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Which tectonic plates caused the Chile earthquake of 2010?
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Chile earthquake of 2010
A collapsed building in Concepción, Chile, following an earthquake, 2010.
The 2010 Chile earthquake was caused by the convergence of the South American Plate and the Nazca Plate.
The earthquake occurred due to the rupture of a 300- to 375-mile (500- to 600-km) stretch of the fault line where the denser, oceanic Nazca Plate subducts beneath the lighter, continental South American Plate. The stress accumulated from this ongoing subduction caused rocks to shatter along the boundary, triggering the magnitude-8.8 event.1