1817 Santiago del Estero earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1817 Santiago del Estero earthquake was a seismic movement
that took place in the province
of Santiago del Estero
, Argentina
, on 4 July 1817, at about 05:30 PM. It was estimated magnitude 7.0 in the Richter scale
. Its epicenter
was at 28°00′S 64°30′W, at a depth of 30 km.
The earthquake was felt with grade VIII in the Mercalli intensity scale
in the provincial capital Santiago del Estero
, where it caused grave damage.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that took place in the province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, on 4 July 1817, at about 05:30 PM. It was estimated magnitude 7.0 in the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
. Its epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was at 28°00′S 64°30′W, at a depth of 30 km.
The earthquake was felt with grade VIII in the Mercalli intensity scale
Mercalli intensity scale
The Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake, and is distinct from the moment magnitude M_w usually reported for an earthquake , which is a measure of the energy released...
in the provincial capital Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 244,733 inhabitants, making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surface area of 2,116 km². It lies on the Dulce River and on National Route 9, at a distance of...
, where it caused grave damage.