2007 Peru earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Peru earthquake was an earthquake
measuring 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale
that hit the central coast of Peru
on Wednesday, August 15, 2007; it occurred at 23:40:57 UTC (18:40:57 local time) and lasted for about three minutes. The epicenter
was located 150 km (93 mi) south-southeast of Lima
at a depth of 39 km (24.2 mi).
The United States Geological Survey
National Earthquake Information Center
reported that it was a very strong earthquake.
The Government of Peru
led the response to the earthquake through the National Civil Defence System ( Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil – INDECI ). It was supported by the military, the private sector (local, national and international) and by contributions from civil society and the international community, including governments, international NGOs and UN agencies. The initial response entailed searching for survivors, evacuating the injured, removing rubble, ensuring security and meeting the needs of affected people. Shelter was provided for those that had lost their homes, latrine
s were installed, clean water and medical services were established, food aid was distributed and education and psychosocial support was offered, especially to children. A Consolidated Appeals Process
(CAP) in the wake of the earthquake raised approximately $37 million, $9.5m of which was provided by the Central Emergency Response Fund
(CERF).
Despite the considerable relief effort, the initial response was chaotic, marked by a lack of coordination and inadequate information on the needs of people on the ground. It was hindered by a lack of capacity at the regional level and consequent political wrangling (particularly between the local, regional and national governments).. Many local authorities were personally attacked for the earthquake, as survivors tried to find close relatives or overcome the traumatic shock of losing so many family members. As time passed the response became better organised, particularly once an OCHA coordination office was established in Pisco and a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team arrived to support coordination and provide technical advice.
The cities of Pisco
, Ica
and Chincha Alta
in the Ica Region
, and San Vicente de Cañete
in the Lima Region
were most affected. The earthquake was also felt in the capital Lima
, where the quake broke windows in downtown sectors of the city, as well as various other Peruvian cities, including Pucallpa
, Iquitos
, Contamana
, Trujillo
and Cajamarca
. Seventeen people died and 70 were injured when a church in the city of Ica collapsed. They were attending mass at the time the earthquake started. The city of Pisco, which is 260 km (161.6 mi) southeast of Lima, suffered the most damage, with its buildings about 85% destroyed, and as many as 430 residents died; 148 of those deaths occurred when the cathedral collapsed in the city's main square.
On August 16, the government reported 510 deaths. As of August 28, losses were the following in total:
- 519 people dead;
- 1,366 wounded;
- 58,581 houses destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments;
- 13,585 houses affected;
- 103 hospitals affected; and
- 14 hospitals destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments.
A magnitude
5.8 aftershock
occurred at 19:02 local time, centered 113 km (70.2 mi) northeast of Chincha Alta. At 19:19 local time, another 5.9 magnitude aftershock occurred, centered 48 km (29.8 mi) south-southwest of Ica. At least a dozen aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater have been recorded.
The day after, survivors who could not be accommodated in local hospitals in Pisco were taken to Lima by airplane, arriving there later that night. On Sunday, August 19th, the President of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe
, arrived in Ica.
and South American
tectonic plates, which are converging at a rate of 78 mm (3.1 in) per year. The earthquake occurred as thrust fault
ing on the interface between the two plates, with the South American Plate moving up and seaward over the Nazca Plate. Experts say this kind of earthquake is produced about once every 100 years.
Coastal Peru has a history of very large earthquakes. The August 15th shock originated near the source of two previous earthquakes, both in the magnitude 8 range, which occurred in 1908 and 1974. This earthquake is south of the source of a magnitude 8.2 earthquake that occurred in northern Peru on October 17, 1966 and north of a magnitude 8.3 earthquake
that occurred in 2001 near Arequipa
in southern Peru. The largest earthquake along the coast of Peru was a magnitude 9 that occurred in 1868. It produced a tsunami
that killed several thousand people along the South American coast and also caused damage in Hawaii.
, Ecuador
, Chile
, Colombia
and even as far as Hawaii following the earthquakes, but was later cancelled. Some areas of the port city of Callao
were evacuated. Tsunami warnings were also made for Panama
and Costa Rica
, and a tsunami watch was posted for Nicaragua
, Guatemala
, El Salvador
, Mexico and Honduras
. All alerts were cancelled after a 25 centimetres (10 in) tsunami came ashore. A tsunami did occur on the Peruvian coast. It flooded part of Lima's Costa Verde highway, and much of Pisco's shore. It has been reported that the tsunami reached as high as 5 m (16.4 ft) in the zone of Lagunillas in Pisco neighbourhood's town Paracas.
