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Nazca Plate seismic activity in South America

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2026-09-09 01:21 UTC → 2026-09-09 14:54 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Seismic activity along the western coast of South America is driven by the Nazca Plate subducting beneath the South American continent. The Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) notes the plate moves at approximately seven to eight centimeters per year near the Peruvian coast. While a 2025 study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth indicated a nearly 20% reduction in convergence rates over the last 780,000 years, experts emphasize this does not eliminate the threat of significant earthquakes in Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Colombia. Recent months have seen a surge in significant activity. In northern Venezuela, magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors on June 24 resulted in 6,438 deaths and over 86,000 hospitalizations, with the World Bank estimating $19.6 billion in direct physical damages. This was followed by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia on August 10 and a tremor in Peru’s Ayacucho region on August 20, calculated by the USGS at magnitude 6.7. Between August 14 and August 20, Funvisis reported 103 seismic events in Venezuela ranging from 1.3 to 4.0. On September 8, 2026, Funvisis reported four earthquakes in Venezuela, including a magnitude 4.4 tremor near Churuguara and a magnitude 3.4 tremor in Aroa; no immediate casualties were reported from these specific events. However, the human rights organization Provea has called for greater government transparency regarding missing persons following the June 24 disaster, which saw deaths rise to approximately 6,509. Additionally, a severe fluctuation in the National Electric System (SEN) caused voltage drops and total power outages across much of Venezuela, including Greater Caracas and states such as Zulia, Miranda, and Táchira. ~~Corpoelec has not yet officially commented on~~ While the ~~cause~~ government has attributed recent electrical failures to sabotage by extremist groups, opposition leaders and experts point to systemic corruption and a lack of maintenance as the ~~failure.~~ primary causes.

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