The biggest and most predictable earthquakes occur within a few days after a new moon, when the pull of gravity combines with that of the sun. The pull of gravity is made even more intense during an eclipse orbit because the moon is directly in between the sun and the earth, almost guaranteeing a strong earthquake somewhere on the planet. Her is just another example of this pattern...

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aturday June 23 8:58 PM ET

Earthquake Kills 31 in Peru

By RICK VECCHIO, Associated Press Writer

LIMA, Peru (AP) - A powerful earthquake shook southern Peru on Saturday, killing at least 31 people and sending dozens of homes, churches and buildings tumbling to the ground, officials said.

At least three people were injured in northern Chile. The quake was felt as far away as Bolivia.

Peru's Civil Defense Chief Juan Luis Podesta said that 17 people had died and 170 others were injured in Arequipa, Peru's second-largest city, located 465 miles southeast of Lima, the capital. He said another 14 people were killed in the city of Moquegua, 65 miles southwest of Arequipa.

``For the love of God, please send help,'' a woman could be heard screaming while a radio reporter described the destruction in the streets of Moquegua.

The quake had a magnitude of 7.9 and its center was off Peru's Pacific coast, 120 miles west of Arequipa, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (news - web sites)'s National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. Peru's Geophysical Institute, however, put the quake's magnitude at 6. The difference could not be immediately explained.

At least 47 homes had collapsed in Arequipa, initial reports said. The city's imposing cathedral, first constructed in 1656, but rebuilt after an earthquake in 1868, was also damaged. Television images showed large chunks of stone work crumbled away on one of the elaborate steeples. The other steeple had fallen over.

Radio reports said people were shivering people in the streets of Arequipa, which is 7,673 feet above sea level, afraid to return to their homes for fear of aftershocks. At least five aftershocks had been registered.

Peru's Civil Defense said two cargo planes were on their way to the affected area with 22 tons of food, blankets and medicine. Rescuers searched through the rubble for survivors, hampered by night.

Homes were also destroyed in the southern city of Tacna, near the border with Chile. Residents in Lima fled their home in panic when the quake struck and rattled the city for more than a minute.

In Chile, the most affected city was Arica, 1,250 miles north of Santiago, the capital.

The Emergency Office spokeswoman, Carmen Fernandez, said some houses sustained damage there, and electricity and telephone services were interrupted.

Arica Major Carlos Valcarce said three people were injured, including a woman who suffered a broken leg when part of collapsing wall fell onto her.

Regional governor Sonia Castillo said ``there are no indications'' that a tsunami may occur after the earthquake.

Peru is intermittently shaken by earthquakes, and was battered by a 7.7 magnitude temblor in May 31, 1970, that killed approximately 70,000 people.

On November 12, 1996, 17 people were killed and some 1,500 injured in a 7.7 magnitude quake that struck Nazca. On May 30, 1990, 137 people were killed in a 6.3 magnitude quake in northern Peru.

A quake with a magnitude of 7 or more is capable of heavy and widespread damage.

-- another big one (2 days @ after. eclipse), June 23, 2001

Answers

"The biggest and most predictable earthquakes occur within a few days after a new moon..."

Since a new moon happens every 28 days, and the "few days after" a new moon happens about 2 out of every 28 days, if the percentage of earthquakes over 6.0 that happen in this period is greater than 7% of all such quakes, then you're golden.

You got any stats that back you up on this assertion?

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), June 23, 2001.

Nipper, you might find this article educational: Solar and Lunar Triggers on Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions

-- 1 (2@3.com), June 24, 2001.

Good point 123, there is also a volcano brewing down in the Phillipines.

The pull of gravity causes the Earth's crust to shift, and these shifts often trigger more dramtic effects within a few days.

-- (yep @ it's. true), June 24, 2001.