The region west of the Andes Mountains is the leading edge of the South American continent into the Pacific Ocean. Subduction of the Nazca plate beneath South America has driven the growth of the Andes Mountains. Subduction has routinely generated earthquakes larger than magnitude 8.0 along the western margin of the mountain belt. Lesser known for tectonic activity is the eastern side. The region east of the central Andes Mountains has the potential for larger scale earthquakes than previously expected, according to a new study posted online in the May 8th edition of Nature Geoscience. Previous research had set the maximum expected earthquake size to be magnitude 7.5 (Richter), based on the relatively quiet history of seismicity in that area. This new study by researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and colleagues contradicts that limit and instead suggests that the region could see quakes with magnitudes 8.7 to 8.9.

More:
Andean Earthquakes to the East

Related Issues:

• California’s closed state parks to be overrun by pot growers, people willing to pee in the woods
  By Sarah...
• Dolphins and Signature Whistles
  Wild dolphins use specific melodies called signature whistles to introduce themselves when they come across new groups of dolphins, researchers have discovered. They say the tuneful exchanges are an important part of a greeting sequence that allows dolphins to recognise each othe...
• In the News: Call for massive Antarctic marine reserve
  A coalition of international environmental organisations is launching a proposal for the world’s largest nature reserve in the seas around the Antarctic. The Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA) has called for the protection of 3.6 million square kilometres of ocean, which would includ...
• Arctic Warming Continuing, Approaching Tipping Point?
  Last year the Arctic, which is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth due to global climate change, experienced its warmest twelve months yet. According to recent data by NASA, average Arctic temperatures in 2011 were 2.28 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Fahrenheit) above those ...
• Himalayan Ice melt less than thought
  Estimates from satellite monitoring suggest the melt rate from the Himalayas and other high-altitude Asian mountains in recent years was much less than what scientists on the ground had estimated, but those monitoring the satellite data warn not to jump to the skeptical conclusio...