MRP Engineering performs post-event damage investigation and research.
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EARTHQUAKE ALONG COASTAL CHILE
The February 27, 2010, M8.8 earthquake occurred on a tectonic boundary located along the coastal Chile. The event produced 1.5 minutes of strong ground shaking affecting communities throughout central Chile, including Santiago (see link to Fact Sheet).
This earthquake resulted in fatalities and widespread damage to structures and infrastructure. Coastal communities in the epicentral region were inundated by a tsunami. MRP Engineering has direct experience in Chile, having performed proactive earthquake risk evaluations in the past in Santiago and Concepción areas.
Coastal Chile is located at the western edge of the South American tectonic plate where it converges with the Nazca plate, which forms the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The Nazca plate slides beneath (subducts) the South American plate, and is driven into the earth’s mantle. Frequent and destructive large-magnitude subduction zone earthquakes result as these plates come into contact with one another. Vertical displacement of the sea floor may result in a tsunami along coastal areas. The largest earthquake ever recorded worldwide was the 1960 M9.5 Valdivia earthquake.
FACT SHEETS >>
(pdf) MRP Engineering Chile Earthquake Summary Report (2011)
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