A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean on July 29. Although this magnitude is high, no damage was reported by the inhabitants, mainly because the quake occurred at a depth of 210km. Moreover, no tsunami warning was issued, mainly because such deep earthquakes do not generate tsunamis.

From the map, it can also be observed that three strong earthquakes were recorded on the west of South America.

Actually, more than a quarter of the global earthquakes with a magnitude larger than eight have occurred in this region. This also includes the largest recorded earthquake, which had an approximate magnitude of 9.5 and lasted around 10 minutes!

This high seismic activity rate comes from the movement of the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate. The collision is also responsible for the lifting of the Andes mountains and other volcanoes found in this region.

Locally, a small earthquake occurred around 80km to the south of the Malta, but was not felt. If readers experience any earthquake-related shaking, they are invited to fill the online questionnaire on the website below.

http://seismic.research.um.edu.mt/questionnaire.php

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