1920 Mendoza earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1920 Mendoza earthquake was a seismic movement
that took place in the province
of Mendoza
, Argentina
, on 17 December 1920, at 06:59:49 p.m. It recorded magnitude 6.0 in the Richter scale
. Its epicenter
was at 32°42′S 68°24′W, at a depth of 40 km.
The earthquake was felt with grade VIII in the Mercalli intensity scale
. It affected the provincial capital Mendoza
, and caused material damages and numerous fatal victims in several towns located 30 km northeast from it.
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 Mendoza
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
, 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 17 December 1920, at 06:59:49 p.m. It recorded magnitude 6.0 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 at 32°42′S 68°24′W, at a depth of 40 km.
The earthquake was felt with grade VIII in 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...
. It affected the provincial capital Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
, and caused material damages and numerous fatal victims in several towns located 30 km northeast from it.