The 1949 Ambato earthquake was the deadliest earthquake in the Western Hemisphere in five years. On August 5, 1949, it struck Ecuador's Tungurahua Province southeast of its capital Ambato and killed 5,050 people. Measuring 6.4 on the Ms scale,[1] it originated from a hypocenter 15 km[3] beneath the surface. The nearby villages of Guano, Patate, Pelileo, and Pillaro were destroyed, and the city of Ambato suffered heavy damage.[4] The earthquake flattened buildings and subsequent landslides caused damage throughout the Tungurahua, Chimborazo, and Cotopaxi Provinces. It disrupted water mains and communication lines and opened a fissure into which the small town of Libertad sank. Moderate shaking from the event extended as far away as Quito and Guayaquil.[4]
Earthquakes in Ecuador stem from two major interrelated tectonic areas: the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate and the Andean Volcanic Belt. The 1949 Ambato earthquake initially followed an intersection of several northwest-southeast-trending faults in the Inter-Andean Valley which were created by the subduction of the Carnegie Ridge. Strata of rock cracked as the earthquake ruptured the faults, sending out powerful shock waves. Today threats exist throughout the country from both interplate and intraplate seismicity.[5]
^ abInternational Seismological Centre. Event Bibliography. Thatcham, United Kingdom. [Event896736].
^Cite error: The named reference PAGER-CAT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ISC-EB Event 896736 [IRIS]
^ ab"Today in Earthquake History: August 5". United States Geological Survey. December 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
^Espinosa, A.F.; Hall, M.L.; Yepes, H. (1991). "Tectonics and Seismicity". In Schuster, R.L.; Egred, J (eds.). The March 5, 1987, Ecuador earthquakes: mass wasting and socioeconomic effects. Natural disaster studies, an investigative series of the committee on natural disasters. National Academies Press. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-0-309-04444-8. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
and 14 Related for: 1949 Ambato earthquake information
The 1949Ambatoearthquake was the deadliest earthquake in the Western Hemisphere in five years. On August 5, 1949, it struck Ecuador's Tungurahua Province...
with faulting within the South American Plate, such as the 1949Ambatoearthquake. Earthquakes within the downgoing Nazca Plate, such as the Mw 7.1 event...
others were injured in the earthquake. It was the worst natural disaster to hit Ecuador since the 1949Ambatoearthquake. Over 300 fatalities occurred...
Libertad Province Libertad, Ecuador, a small town damaged in the 1949Ambatoearthquake La Libertad, Ecuador, in western Santa Elena La Libertad Canton...
This is a list of earthquakes in 1949. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused...
list compiles known earthquakes that have caused one or more fatalities since 1900. The list incorporates high-quality earthquake source (i.e., origin...
Cambridge in England, to calculate a table of squares. August 5 – Ambatoearthquake in Ecuador, measuring 6.8 on the Richter magnitude scale. Patomskiy...
National Basketball Association. August 5 – In Ecuador, the 6.8 ML Ambatoearthquake kills more than 5,000, and destroys a number of villages. August 8...
city of Ambato. The stadium was built in 1945 and inaugurated in July of the same year. The stadium was damaged by the earthquake that hit Ambato on August...
Kansas Died: Liberato Pinto, 68, 79th Prime Minister of Portugal The Ambatoearthquake killed 5,050 people in Ecuador. Menarsha synagogue attack: A grenade...
neighboring Ambato and Baños. It is famous for the production and sale of blue jeans. Many travelers pass through Pelileo on their way from Ambato to Baños...
1851. The town was heavily damaged in the 1949earthquake that similarly devastated the nearby towns of Ambato and Pelileo. Pillaro is considered a gateway...
government, creating economic stability. During his presidency, an earthquake near Ambato severely damaged the city and surrounding areas and killed approximately...
amateur radio operator. In 1949, her emergency broadcasts helped direct timely assistance to survivors of the Ambatoearthquake, and she received the Order...