One of the most fascinating parts of Physical Geography is the
plate tectonics theory which helps explain volcanic formations and
earthquakes, among other things. This series of caches is dedicated
to some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. A Great
Quake is one that has a magnitude of 8.0 or greater.
On May 22, 1960, a Magnitude 9.5 earthquake, the largest earthquake
ever instrumentally recorded, occurred in southern Chile. The
series of earthquakes that followed ravaged southern Chile and
ruptured over a period of days a 1,000 km (600 mile) section of the
fault, one of the longest ruptures ever reported. More than 2,000
people died, 3,000 were injured, an estimated 2,000,000 people were
left homeless, and 58,622 houses were completely destroyed. Damage
(including tsunami damage) was more than $550 million U.S. dollars.
The main shock set up a series of seismic sea waves (tsunami) that
not only was destructive along the coast of Chile, but which also
caused numerous casualties and extensive property damage in Hilo,
Hawaii (61 deaths, $75 million damage) and Japan (138 Deaths, $50
million damages). The tsunami waves were over 80 ft high in Chile.
There were several other geologic phenomena besides tsunamis
associated with this event. Subsidence caused by the earthquake
produced local flooding and permanently altered the shorelines of
much of the area in Chile impacted by the earthquake. Landslides
were common on Chilean hillsides. The Puyehue volcano erupted
forty-seven hours after the main shock.
This earthquake occurred in the
so-called Ring of Fire region, an area around the margins of the
Pacific Ocean where approximately 3/4ths of the Earth’s volcanoes
are located. This is a zone where the Pacific plate meets many
other plates. As a result of the collisions between these plates,
the Ring of Fire is the most seismically active zone in the world.
More earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen here than anywhere
else on Earth. To see a map of the Ring of Fire, go to (visit link) For more information on the
Great Cilean Ocean Earthquake of 1960, go to (visit link) For more information on
earthquakes in general, go to (visit link) For more information on the plate
tectonic theory, go to (visit link)
In keeping with my philosophy that Physical Geography affects you
every single day of your life, we have hidden these caches in
everyday places. This is near a pretty natural preserve in a
brand-new subdivision. No need to climb the fence. BYOP!
UPDATE: September 24, 2007 I am having a lot of trouble
with several stages of this series. Therefore I have decided to
archive the whole series on Oct 15th. If you plan to do the series,
please do so before Oct 15th. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks
for visiting - hope you learned something.
Congratulations to Deafdillos on the FTF!