Why has the 8.0 earthquake in Peru lasted so long and has it occurred in several countries?

The powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake that hit several parts of Peru this morning lasted about 127 seconds and was also felt in Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil. One person died and 11 others were injured by the telluric movement, whose hypocentre was located 135 kilometers deep.

The director of the Geophysical Institute of Peru, Hernán Tavera, explained that the perception of the duration of the earthquake, as well as the amplitude of the seismic wave, were precisely due to the depth of the tremor.

"Earthquakes that have an intermediate depth, as in this case, have a rather wide radius of perception and this has been demonstrated by this earthquake," said Tavera, quoted by the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio.

For his part, geologist Patricio Valderrama of the Center for Disaster Prevention and Control pointed out that "the north of Peru no longer feels such an earthquake since the great earthquake of 1970", referring to the devastating earthquake of magnitude 7, 9 in the Ancash region, which has claimed more than 70,000 lives.

The President of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, confirmed that the powerful earthquake had been felt in several regions of the country. According to the USGS, it is the most powerful earthquake that the planet has experienced this year. (RT)