In a study published online by the journal Nature Geoscience, seismologists looked at a notorious fault which has produced six quakes since 1835, including a world-record 9.5 event in 1960.

Pressure along the fault was not eased by last year's quake in the Maule region and in fact has probably increased in a patch located inland to the east and north of the city of Concepcion, they said.

"We can conclude that increased stress on the unbroken patch may in turn have increased the probability of another major to great earthquake there in the near future," the paper warned.

Lead author Stefano Lorito, of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology, said in response to emailed questions from AFP that the quake, if it happened, could have a magnitude of "seven to eight."

"It is a zone quite close to the epicentre of the Maule 2010 event," he said.

The study did not attempt to forecast when the quake would occur, a question that is always elusive in seismology, he said.

The February 27 2010 quake, which occurred just off the coast 115 kilometres (70 miles) north of Concepcion, unleashed a tsunami that swept away entire villages.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Clues sought in Arkansas earthquake swarm
Little Rock, Ark. (UPI) Dec 24, 2010
More than 500 measurable earthquakes have occurred in central Arkansas since September, and it's unknown if they'll stop anytime soon, seismologists say. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey say they ranged in magnitude from a barely noticeable 1.8 to a very noticeable 4.0 temblor recorded Oct. 11, CNN reported Friday. Locals say they are looking forward to the quakes goin ... read more