Magnitude 4.7 earthquake in coastal province of Ecuador

An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 on the open Richter scale It was registered this Friday in the province of Manabí, in the coastal zone of Ecuador, with no reports of victims or material damage.

According to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School, the earthquake occurred at 03:39 local time (10.39 GMT) at 0.96 degrees south latitude and 80.57 degrees west longitude.

According to the source, the tremor occurred at a depth of 17.49 kilometers and 7.11 kilometers from the town of Jaramijó, located in the province of Manabí.

The oceanographic institute of the Navy pointed out that the characteristics of the earthquake does not meet the necessary conditions to generate a tsunami on the Ecuadorian coasts or in the insular region of Galapagos.

Ecuador is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, which concentrates some of the most important subduction zones (sinking of tectonic plates) in the world and is the scene of strong seismic activity.

In addition to Ecuador, the Belt, which is shaped like a horseshoe, includes a large number of countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Last April 16, Ecuador remembered the sixth anniversary of one of the most destructive earthquakes in its recent history, magnitude 7.8.

That natural phenomenon, which occurred on April 16, 2016, left more than 670 dead, thousands affected, as well as millions of material losses.

This earthquake hit the provinces of Esmeraldas (border with Colombia) and its neighbor Manabí, both located on the coast of the Andean country, with intensity, but it also affected other areas and was felt strongly, even in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, located in the province of Pichincha, located in the Andean zone of the country. (YO)