Final Blog Post: Peru

Hello everyone! I can’t believe this is the last blog post of the semester. I truly enjoyed learning about the country of Peru and I’m excited to summarize to you what I learned.

Peru is known to be a seismic country and has a history of consequential earthquakes. The main natural hazard in Peru are the ongoing earthquakes that hit along the Andes mountains towards the coast. Due to Peru lying on top of the Ring of Fire and the Nazca Plate, earthquakes can commonly hit the country with a magnitude of over 8.0 and cause destructive damage. Earthquakes in Peru are a priority to address because in the country’s past, powerful earthquakes have covered and swept away mountain towns. I remember learning earlier this year about how the entire town of Yungay got covered due to a massive landslide reaction after an earthquake in 1970. 

One of the recommendations I would address in order to avoid the hazardous earthquakes is to have a plan correlated with your family just in case one hits unexpectedly. If a family isn’t able to afford a kit or find the materials needed for survival during an earthquake, having an escape plan such as fuel in the car, food packed in a bag and even building a sturdy desk to duck underneath can be a great way to prepare for an earthquake.  

Although, historically the mountain area and towns have been swept away and hit due to landslide reactions.. The most vulnerable and seismic area in the country is the Peruvian coast (specifically the southern coast). The subduction zone off Peru’s southern coast is more active than on the north. An example of Peru’s southern seismic activity is back in 2001 when the coastal city of Ilo was shattered. The earthquake hit with a magnitude of 8.2-8.4 and caused the ground to fail creating a crumble of rocks.

Due to all the seismic activity in Peru’s mountain range and southern coast, if I lived in the country I would choose the north. I remember when I visited Peru a few years ago we traveled on a bus to the north. We visited Trujillo, Peru and it was one of the most marvelous cities with the most beautiful church. The city is known for the traditional marinera dance and is rich in culture. I would live in Trujillo not only because of the beauty of the city but also because of the less vulnerability to earthquakes. Due to Trujillo being in the northwest of the country, earthquake activity is less of a probability in this area. 

Thank you once again for an amazing semester! Thank you.

References:

https://www.worlddata.info/america/peru/earthquakes.php

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-52839770

https://www.pnas.org/content/101/30/10878

https://internationalliving.com/countries/peru/living-in-peru/