Strong Quake Shakes Peru | God's World News

Strong Quake Shakes Peru

05/26/2022
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    Exactly three years ago, a powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Peru. On May 26, 2019, the quake collapsed buildings, knocked out power, and cracked riverbanks, like this one along the Huallaga near Yurimaguas, Peru. (Guadalupe Pardo via AP)

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook a remote region of southern Peru early Thursday morning, sending frightened people running into the streets in nearby Bolivia. Though buildings swayed as far away as La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was centered eight miles west-northwest of Azangaro, but it was fairly deep—135 miles beneath the surface. The depth helps account for the lack of damage on the surface.

It was felt in Peruvian cities such as Arequipa, Tacna, and Cusco, as well as in northern Chile, but local authorities and radio stations there likewise had no reports of damage or victims.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System says there was no tsunami warning in place. This was good news to those living near the coast. Deep quakes at sea have the potential to create tsunami conditions.

Seismologists and geophysicists continue to monitor the after effects of the earthquake. But Hernando Tavera, executive president of the Geophysical Institute of Peru, remains optimistic. “From the level of intensity on the surface, there should be no damage,” he says.

That is reason for praise and thankfulness to the God before whom the mountains quake. (See Judges 5:5.)

Peru is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where approximately 85% of the world’s seismic activity occurs. The nation was struck exactly three years ago, on May 26, 2019, by a powerful 8.0 magnitude quake. That one caused more damage in the form of power outages, collapsed buildings, and open fissures in the Earth, some as deep as three to four feet. That quake occurred only 87 miles below the surface.

(Exactly three years ago, a powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Peru. On May 26, 2019, the quake collapsed buildings, knocked out power, and cracked riverbanks, like this one along the Huallaga near Yurimaguas, Peru. Guadalupe Pardo via AP)