Andreas Rietbrock is Professor of Geophysics in the University’s School of Environmental Sciences
“Tuesday’s magnitude 8.2 earthquake in northern Chile occurred in an area that scientists had classified as an area of high seismic and tsunami hazard, with the potential for a large megathrust earthquake – the so-called North Chile seismic gap.
“This area of the Andean subduction zone has not experienced any large earthquake since the 1877 magnitude 8.6 quake, which also triggered a large tsunami.
“Subduction zones are the focus of Earth’s largest earthquakes. In these zones, oceanic plate is thrust beneath an overriding plate. In the north of Chile, the oceanic Nazca plate is currently subducting beneath the South American continent at a rate of approximately 66 mm per year.
“In the last two decades, detailed geodetic imaging techniques have been developed, which now makes it possible to directly monitor the build-up of deformation associated with plate movement. Seismology is also used to keep track of earthquake activity deep below the surface.
“The recent North Chile earthquake will provide us with new insights into how earthquakes operate and the physical properties of the plate interface. We are currently exploring possibilities to install seismic stations in the rupture area to monitor the on-going activity.”