1949 Ambato earthquake (Ecuador) | |
| UTC time | 1949-08-05 19:08:52 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 896736 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | August 5, 1949 |
| Local time | 14:08:52 |
| Magnitude | 6.4 Ms[1] |
| Epicenter | 1°30′S 78°12′W / 1.5°S 78.2°W |
| Areas affected | Ecuador |
| Max. intensity | MMI XI (Extreme) [2] |
| Casualties | 5,050 |
The 1949 Ambato earthquake was the deadliest earthquake in the Western Hemisphere in five years. On August 5, 1949, it struck Ecuador's Tungurahua Province southeast of its capital Ambato and killed 5,050 people. Measuring 6.4 on the Ms scale,[1] it originated from a hypocenter 15 km[3] beneath the surface. The nearby villages of Guano, Patate, Pelileo, and Pillaro were destroyed, and the city of Ambato suffered heavy damage.[4] The earthquake flattened buildings and subsequent landslides caused damage throughout the Tungurahua, Chimborazo, and Cotopaxi Provinces. It disrupted water mains and communication lines and opened a fissure into which the small town of Libertad sank. Moderate shaking from the event extended as far away as Quito and Guayaquil.[4]
Earthquakes in Ecuador stem from two major interrelated tectonic areas: the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate and the Andean Volcanic Belt. The 1949 Ambato earthquake initially followed an intersection of several northwest-southeast-trending faults in the Inter-Andean Valley which were created by the subduction of the Carnegie Ridge. Strata of rock cracked as the earthquake ruptured the faults, sending out powerful shock waves. Today threats exist throughout the country from both interplate and intraplate seismicity.[5]
- ^ a b International Seismological Centre. Event Bibliography. Thatcham, United Kingdom. [Event 896736].
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PAGER-CATwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ ISC-EB Event 896736 [IRIS]
- ^ a b "Today in Earthquake History: August 5". United States Geological Survey. December 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ Espinosa, A.F.; Hall, M.L.; Yepes, H. (1991). "Tectonics and Seismicity". In Schuster, R.L.; Egred, J (eds.). The March 5, 1987, Ecuador earthquakes: mass wasting and socioeconomic effects. Natural disaster studies, an investigative series of the committee on natural disasters. National Academies Press. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-0-309-04444-8. Retrieved September 17, 2011.