An earthquake in Ecuador on Saturday night was much stronger than one that occurred in Japan the previous day, releasing around 20 times more energy according to an expert. While the Ecuador quake began deeper below the surface, reducing shaking, more casualties and damage occurred because buildings and bridges in Ecuador are constructed less rigidly than in Japan. The expert noted there is typically a causal relationship between major quakes around the world, with approximately 20 magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes occurring annually somewhere globally.
2. Ecuador's earthquake Saturday night was 20 times stronger and released more energy than that
produced in Japan the previous day, according to an expert.
The total energy released by the earthquake of magnitude 7.8 in Ecuador was "probably about 20
times higher" than in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan on Friday, said David
Rothery, a professor of planetary geosciences at the Open University, in northeast London.
The earthquake in Ecuador began deeper than the recent earthquakes in Japan, Rothery said,
which would have reduced the shaking on the surface. But the fact that there were more casualties
and material damage in Ecuador can it be attributed to less stringent rules of construction for
buildings and bridges, he said.
"There is a causal relationship between earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan," Rothery said in
remarks Sunday to Associated Press. Each year about 20 earthquakes of magnitude 7 will occur
"somewhere in the world," he said.
3. Location.The Geophysics Institute said the strong earthquake of 7.8
magnitude was 10 km deep and stood off the coast of Esmeraldas,
near Muisne.
4. This balance matches the report of the Secretariat of Risk Management, which 08h30 this April 20,
2016 indicated that the victims are: 525 dead, 4,605 injured and 107 missing.
