1948 Salta earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1948 Salta earthquake was a major seismic movement
that took place in the province
of Salta
, Argentina
on 25 August 1948, at 06:09:23 a.m. It recorded magnitude 7.0 in the Richter scale
. Its epicenter
was located in the east of the province at a depth of 50 km. It had a felt intensity of IX on the Mercalli intensity scale
(VIII on the Modified Mercalli scale).
The earthquake caused property damage and casualties in several towns in the east and southeast of Salta and also in Jujuy
, affecting the capitals of both. It is (as of 2006) the last major earthquake recorded in the Argentine Northwest
.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that took place in the province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of Salta
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
on 25 August 1948, at 06:09:23 a.m. It recorded magnitude 7.0 in the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
. Its epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was located in the east of the province at a depth of 50 km. It had a felt intensity of IX on the Mercalli intensity scale
Mercalli intensity scale
The Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake, and is distinct from the moment magnitude M_w usually reported for an earthquake , which is a measure of the energy released...
(VIII on the Modified Mercalli scale).
The earthquake caused property damage and casualties in several towns in the east and southeast of Salta and also in Jujuy
Jujuy Province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.-History:...
, affecting the capitals of both. It is (as of 2006) the last major earthquake recorded in the Argentine Northwest
Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northwest is a region of Argentina composed by the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.-Geography:The region had 5 different biomes:* Sub-Andean humid Sierras of the east...
.