The Japan Meteorological Agency
issued a tsunami warning, projecting that waves higher than 20 cm (7.9 in) could reach Japan's northern island, Hokkaidō
, on Thursday, August 16, around 19:00 UTC (Friday, 04:00 JST
).
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...
measuring 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
that hit the central coast of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
on Wednesday, August 15, 2007; it occurred at 23:40:57 UTC (18:40:57 local time) and lasted for about three minutes. The 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 located 150 km (93 mi) south-southeast of Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
at a depth of 39 km (24.2 mi).
The United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
National Earthquake Information Center
National Earthquake Information Center
The National Earthquake Information Center is part of the United States Geological Survey located on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. The NEIC has three main missions:...
reported that it was a very strong earthquake.
Aftermath
Government of Peru
Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic with a multi-party system. Under the current constitution, the President is the head of state and government; he or she is elected for five years and cannot seek immediate re-election, he or she must stand down for at least one full...
led the response to the earthquake through the National Civil Defence System ( Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil – INDECI ). It was supported by the military, the private sector (local, national and international) and by contributions from civil society and the international community, including governments, international NGOs and UN agencies. The initial response entailed searching for survivors, evacuating the injured, removing rubble, ensuring security and meeting the needs of affected people. Shelter was provided for those that had lost their homes, latrine
Latrine
A latrine is a communal facility containing one or more commonly many toilets which may be simple pit toilets or in the case of the United States Armed Forces any toilet including modern flush toilets...
s were installed, clean water and medical services were established, food aid was distributed and education and psychosocial support was offered, especially to children. A Consolidated Appeals Process
Consolidated Appeals Process
The Consolidated Appeals Process is an advocacy tool for humanitarian financing, in which projects managed by the United Nations, NGOs and other stakeholders come together to approach the donor community funding international development activities...
(CAP) in the wake of the earthquake raised approximately $37 million, $9.5m of which was provided by the Central Emergency Response Fund
Central Emergency Response Fund
The Central Emergency Response Fund is a humanitarian funding mechanism established by the United Nations to enable more timely and reliable assistance to victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts...
(CERF).
Despite the considerable relief effort, the initial response was chaotic, marked by a lack of coordination and inadequate information on the needs of people on the ground. It was hindered by a lack of capacity at the regional level and consequent political wrangling (particularly between the local, regional and national governments).. Many local authorities were personally attacked for the earthquake, as survivors tried to find close relatives or overcome the traumatic shock of losing so many family members. As time passed the response became better organised, particularly once an OCHA coordination office was established in Pisco and a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team arrived to support coordination and provide technical advice.
The cities of Pisco
Pisco, Peru
Pisco is a city located in the Ica Region of Peru, the capital of the Pisco Province. The city is around 9 metres above sea level. Originally the villa of Pisco was founded in 1640, close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name...
, Ica
Ica (city)
The city of Ica is the capital of the Ica Region in southern Peru. While the area was long inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples, the Spanish conquistador Gerónimo Luis de Cabrera claimed its founding in 1563. As of 2005, it had an estimated population of over 219,856...
and Chincha Alta
Chincha Alta
Chincha Alta is a Peruvian city located in the Ica Region. It is the capital of Chincha Province.-Location:The City of Chincha Alta is located 200 kilometers south of Lima, in the Chincha Province of the Ica Region of Peru...
in the Ica Region
Ica Region
Ica is a region in Peru. It borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the Lima Region on the north; the Huancavelica and Ayacucho regions on the east; and the Arequipa Region on the south. Its capital is the city of Ica.- Geography :...
, and San Vicente de Cañete
San Vicente de Cañete
San Vicente de Cañete, commonly known simply as Cañete, is a town in Peru, which is the capital of the Cañete Province, in the Lima Region...
in the Lima Region
Lima Region
Lima Region, also known as Lima Provincias, is one of twenty-five regions of Peru. Located in the central coast of the country, its regional seat is Huacho....
were most affected. The earthquake was also felt in the capital Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, where the quake broke windows in downtown sectors of the city, as well as various other Peruvian cities, including Pucallpa
Pucallpa
Pucallpa is a city in eastern Peru located on the banks of the Ucayali River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Ucayali region, the Coronel Portillo Province and the Calleria District....
