Chaitén: A New Phase of Activity?

Magnitude 5.3 quake strikes off the coast of Isen, Chile

A magnitude 5.3 quake struck off coast of Isen, Chile, at a depth of 10km on Monday. FEWW believes that the quake could be followed by more shocks, a number of which could be larger in magnitude, along the Chile Ridge, near the coast of Chile and about the subducting Nazca Plate. Additional seismic activity in the region could result in a new, more intense phase of activity in Chaitén, or prime other regional volcanoes for eruption.

Chaitén volcano as seen from the city of Chaitén (May 5, 2008)

Chaitén volcano ejects a plume of ash as seen from the city of Chaitén, 1,200km south from Santiago, Chile, on May 5, 2008. (ALVARO VIDAL/AFP/Getty Images). Image may be subject to copyright.

Earth’s Tectonic Plates with their movement vectors.

Detailed world map in English showing the tectonic plates with their movement vectors. For licensing details see: Attribution and Share-Alike

World geologic provinces

Source: USGS

Magnitude 5.3 OFF COAST OF AISEN, CHILE

Magnitude: 5.3
Date-Time: Monday, June 29, 2009 at 03:07:32 UTC
Location:  45.619°S, 76.605°W
Depth: 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region:  OFF THE COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
Distances:

• 355 km (220 miles) W of Coihaique, Chile
• 385 km (240 miles) SW of Castro, Chile
• 1440 km (900 miles) SSW of SANTIAGO, Chile

Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters: NST= 40, Nph= 40, Dmin=733.6 km, Rmss=1.54 sec, Gp=133°, M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=6
Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID: us2009ilah

Earthquake Location

Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green. Source: USGS.

Related Links:

• Volcanoes [FEWW Links]
• Earthquakes
• Volcanism Links