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Map of Valparaíso after the earthquake of 16 August 1906 Area of the city most affected by earthquake City blocks most damaged by fire . Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mass ground movements are frequent occurrences. The subduction zone along Chile's coast has produced the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, the 1960 Valdivia earthquake.
Chile is situated in southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean and a small part of the South Atlantic Ocean. Chile's territorial shape is considered among the world's most unusual; from north to south, the country extends 4,270 km (2,653 mi), and yet it only averages 177 km (110 mi) in width.
There is a monument at Playa Blanca ("White Beach"), located between Coronel and Lota in the Biobío Region, representing the middle of continental Chile north-south. [2] [3] South of Punta Arenas there is another such monument, marking Chile's north-south center, including Antarctic territorial claims . [4]
Of the world's 46 known earthquakes with M ≥ 8.5 since the year 1500, one-third occurred in Chile [citation needed] and are shown in the map to the side. Some virtually have the same epicenters like the 1604 and 1868 (in Arica), the 1730 and 1822 (in Valparaíso), the 1751 and 1835 (in Concepción), and the 1575 and 1837 (in Valdivia).
The Grey Glacier of Chile's Torres del Paine National Park is located in the Zona Austral natural region.. Because Chile extends from a point about 625 kilometers north of the Tropic of Capricorn to a point hardly more than 1,400 kilometers north of the Antarctic Circle, within its territory can be found a broad selection of the Earth's climates.
The service was formed in 1980 by the combination of the previous Institute of Geological Investigations and the State Mines Service. Its director is appointed by the President of Chile. [1] [2] Since 1974, SERNAGEOMIN has published the scientific journal Andean Geology, formerly the Revista Geológica de Chile. [citation needed]
The USGS reported that the earthquake resulted from the release of stresses generated by the subduction of the oceanic Nazca plate beneath the South American plate.In this region, known as the Peru-Chile subduction zone, the Nazca plate thrusts beneath South America at a rate of approximately 79 mm/year in an east-north-east direction.
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