Abstract

SALCEDO-HURTADO, Elkin de J.; AUDEMARD, Franck A.  and  GARCIA-MILLAN, Nathalie. Focal parameters of the April 28, 1894 earthquake in the Venezuelan Andes using macrosismic data. Rev. acad. colomb. cienc. exact. fis. nat. [online]. 2021, vol.45, n.175, pp.591-606.  Epub Sep 17, 2021. ISSN 0370-3908.  https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.1195.

The earthquake of April 28, 1894, in the Venezuelan Andes was one of the most destructive of the 19th century in this country. It left great material damages and human losses in various neighboring populations on the border between Colombia and Venezuela. In the epicentral zone, it caused large cracks, dislocations in the terrain, and ejections of mud, oil, and gases. Several paleoseismological, historical, and seismological studies have been published with information on its effects and macroseismic interpretations of the focal parameters. Here, we used data extracted from the exploration of an isoseismal map published previously to determine the main focal parameters of the earthquake. The results obtained locate the local epicenter (El) at the geographical coordinates ϕ = 8.55°N and λ = -71.72°W, and the normal (En) at ϕ = 8.56°N and λ = -71.51°W. The normal depth was hn = 18.24 ± 1.66 km and the local focus, hl = 8.8 ± 2.23 km. The Richter magnitude and the seismic energy released corresponded to Ml = 7.3 and E = 1.58*1023 ergs, respectively. The scalar seismic moment was M 0 = 3.16*1027 dynes-cm and the seismic moment magnitude, Mw = 7.6. We also obtained the magnitude of surface waves Ms = 6.6 and the seismic acceleration a = 0.69g. The parameters obtained are compatible with those published by other authors and we provide new information to feed seismological catalogs.

Keywords : Focal parameters; Earthquake; Isoseismal; Macroseismic; Venezuela.

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