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« France Supports Bolivia’s Nationalization of French Company, Demands Payment | Home | Bolivia’s International Credit Rating Improves: Now Above Argentina » Earthquake Shakes La PazPosted: admin on May 06 | Environment, News On the morning of Wednesday, May 5th a small earthquake shook La Paz measuring less than 4 on the Richter scale. There have been no reports of injuries or damage. People evacuated buildings as the tremors broke on Wednesday morning. The quake was centered 37 kilometers Northeast of the Chilean city of Arica some 26 kilometers below the surface where the local intensity measured 6.4 on the Richter scale according to the US Geological Survey. Bolivia’s San Calixto observatory measured the event which was only felt in La Paz. Bolivian geologist Edson Burgoa called for calm and said that only very minor aftershocks should occur. Most buildings in the city of La Paz are not build to any semblance of building code, and many are made out of adobe with no foundations. If a serious earth quake were ever to hit La Paz the death toll could be catastrophic and rescue services are inadequate to respond to any type of serious disaster. La Paz is built in a natural canyon which might amplify the effects of an earthquake. La Paz has not had an earthquake in modern times but other areas of Bolivia have active faults such as Totora and Aiquile which have experienced numerous strong earthquakes in the past 100 years. 70% of the buildings in Aiquile were damaged or destroyed by a 5.8 earthquake in 1998 that killed at least 84 people and resulted in over 2,000 aftershocks in the ensuing days. To learn more in Spanish see: http://www.erbol.com.bo/noticia.php?identificador=2147483928015 |
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