina is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Roberto Bruzzone Galeb. Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Freirina is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Mr. Alberto Robles ( PRSD) and Mr. Giovanni Calderón ( UDI) as part of the 6th electoral district, (together with Caldera, Tierra Amarilla, Vallenar, Huasco and Alto del Carmen). The commune is represented in the Senate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vicuña, Chile
Vicuña () is a Chilean commune and city in Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, founded during the government of Bernardo O'Higgins to secure sovereignty over the Elqui Valley. Poet Gabriela Mistral was born there in 1889. It shares borders to the west with the communes of La Higuera, La Serena and Andacollo, to the east with Argentina and to the south with Paihuano and Rio Hurtado. The commune is administered by the municipality of Vicuña, which is the principal city of the Valle de Elqui. History Vicuña was founded on February 22, 1821, by Colonel Joaquín Vicuña Larraín, who was the first intendant of Coquimbo Province, by order of Bernardo O'Higgins. He named it ''Villa de San Isidro de Vicuña''. In 1872, its name was shortened to Vicuña, in honor of its founder. Topography The Vicuña commune covers an area of , making it the largest commune in both the province and the Coquimbo Region, and the second-largest commune in the country. Vicuña occupies the major part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andacollo
Andacollo () is a city and commune in the Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, Chile. History Andacollo is a copper and gold mining city located in the mountains of the Small North (El Norte Chico) in Chile. It was founded in 1891. Several legends are told about the name of the city. Some say that it comes from the Quechua ''Anta-Goya'' which means cobre-reina (copper queen). Others say that the name means "Hurry up, Collo" (''Anda, Co''llo). According to these legends, ''La Virgen del Rosario'', also known as ''la Virgen Morena'', or Black Madonna, appeared to an indigenous miner called "Collo" in the form of a small wooden statuette hidden in rocks. The statue told the newly converted Collo to build up a church at the place where Andacollo is located today. As many miracles are attributed to the Dark Lady (like stopping the smallpox epidemic of 1871) the city celebrates the Virgin every year on December 24 to 26. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Stat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercalli Intensity Scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location, distinguished from the earthquake's inherent force or strength as measured by seismic magnitude scales (such as the "" magnitude usually reported for an earthquake). While shaking is caused by the seismic energy released by an earthquake, earthquakes differ in how much of their energy is radiated as seismic waves. Deeper earthquakes also have less interaction with the surface, and their energy is spread out across a larger volume. Shaking intensity is localized, generally diminishing with distance from the earthquake's epicenter, but can be amplified in sedimentary basins and certain kinds of unconsolidated soils. Intensity scales empirically categorize the intensity of shaking based on the effect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ONEMI
ONEMI or National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry ( es, Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior) is a Chilean government agency dedicated to the prevention, organization, coordination and information relative to natural disasters. After the 1960 Valdivia earthquake a committee was formed to solve problems caused by the earthquake. However, this committee was not dissolved afterwards and in 1974, it acquired by law independent status as governmental office. Other state funded agencies and services that cooperate with ONEMI are CONAF in terms related to forests and wildlife and OVDAS in monitoring volcanoes. 2010 Chile earthquake and trial ONEMI has faced severe criticism after the 2010 Chile earthquake, the largest earthquake in Chile since the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. Criticism include the lack of coordination with other authorities and the SHOA (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy). ONEMI, SHOA and the government have be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
