This massive earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule region of Chile. It happened to be in one of the Earth's seismic hot spots. During this event, one of the plates squished under the neighboring South American plate. Tension increased as the plates moved against each other, thus causing this extreme quake. Luckily, though, scientists can further the study of these natural disasters with their advanced GPS locations of instruments prior to the quake and then after.
According to a man named Ben Brooks, of the University of Hawaii, and a co-principal investigator of the GPS project in Chile, "The Maule earthquake will arguably become one of the, if not the most important great earthquake studied yet." Following this, what he is basically trying to say is that their equipment is now so modern and precise that they can better understand the causes of these natural disasters overall. The CAP (Central and Southern Andes GPS Project) now has twenty-five stations for which they can study the motion and deformation of the Earth's crust. Furthermore, Mike Bevis of Ohio State University says, "By building new stations, the project can monitor post-seismic deformations that are expected to occur for many years,". Thus, it is evident that their modern technology will help them somewhat be better at telling when an earthquake will hit and how to prepare for it.
In my opinion, this is an excellent article when it comes to explaining the recent Chilean earthquake. It is interesting to learn that two measly plates squeezing together caused this huge disaster. Additionally, the amount some of these places moved was shocking. However, considering that this had an 8.8 magnitude, some might say it's to be expected. Still, not being the most-knowledgeable on earthquakes, I find this very fascinating. To add on, I believe it is incredible to hear about all of the high-tech, advanced equipment these scientists use to calculate different facts about occurring earthquakes. The fact that this technology can further the study on these natural disasters is all the more exciting. Having the information of an upcoming earthquake possibility will assist the overall preparation of possible earthquakes and will keep people safer. All in all, I found, "Quake Moved Chilean City 10 Feet" by LiveScience Staff incredibly intriguing and the information eye-opening.
Picture: Chile_EarthquakeNov13.jpg
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