, Iquitos
Iquitos
Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, with a population of 370,962. It is the capital of Loreto Region and Maynas Province.Located on the Amazon River, it is only above sea level, although it is more than from the mouth of the Amazon at Belém on the Atlantic Ocean...
, Contamana
Contamana
Contamana is a town in the Loreto Region in northeastern Peru. It is the capital of both Ucayali Province and Contamana District and has a population of 9,859 .-External links:* - Ucayali Province Council official website*...
, Trujillo
Trujillo, Peru
Trujillo, in northwestern Peru, is the capital of the La Libertad Region, and the third largest city in Peru. The urban area has 811,979 inhabitants and is an economic hub in northern Peru...
and Cajamarca
Cajamarca
Cajamarca may refer to:Colombia*Cajamarca, Tolima a town and municipality in Tolima DepartmentPeru* Cajamarca, city in Peru.* Cajamarca District, district in the Cajamarca province.* Cajamarca Province, province in the Cajamarca region....
. Seventeen people died and 70 were injured when a church in the city of Ica collapsed. They were attending mass at the time the earthquake started. The city of Pisco, which is 260 km (161.6 mi) southeast of Lima, suffered the most damage, with its buildings about 85% destroyed, and as many as 430 residents died; 148 of those deaths occurred when the cathedral collapsed in the city's main square.
On August 16, the government reported 510 deaths. As of August 28, losses were the following in total:
- 519 people dead;
- 1,366 wounded;
- 58,581 houses destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments;
- 13,585 houses affected;
- 103 hospitals affected; and
- 14 hospitals destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments.
A magnitude
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
5.8 aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
occurred at 19:02 local time, centered 113 km (70.2 mi) northeast of Chincha Alta. At 19:19 local time, another 5.9 magnitude aftershock occurred, centered 48 km (29.8 mi) south-southwest of Ica. At least a dozen aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater have been recorded.
The day after, survivors who could not be accommodated in local hospitals in Pisco were taken to Lima by airplane, arriving there later that night. On Sunday, August 19th, the President of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
, arrived in Ica.
Tectonic summary
This earthquake occurred at the boundary between the NazcaNazca Plate
]The Nazca Plate, named after the Nazca region of southern Peru, is an oceanic tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean basin off the west coast of South America. The ongoing subduction along the Peru-Chile Trench of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate is largely responsible for the...
and South American
South American Plate
The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge....
tectonic plates, which are converging at a rate of 78 mm (3.1 in) per year. The earthquake occurred as thrust fault
Thrust fault
A thrust fault is a type of fault, or break in the Earth's crust across which there has been relative movement, in which rocks of lower stratigraphic position are pushed up and over higher strata. They are often recognized because they place older rocks above younger...
ing on the interface between the two plates, with the South American Plate moving up and seaward over the Nazca Plate. Experts say this kind of earthquake is produced about once every 100 years.
Coastal Peru has a history of very large earthquakes. The August 15th shock originated near the source of two previous earthquakes, both in the magnitude 8 range, which occurred in 1908 and 1974. This earthquake is south of the source of a magnitude 8.2 earthquake that occurred in northern Peru on October 17, 1966 and north of a magnitude 8.3 earthquake
2001 southern Peru earthquake
The 2001 southern Peru earthquake was a magnitude 8.4 earthquake that occurred at 20:33:14 UTC on Saturday, June 23, 2001. The quake affected the Peruvian regions of Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna...
that occurred in 2001 near Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
in southern Peru. The largest earthquake along the coast of Peru was a magnitude 9 that occurred in 1868. It produced a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
that killed several thousand people along the South American coast and also caused damage in Hawaii.
Tsunami warnings
A tsunami warning was issued for PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and even as far as Hawaii following the earthquakes, but was later cancelled. Some areas of the port city of Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
were evacuated. Tsunami warnings were also made for Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and a tsunami watch was posted for Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Mexico and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. All alerts were cancelled after a 25 centimetres (10 in) tsunami came ashore. A tsunami did occur on the Peruvian coast. It flooded part of Lima's Costa Verde highway, and much of Pisco's shore. It has been reported that the tsunami reached as high as 5 m (16.4 ft) in the zone of Lagunillas in Pisco neighbourhood's town Paracas.
The Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
issued a tsunami warning, projecting that waves higher than 20 cm (7.9 in) could reach Japan's northern island, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, on Thursday, August 16, around 19:00 UTC (Friday, 04:00 JST
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
).