Increasingly, natural disasters are becoming the subject of discussion and news. Cities and people affected by hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and even tornadoes regularly appear on the front pages of print media. Alas! This is a harsh reality. One of those countries that are characterized by unstable seismic activity is Chile. In more detail about this country, and also about why earthquakes often occur in Chile, we will tell in this article.
Location of the country within the global platform
Chile is an amazing country rich in its nature and wildlife. If you look at it from a great height, you can see its similarity with a long and narrow strip, stretching along the entire Pacific coast in a direction from north to south. On the southern side of Chile, you can see many different islands, the largest of which is Tierra del Fuego.
In the north, the country borders on the Republic of Peru, in the north-east direction - with Bolivia, in the east - with Argentina. And if there were no Drake Strait, the territory of the state would necessarily affect the rebellious Antarctica. This is an amazing place where Chile is located.
Islands and territory of Chile
The total area of the state is 756,102 km², of which approximately 98.4% is land and 1.6% is water, and the coastline stretches for 6,435 km. By its dimensions, Chile is in 38th place. For comparison: it is 22.5 times smaller than the Russian Federation, but significantly larger than many European countries, for example, exceeds the area of France by 1.38 times, Ukraine - by 1.25 times.
Chile is a country composed of several large and small islands. Among them are the islands of Easter, Rapa Nui, Juan Fernandez, San Ambrosio, Diego Ramirez, San Felix, Sala i Gomez, as well as the Chonos archipelago and others.
The largest cities of the state
Among the largest cities in Chile, the following can be distinguished:
- Puente Alto.
- Antofagasta.
- Viña del Mar.
- Valparaiso.
- San Bernardo and others.
The capital of the republic is the large city of Santiago. Next, we talk about why earthquakes often occur in Chile.
All the charms of the country's relief
Chile is located in the southern and central parts of the picturesque Andes. Interestingly, it is in this area that the largest altitude difference in the world is observed. For example, here is the highest point of the state - a mountain with the unusual name Ojos del Salado, which translates as “salty eyes”. The height of its peak is about 6,893 m. The lowest point of the republic, called the Atakama Depression, whose depth is 8180 m, is comfortably located in the area of the country's coastline.
Chile is a country with an amazing relief, in which three longitudinal large belts are clearly immediately distinguished: the Coastal and Main Cordillera of the Andes, as well as the Longitudinal Valley.
The splendor of the Chilean climate: temperature, wind, rainfall
Chile is an unusual place where several varieties of climate are perfectly combined at once. So, in the northern part of the country it is hot as in the tropics, in the south, a temperate oceanic climate is observed, and closer to Antarctica - Antarctic and subantarctic. In addition, as you move further from the coast east to the mountains, there is an increase in climate continentality and a sharp decrease in humidity: the air becomes dry and complicates breathing.
Throughout the year, from 50 to 1000 mm (on mountain slopes up to 3000 mm) of precipitation falls here, which is why zones with poor visibility often appear on the coast. July is considered the rainiest month, during which up to 200 mm of precipitation falls. At this time, the state of South America temporarily transforms into foggy Albion and suffers from excessive humidity.
The average temperature in the south of the state is +3 ° C to +16 ° C, and in the north +12 ° C to +22 ° C. Moreover, on the coast it is much colder than at the foot of mountain hills. According to experts, such a temperature phenomenon is associated with the proximity of two large currents: the Humboldt and the West winds.
Unusual Natural Area - Patagonia
Patagonia is a kind of savannah, or steppe, located in one of the most environmentally friendly regions of the planet. This is just a paradise for tourists, because at every step you can meet unusually clean blue lakes with clear water. And nearby there is the opportunity to rent fishing rods and other equipment for perfect fishing, which other Chilean cities are famous for.
Patagonia is the dream of outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to hiking, connoisseurs of picturesque landscapes can go down by boat along the fast and bustling mountain rivers. For an ideal photo shoot, it makes sense to visit the Torres del Pine National Park, where you can capture graceful flamingos, nandus, condors, guanacos, foxes and cougars.
Recalcitrant fjords
Another unusual place in Chile is the fjords, which at one time arose due to the accumulation of glaciers along the southern coast of the state. It is believed that many years ago, these ice covered all the cities of Chile and the remaining territory of the modern state.
At the moment, the fjords are a huge accumulation of glaciers and boulders, which partially protrude from under the covers of water. Integral continental glaciers can be seen in some places, and within the San Rafael lagoon, you can see the very process of iceberg formation and sending them to great swimming down the ocean.
The most mysterious Atacama desert
Against the backdrop of tropical plants and mountains, the Atacama Desert looks very unusual and even mysterious. It is located in the north of the state. Unlike other landscape objects of Chile, Atacama resembles a flower that can bloom only during rain and dry out under the rays of the ruthless sun. This is the unpredictable and multifaceted nature of Chile.
According to experts, precipitation is extremely rare, and sometimes the life-giving rainy moisture of the sparse vegetation has to be expected for years. Therefore, the Atacama is rightly called the most arid desert in the world.
Due to the dry climate in the desert grows about 160 varieties of cacti, in the shadow of which reptiles and reptiles like to hide. The largest desert inhabitants are unpretentious llamas in food. We will explain below why earthquakes often occur in Chile.
What is the reason for the seismic activity of the country?
It is no secret that the inhabitants of Chile suffer from frequent earthquakes, and even tsunamis. So, in May 1960, it was here that one of the largest earthquakes was recorded, the strength of the shocks of which amounted to approximately 9.3-9.5 points. What is the reason for such a rapidly growing seismic activity?
According to experts, there are several causes of earthquakes. Firstly, this charming place where Chile is located is replete with a large number of aboveground and underwater volcanoes. Moreover, almost all of them are operational, therefore, this is a kind of clockwork bombs that can explode at any time.
For example, in Chile is the Villarica volcano, the eruption of which occurred about 50 years ago. At the moment, it is not dangerous and is a favorite place for visiting tourists.
In addition to it, the following volcanoes of Chile also operate in the republic:
- Parinacota.
- Lycanabour.
- Gualatyri.
- Disgracefully.
- Irruputunku.
- Ojos del Salado and others.
Interestingly, volcanoes can wake up at any moment. So, in April last year, the volcano Calbuco erupted three times in one week. As a result of this incident, about 210 million m³ of ash was thrown into the air, and more than 6 thousand people were evacuated.
The second reason why earthquakes often occur in Chile lies in the very location of the republic. In this case, it is located on the Pacific coast in western South America. According to experts, this is where the peculiar junction of tectonic plates is located. Moreover, on one side of the ocean is the Nazca plate, and on the other (mainland zone) - South American, which floats on its "neighbor plate."
During these invisible movements and tremors occur tremors. They are not perceptible, but sometimes lead to terrifying consequences.
The third reason is the proximity of Chile (earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption - all these photos are in our article) by the Peruvian-Chilean deep-sea trench, which is submerged under the continent itself. For the same reason, most earthquake epicenters are located at a depth of 100 to 300 km along the entire surface overhanging the gutter. For example, in 2010 there was a terrible earthquake, the epicenter of which was deep in the ocean. At that moment, strong underwater tremors led to the emergence of a tsunami that almost wiped out several coastal cities from the face of the earth.
In short, Chile is an unusual and mysterious corner of the globe with extremely unstable seismic activity.