During 14 to 18 day period in April a earthquake swarm took place in Chile. This earthquake swarm started with a minor earthquake swarm with around dozen or so earthquakes with magnitude above 3,0 (other magnitudes might not be registered with EMSC). This earthquake sequence appears to have started on 17th of April-2017 with just a few earthquakes. I don’t have the information on the exact time it started. The first earthquake swarm was located in a narrow area above the subduction zone (where compression takes place). Few days later after the earthquake activity started the first large earthquake hit and had a magnitude of Mw6,0 (EMSC Information). Largest earthquake in this activity so far had the magnitude of Mw6,9 (EMSC Information). I don’t have any information on total number of earthquakes, but just based on the amount of earthquake activity show on EMSC total number of earthquakes must run in the low thousands (up to 10.000 earthquakes).
I don’t have the number of total earthquakes with magnitude above 4,0, at least dozen or so earthquakes (or close it) must have happened in this earthquake swarm in Chile. This area where this swarm took place had a magnitude 8,3 earthquake in 2015 and a magnitude 8,8 earthquake in 2010. This means that this part of Chile has a well documented history with extremely large earthquakes happening. If that’s going to be the case now is difficult to know, it can’t be ruled out based on the area history.
Detailed reading material from people that know more
Earthquake sequence in Central Chile: what we know so far
Test article
This is a test article to see if there is any interest for articles like this on their own website. I would not update it in real-time like Iceland Geology, but few days after the main earthquake has happened. Major earthquakes might get a extra speedy article if required (not guaranteed). I might write one or two articles like this more to do more tests in next few weeks if there is any interest for this type of articles.
The new website would be on its own domain, not a sub-folder of the domain jonfr.com.