Shackleton Fracture Zone
Encyclopedia
Shackleton Fracture Zone (abbreviated as SFZ) is an undersea fracture zone
and fault located on Drake Passage
that separates the Scotia Plate
from the Antarctic Plate
. The Shackleton Fracture Zone runs in a northwest to southeast direction from the South American continental shelf to the South Shetland Islands
.
On January 17, 2010 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Drake Passage along the Shackleton Fracture Zone. The hypocenter
depth was estimated at 5 km. The earthquake was felt in the Cape Horn
lighthouse and the Diego Ramírez Islands
, which are the two closest inhabited places.
Fracture zone
A fracture zone is a linear oceanic feature--often hundreds, even thousands of kilometers long--resulting from the action of offset mid-ocean ridge axis segments. They are a consequence of plate tectonics. Lithospheric plates on either side of an active transform fault move in opposite directions;...
and fault located on Drake Passage
Drake Passage
The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces—Sea of Hoces—is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica...
that separates the Scotia Plate
Scotia Plate
The Scotia Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate bordering the South American Plate on the north, the South Sandwich Plate to the east, and the Antarctic Plate on the south and west....
from the Antarctic Plate
Antarctic Plate
The Antarctic Plate is a tectonic plate covering the continent of Antarctica and extending outward under the surrounding oceans. The Antarctic Plate has a boundary with the Nazca Plate, the South American Plate, the African Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate, the Scotia Plate and a divergent boundary...
. The Shackleton Fracture Zone runs in a northwest to southeast direction from the South American continental shelf to the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
.
On January 17, 2010 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Drake Passage along the Shackleton Fracture Zone. The hypocenter
Hypocenter
The hypocenter refers to the site of an earthquake or a nuclear explosion...
depth was estimated at 5 km. The earthquake was felt in the Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
lighthouse and the Diego Ramírez Islands
Diego Ramírez Islands
The Diego Ramírez Islands are a small group of lesser islands located in the southernmost extreme of Chile about south-west of Cape Horn and south-south-east of Ildefonso Islands, stretching north-south . Their land area is little more than...
, which are the two closest inhabited places.