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Why did water pressure between tectonic plates matter in the Chile earthquake of 2010?
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Chile earthquake of 2010
A collapsed building in Concepción, Chile, following an earthquake, 2010.
A 2014 study identified the buildup of water pressure between the South American Plate and the subducting Nazca Plate as a primary catalyst for the Chile earthquake of 2010.
This pressure acted as a critical factor in the mechanics of the fault rupture, which involved a 300- to 375-mile stretch of the boundary between the two plates. By influencing the conditions along the subduction zone, this accumulated water pressure contributed to the conditions necessary for the magnitude-8.8 earthquake to occur.1