Global Largest Earthquakes in July 2022
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake report, we witnessed 1,275 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 and above in July 2022, which is 58 earthquakes more than the previous month.
Among them, 1,134 were of magnitude 4.0 to 4.9, 133 of magnitude 5.0 to 5.9, and 8 of magnitude 6.0 and above (among them one 7.0 earthquake)1.
The largest earthquake in July was of a magnitude of 7.0 and occurred on July 27, 2022, at 08:43:24 a.m. (PHT) at a depth of 10 km, 13 km southeast of Dolores, Cordillera, Philippines. A powerful earthquake killed five people and left more than 130 others injured. About 15 cities and 280 towns felt the earthquake, several roads were rendered impassable, and churches and historical buildings were damaged2.
Picture 1: Location of a magnitude 7.0 Philippines earthquake
The second largest earthquake in July occurred on July 12th, 2022, in the Pacific Ocean, 696 km northwest of Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile. This magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km and left no damage as it occurred away from the coast and populous places.
The third largest earthquake in July, which also didn't cause any damage, occurred 519 km west-southwest of Quellón, offshore Aysén, Chile, at a depth of 10 km. It had a magnitude of 6.4.
The most destructive earthquake in July with two equally strong aftershocks was of a magnitude 6.1 and occurred on July 1, 2022, at a depth of 16 km, 55 km northeast of Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan, Iran. Five people were killed and more than 50 were injured. At least 540 homes were destroyed, around 1,000 others damaged, and several power outages were reported3.
Picture 2: Location of the magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Iran
Last but not least, Peru was struck twice by strong earthquakes, which resulted in significant damage. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake that occurred on July 15 at a depth of 73 km in Guayas, 12 km southwest of Samborondón, caused damage to more than 100 buildings and killed a 16-year-old boy4. Another one occurred on July 25. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake that occurred at a depth of 10 km left at least 400 buildings damaged and more than 10 people injured.
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Sources:
1) United States Geological Survey (USGS). Accessed on 01-Aug-2022. Available at: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=18.47961,-137.19727&extent=54.00777,-52.82227
2) Cabato, Regine. 2022. Five Dead, Dozens Injured as 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Philippines. Accessed on 01-Aug-2022. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/27/philippines-earthquake-luzon-abra/
3) The New York Times. 2022. Iran Earthquake Kills at Least 5, State Media Says. Accessed on 01-Aug-2022. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/world/middleeast/iran-earthquake.html
4) Cronica. 2022. Un Muerto y Daños Materiales Deja Sismo de Magnitud 6 en Ecuador. Accessed on 01-Aug-2022. Available at: https://www.cronica.com.ar/mundo/Un-muerto-y-danos-materiales-deja-sismo-de-magnitud-6-en-Ecuador-20220715-0003.html
5) La Nacion. 2022. Ocho Heridos Deja Sismo en Frontera de Ecuador con Colombia. Accessed on 01-Aug-2022. Available at: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/agencias/ocho-heridos-deja-sismo-en-frontera-de-ecuador-con-colombia-nid25072022/
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